Whitney King, Miselis Professor of Chemistry, Colby College ([email protected]).
Whitney King
The King group develops and builds analytical instruments for ultra-trace analysis of Fe(II), Fe(III), Mn(II), Cr(III), HOOH, superoxide, and phosphate in natural waters. These analytical systems/methods are used by a number of research groups, both in the US and internationally, providing interesting collaborations for my research group at Colby. In 2002, King co-founded Waterville Analytical to meet the commercial demand for our FIA instrumentation.
The King research group has several ongoing research projects. We are continuing to work with the Wells and Tripp groups at the University of Maine to develop novel sensors for iron in the ocean based on the specific interaction of DFB with Fe(III). Our second area of research is a kinetic study of the decay rate of superoxide in well-defined media. We are particularly interested in the decay rate of superoxide at nM concentrations where a number of first order decay pathways may effectively compete with the, well-characterized, second order decay pathway. Our third project is biogeochemical investigation of the Belgrade Lakes watershed. We are investigating the nutrient dynamics of each of the Belgrade Lakes and the redox dynamics of species like iron, HOOH, and superoxide at the lake surfaces (top and bottom). This work uses the Colby Compass, a 24′ pontoon boat configured for lake research. Interactive maps of the Belgrade Lakes watershed are available on our GIS web pages.
Philip Nyhus, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Colby College ([email protected])
Philip Nyhus’ interdisciplinary research bridges the natural and social sciences to address human interactions with the environment. He is particularly interested in the human dimensions of human-wildlife conflict and endangered species conservation. His current research includes developing new tools and processes for biodiversity risk assessment, GIS-based spatial models, and tiger and large mammal conservation in the US and Asia.
Students in Nyhus’ Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing course produce maps of Maine and carry out independent research as part of the Atlas of Maine project. Students in his Environmental Policy Practicum capstone course produce The State of Maine’s Environment, a series of reports written by the Colby Environmental Policy Group, senior environmental policy majors at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.
Herb Wilson, Leslie Brainerd Arey Professor of Biosiences ([email protected])
Herb Wilson
Herb Wilson is an ecologist with a particular focus at the population and community level. He and his students have done research on a number of different groups of animals. These projects include winter foraging behavior of Black-capped Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches, foraging behavior of migrating Semipalmated Sandpipers in the Bay of Fundy, habitat selection in Palm Warblers in local peatlands, behavior of a marine dragonfly, the Seaside Dragonlet, homing behavior in limpets in Maine tidepools and the life history of the marine amphipod, Corophium volutator.
Herb is a strong advocate of citizen science. For the past 16 years, he has coordinated a state-wide effort to document the spring arrival dates of Maine migratory breeding birds. Over 200 Maine birders have participated to date and six publications have resulted from the data. Herb is one of the four coordinators of the Maine Butterfly Atlas, a five-year project to document the distribution and abundance of butterflies and skippers at the township level across the state of Maine. We have just completed our third year of the project and over 150 citizens have contributed specimens or photographs.
Catherine Bevier, Associate Professor of Biology, Colby College ([email protected])
Cathy Bevier
Cathy Bevier’s research focuses on behavioral and physiological ecology of animals, especially amphibians. Current projects include investigations of the interactions between environmental microbial communities and components of skin secretions produced by frogs, and aspects of acoustic communication in amphibians. She is also interested in using stereotype aggressive behaviors, such as those exhibited by male fiddler crabs and field crickets, as a bioassay to determine the extent to which environmental contaminants may influence reproductive success and population viability of wildlife in potentially polluted environments.
Cathy enjoys teaching her students in courses such as Animal Behavior, Biodiversity, and Physiological Ecology. She is also committed to outreach initiatives to local schools and communities. She has conducted workshops on amphibian identification and ecology for teachers, and has visited classrooms to give presentations. This spring she has developed lesson plans on mapping and geocaching for 7th graders, and will start helping to map Maine’s vernal pools with Dr. Aram Calhoun (U. Maine, Orono).
Jim Fleming, Director of the Science, Technology and Society Program ([email protected])
Professor James Fleming
Our team is examining history, “sense of place,” and the forces that generate change over timescales ranging from millennia to decades. This research draws from environmental history, the history of technology, social history, and other interdisciplinary fields to combine both broad overviews of the region and focused case studies of particular places and issues. Team members: James Westhafer (’10), Danielle Sheppard (’11), Erin Schnettler (’11), and Erin Love, (’14).
