School of Biology and Ecology

AP reports on Groden’s browntail moth research

The Associated Press reported on browntail moth research being conducted by Eleanor Groden, a professor of entomology in the School of Biology and Ecology at the University of Maine. The browntail moth’s caterpillars have toxic hairs that can cause respiratory diseases and rashes that resemble poison ivy, the AP reported. Groden is looking into how […]

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Three undergraduates gain early admission to Tufts University School of Medicine

Three University of Maine undergraduates have received early acceptance to Tufts University School of Medicine through the Maine Track Early Assurance program. Trevor Morin, a microbiology major from Scarborough, Maine; Drew Brooks, a microbiology and music double major from Lyman, Maine; and Austin Steward, a bioengineering major and Honors College student from Colebrook, New Hampshire, […]

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Koplovsky earns scholarship to become certified paramedic

Aiden Koplovsky of Duxbury, Massachusetts, an advanced EMT with County Ambulance of Ellsworth, Maine and University Volunteer Ambulance Corps at the University of Maine, has been awarded a ZOLL EMT Scholarship to become a certified paramedic. The UMaine zoology pre-med major is one of 11 recipients selected nationwide. Aiden Koplovsky “Mr. Koplovsky has demonstrated his […]

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BBC Future quotes McGill in article on animals thriving in the Anthropocene

Brian McGill, a professor of ecological modeling at the University of Maine, spoke with BBC Future for an article about how some animals are thriving in the Anthropocene, an era defined by humanity’s impact on the planet. McGill noted human impact on local ecologies can sometimes have unexpected effects. He pointed to a study published in 2014 […]

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BBC Future quotes McGill in article on animals thriving in the Anthropocene

Brian McGill, a professor of ecological modeling at the University of Maine, spoke with BBC Future for an article about how some animals are thriving in the Anthropocene, an era defined by humanity’s impact on the planet. McGill noted human impact on local ecologies can sometimes have unexpected effects. He pointed to a study published […]

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AP reports on new bee-mapping tool for Maine blueberry growers

The Associated Press reported on a new tool developed by University of Maine scientists that allows blueberry growers to learn how many bees they can expect to see around their fields. “BeeMapper” will be unveiled July 19 at Blueberry Hill Farm in Jonesboro as part of the UMaine Cooperative Extension’s annual Wild Blueberry Summer Field […]

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UMaine researchers to unveil wild bee habitat assessment tool July 19

University of Maine researchers have developed a tool called “BeeMapper” that will allow blueberry growers to assess the predicted wild bee abundance in the landscape surrounding their crop fields. They will debut and demonstrate the computer-based tool on Wednesday, July 19 at the UMaine Cooperative Extension annual Wild Blueberry Summer Field Day at Maine Agricultural […]

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The Atlantic quotes Gill in article on animal population declines, extinctions

Jacquelyn Gill, a professor of paleoecology at the University of Maine, was quoted in the Atlantic article, “It’s a mistake to focus just on animal extinctions.” Researchers state that fixating on the concept of extinction can lead scientists to overestimate the state of the planet’s health, according to the article. If a species is completely wiped out, […]

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Aroostook Republican reports on potato beetle cannibalism

Andrei Alyokhin, director of the School of Biology and Ecology, spoke with the Aroostook Republican about his research results involving Colorado potato cannibalism. He found that in a laboratory, Colorado potato beetles facing starvation and crowding ate beetle eggs and young beetles and injured beetles and other adults. Alyokhin said while it’s a laboratory study […]

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