Meet Our Faculty
Chris Maher
- Title
- Associate professor of biology
- Department
- Biology
- Areas of interest
- Animal behavior, evolution of social behaviors in mammals
What are the strengths of the biology department?
There are two major strengths. First, we have excellent faculty. We’re very active in research and we love to teach. We’ve made a conscious decision to come to USM to do both.
Second, students have the opportunity to do research with faculty. At bigger universities, professors are off writing grants and doing their research while undergraduate students are working in the lab with graduate students, post-grads, or technicians. At USM, students get into the lab and into the field—with their professor—very early on to see if that type of research is what they want in a career.
What role does fieldwork/interactive learning play in the courses you teach?
In theory, you’re in college for a relatively short time. It makes sense to gain experiences early on so you can make decisions about what you want and don’t want to do. You can make those decisions and pursue the things you do find appealing.
We’re heavy recruiters. We go into the intro biology and science classes and tell students what we’re doing, in terms of research. If they’re interested, they should come talk to us. After all, science is an activity. It’s something you do.
What notable professional experience has influenced your teaching?
It’s probably more of a series of experiences, and that’s the exposure to poster sessions at professional conferences. The sessions allow students to interact with a lot of people in a short period of time. It really teaches them to be scientists. Posters, I’ve found, are more difficult to prepare than papers. They force you to be concise, to communicate visually, and you have to be an expert on the subject. At USM, we have upper-level students present at the poster sessions at the Thinking Matters Conference each spring.
Do you see yourself in your students? If so, how does that affect your approach?
Yes, I can see myself in some of my students. I knew I loved biology, but like a lot of students I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I got lucky with a work-study job in a lab and that set me on the path I went down. I try to get students research experiences, because they can be life-changing.
What’s your role in your students’ lives?
Well, I have two roles. In the classes I teach, I’m a teacher, but I’m also a facilitator. I let students know right away that they need to do the work. I’m there to help them figure out a topic for a paper, or how to study for my test. But ultimately, it’s up to them to do the work.
With my field assistants and graduate assistants, I’m more of a mentor. We start out having no idea who each other is, we do field research, we hit it off, they love the work and some go on to do their own research.
On your faculty Web page, you post links to student profiles and notes on student research. Why?
In part, to show what research opportunities are available. Prospective students want to know what kinds of opportunities are available to them at different schools. Those links show people what they can do here, have some fun along the way, and get a job when they’re done here.
What surprises you about USM students?
One thing that really surprises me is that many of them don’t know about the opportunities right here in the area. So I do what I can to get them out. In my upper level classes, we take a trip to the New England Aquarium in Boston. Some of them have never been to the North End! I’m not letting them not visit the North End, so we walk over, maybe grab a cannoli at Mike’s Pastry.
Think about some memorable students. What makes them stand out?
The most memorable students are the ones who have helped me in research. I’ve had over 60 students help in field research. They start out hauling traps through the snow, and they end up doing their own research. A few have even made presentations at national conferences and gone on to become full-fledged scientists. It’s really neat to see.
What local resources do you use to enrich students’ opportunities to learn?
That’s the nice thing about being a biologist in southern Maine. There’s a huge diversity in natural places to take students. We go to the marsh, forests, and sanctuaries. So much is so close, less than an hour’s drive.
Where do you live and why?
I live in Portland, because I spend a lot of time in my office. It’s nice to have short commute. Plus they deliver pizza where I live! It’s convenient to live where I do, for lots of reasons.
What’s Portland’s best-kept secret?
Probably the trail system. The Portland Trails people have done a really nice job. There are some really nice places to get out to in the city.
