Graduate student research
Biology graduate students engage in a diversity of research projects, ranging from molecular biology and neurobiology to plant ecology and animal behavior.Their study organisms include viruses, bacteria, salt marsh plants, birds, and mammals.
You can find a listing of our current students below, along with their advisor's name and their thesis topic.
You can also browse a complete list of titles of all our students' theses.
Recent graduate student publications
McKay, J.L. and Maher, C.R. 2012. Relationship between blood mercury levels and components of male song in Nelson's sparrows (Ammodramus nelsoni). Ecotoxicology. 21:2391-2397.
Aschemeier, L.A. and Maher, C.R. 2011. Eavesdropping of woodchucks (Marmota monax) and eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus) on heterospecific alarm calls. Journal of Mammalogy. 92: 493-499.
Griffin, P.J., Theodose, T., and Dionne, M. 2011. Landscape patterns of forb pannes across a northern New England salt marsh. Wetlands 31: 25-33.
Hazelton, E.L.G., Knight, T.J. and Theodose, T.A. 2010. Glutamine synthetase partitioning in native and introduced salt marsh grasses. Marine Ecology Progress Series 414: 57-64.
Fitch, R., Theodose, T., and Dionne, M. 2009. Relationships among upland development, nitrogen and plant community composition in a Maine salt marsh. Wetlands 29: 1179-1188.
Frankel, S., Concannon, J., Brusky, K., Pietrowicz, E., Giorgianni, S., Thompson, W.D. and Currie, D.A. 2009. Arsenic exposure disrupts neurite growth and complexity in vitro. Neurotoxicology 30: 529-537.
Stevick, P.T., Incze, L.S., Kraus, S.D., Rosen, S. Wolff, N. and Baukus, A. 2008. Trophic relationships and oceanography on and around a small offshore bank. Marine Ecology Progress Series 363: 15-28.
Darhower, S. and Maher, C.R. 2008. Effects of immunocontraception on behavior in fallow deer (Dama dama). Zoo Biology. 27: 49-61.
Nam, J.-S., Turcotte, T.J., Smith, P.F., Choi, S. and Yoon, J.K. 2006. Mouse cristin/R-spondin family proteins are novel ligands for the Frizzled 8 and LRP6 receptors and activate beta-catenin-dependent gene expression. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 281: 13247-13257.
Current students
Brandon Braden
B.S. Natural Resources - Resource Management, Northland College (2009)
Advisor: James Paruk
Thesis Topic: Parental experience and its effects on reproductive success in common loons
Peter Drake
B.S. Microbiology, Bowling Green State University (2009)
Advisor: Ira Levine
Thesis Topic: Growth response of the green alga, Koleilla, to variations in salinity and calcium concentrations
Victor Gagne
B.A. Biology, Colby College (2009)
Advisor: Douglas Currie
Thesis Topic: Investigating the effects of arsenic on developing neurons in vitro
James Harmon
B.A. Biology, University of Southern Maine (2000)
Advisor: Ken Weber
Thesis Topic: Effects of natural photoperiod on development time in Drosophila larvae
Jennifer Hiltonsmith
B.S. Natural Science, Christian Brothers University (2010)
Advisor: Louis Gainey, Jr.
Thesis Topic: Effects of crude oil dispersant on the heart rate, filtration rate, and valve closure rate of Mytilus edulis
Anne Honeywell
B.S. Biology, University of Ottawa (2011)
Advisor: Chris Maher
Thesis Topic: Alteration of harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) haul-out behavior under different population densities
Molly Payne
B.S.Environmental Biology, SUNY Syracuse (2010)
Advisor: Karen Wilson
Thesis Topic: Ecology of blueback herring in Maine river systems
Abby Pearson
B.S. Environmental Science and Policy, USM (2007)
Advisor : Karen Wilson
Thesis Topic: Vegetative regrowth in a salt marsh undergoing restoration
Sean Raph
B.A. Biology, University of Maine, Farmington (2011)
Advisor: John Wise
Thesis Topic: Effects of toxic metal (Cr) on localization of cellular regulatory proteins (SAC) 
Melissa Sassman
B.S. Biology, University of Southern Maine (2012)
Advisor: John Wise
Thesis Topic: Comparing DNA double-strand break repair amoung sperm whale individuals and humans using gamma-H2A.X
Aaron Svedlow
B.S. Environmental Science, University of New Hampshire (2004)
Advisor: Jeff Walker
Thesis Topic: Impacts to wildlife on offshore wind energy development
Emily Veilleux
B.S. Biology, University of Maine, Machias (2010)
Advisor: Ken Weber
Thesis Topic: Longevity and fecundity in fruit flies lines selected for flight and in natural lines
Shri Verrill
B.A. Liberal Studies, Union Institute and University (2005)
Advisor: Theresa Theodose
Thesis Topic: Applying principles of restoration ecology to landscape design, using ethnobotanically applicable plants that maintain ecosystem integrity while encouraging human interaction and education
Recent M.S. theses
|
Student (Year submitted) |
Title |
|---|---|
|
Timothy Divoll (2013) |
Mist-netting, passive ultrasonic detection, and stable isotopes determine community structure and temporal variation in bats at Acadia National Park, Maine |
|
Ellen McCann Labbe (2013) |
Influence of stocking history and geography on the population genetics of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) in Maine Rivers |
|
Erika Diffin (2012) |
Nutrient-dependent steroidogenic activity of the prothoracic gland in Manduca sexta |
|
Sandra Fussell (2012) |
Analysis of the spatial ecology and expansion rate of Phragmites australis at Drakes Island Marsh in Wells, Maine |
|
Sean Casto (2012) |
Influence of weather on nocturnal avian migration in southern Maine |
|
Carrie Lewis (2011) |
Kin recognition in woodchucks (Marmota monax) using scent from the oral angle gland |
|
Elizabeth Mitchell (2011) |
Vegetation response to predicted increased tidal marsh inundation in northern New England brackish marshes |
|
Erik Pietrowicz (2010) |
Arsenic metabolism and developmental neurotoxicity |
|
Jennifer McKay (2010) |
Relationship between blood mercury levels and components of male song in Nelson's sparrows (Ammodramus nelsoni) |
|
Victor Serio, Jr. (2010) |
Detection and genetic analysis of inducible prophages in bacteria from late stage legions of epizootic shell disease of Americanl lobsters (Homarus americanus) |
|
Heather Anne Wright (2010) |
Biogeographical analysis of picoplankton populations across the Patagonian Shelf Break during austral summer |
|
Karoline Perry (2010) |
Culture-dependent Physiology Studies of Bacterial Isolates at Callahan Mine |
|
Kevin Regan (2010) |
Effects of wildfire on spatial organization of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) males |
|
Violetta Priestley (2009) |
After floral dip: seed selection and the effects of Hygromycin B on Arabidopsis thaliana |
|
Kate Callnan (2009) |
Phosphorus uptake comparison between marine picoplankton |
|
Lisa Aschemeier (2009) |
Eavesdropping of woodchucks and eastern chipmunks on heterospecific alarm calls |
|
Lisa Vickers (2008) |
The role of soil nutrients and arbuscular mycorrhizae in the invasion of common reed (Phragmites australis) in New England salt marshes |
|
Kim Emery (2008) |
Genotoxicity in the common loon |
|
Taryn Turcotte (2008) |
Characterization of R-spondin signaling and its role in osteogenic differentiation of mouse mesenchymal progenitor cells |
|
Adam Bemis (2008) |
The effects of sodium arsenite on cell division and neurite outgrowth in human and rat neuronal cell lines |
|
Laura Jones (2008) |
Succession in a large restored tidal marsh: first-year vegetation patterns and the role of wrack in colonization |
|
Adam Baukus (2008) |
Importance of internal waves for the distribution, density and trophic dynamics of euphausiids on a small offshore bank |
|
Camilla Fecteau (2008) |
The effects of mercury on the productivity of belted kingfishers (Ceryle alcycon) on three rivers in the Eastern United States |
|
Joseph Keierleber (2008) |
Cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of zinc chromate on human lung cells and the role of Mre11 in the repair of chromium-induced DNA double-strand breaks |
|
Samuel Frankel (2008) |
The effects of arsenic on the neuronal cytoskeleton |
|
Rosemarie Fitch (2008) |
The relationship between salt marsh upland development, nitrogen, and plant community composition |
|
Kristen Krumhardt (2007) |
Phosphate and ATP uptake kinetics of Prochlorococcus MED4 grown in phosphorus-limited chemostat cultures |
|
Eric Hazelton (2007) |
Partitioning of glutamine synthetase in native and invasive salt marsh grasses |
|
Alexis Dayton (2007) |
Responses of primary production and species composition to nutrient enrichment in a perennial forb salt marsh plant community |
|
Pamela Griffin (2007) |
Islands of biodiversity: a landscape characterization of salt marsh forb pannes of the Little River Salt Marsh, Wells, ME, USA |
|
Sarah Darhower (2006) |
Effects of immunocontraception on behavior in fallow deer (Dama dama) |
|
Kathryn Roache-Johnson (2006) |
A cell-specific detection method for rapid assessment of phosphorus stress in marine phytoplankton and bacterioplankton |
|
Crystal Pietrowicz (2006) |
A century of experiments using specialized apparatus to study genetic variability, learning, and speciation in Drosophila |
|
Matthew Harris (2005) |
Ecdysteroid regulated transcription in Drosophila melanogaster |
|
|
USM Social Dashboard »
Check out our new Social Dashboard to see other ways to stay connected across the USM community.