Professor Fleming is the director of the Science, Technology and Society Program. He is currently examining the history of Earth system science and working to connect the history of science and technology with public policy. His latest book is Fixing the Sky: The Checkered History of Weather and Climate Control (Columbia University Press, 2010).
Peter Kallin, Executive Director of BRCA ([email protected])
Peter Kallin controlling invasive species
Peter L. Kallin, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance (BRCA) with over thirty years experience in engineering and scientific project management. Dr. Kallin has a broad educational background with specific experience in physical oceanography, surface and groundwater hydrology, water quality modeling, contaminant fate and transport modeling, wetlands ecology and biogeochemistry, environmental impact assessment, and watershed management and restoration. Before joining the BRCA, Dr. Kallin was a Senior Project Manager in the Rutgers (NJ) Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program, working in watershed management and consulting for various technology startup companies in alternative energy at the Rutgers EcoComplex.
At BRCA, he has quickly become recognized as an expert in lake water quality and serves on several Maine DEP stakeholder groups involving water quality. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Maine Congress of Lake Associations (Maine COLA). He and his wife, Linda, reside on Long Pond in Rome, ME.
Alice Elliott, Associate Director for Community Outreach, Golfarb Center ([email protected])
Alice Elliott
Alice Elliott is the Associate Director for Community Outreach at Colby’s Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement. Alice is primarily responsible for the Center’s civic engagement programming including development, coordination, and support of existing Civic Engagement courses and working with faculty to expand the College’s offerings in this area; working with faculty, alumni and community partners develop internship and research opportunities for faculty and students; and oversight of the many community outreach and volunteer opportunities at Colby.
Prior to joining Colby, Alice was the Associate Director of Maine Campus Compact, where she was responsible for service learning initiatives and campus grants, and Unity College where she helped to start their community service and service-learning program. A Maine native, Alice enjoys paddling Maine’s many lakes when not busy in her garden.
Maggie Shannon, Executive Director of the Maine Congress of Lake Associations ([email protected])
Maggie Shannon
Maggie is the Executive Director of the Maine Congress of Lake Associations (Maine COLA), a statewide nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting Maine lakes, ponds and watersheds through science, education, and advocacy. One of COLA’s programs is an annual forum, the Maine Lakes Conference, which brings lay lake activists together with experts for a day of information exchange and networking. This year’s event, The Delicate Balance: Sustaining Maine Lakes, will serve the Colby EPSCoR team as a platform to share its Sustainability Solutions Project with the statewide lake community. It will take place June 26th in the Diamond Building at Colby College.
Maggie and her husband, Roger, moved to Maine in 1998, to live near their summer camp on Great Pond, where she had a life long association. Great Pond’s listing as one of Maine’s ‘lakes most at risk from development’ led to involvement with the local lake association and a strong interest in lake science. Currently, she’s a board member and Past President of the Belgrade Lakes Association, and a member of the board and Executive Committee of the Belgrade Regional Conservation Alliance (BRCA). She founded BRCA’s Lake Trust, a federation of the 5 lake associations of the Belgrades, which aims to improve and stabilize water quality, build lake association capacity, and create public support for a community-based approach to lake stewardship. A member of the Budget Committee of the Town of Belgrade, she was awarded the Spirit of America Foundation Award for Volunteerism by Belgrade in 2007, and the People’s Choice Award by the Natural Resources Council of Maine in 2007 “for her dedication to the work of COLA and the inspiration she provides others.”
Russ Cole, Oak Professor of Biological Sciences and Director of the Environmental Program ([email protected]).
Russ Cole
Russ Cole is an ecologist and directs Colby’s Environmental Studies Program. His research interests include the ecology and impacts of introduced species on native Hawaiian fauna; the natural history, taxonomy and conservation of mammal species; the impact of land use patterns on Maine lake water quality; and sustainable approaches to resource and energy use. Most of his research projects include student collaborators.
Russ teaches courses in ecology, conservation biology, and environmental science, which typically emphasize project and field-based learning. Senior environmental science students in his Problems in Environmental Science course have studied local lakes for over 20 years, working in collaboration with lake associations, the Department of Environmental Protection, and other stakeholders. Russ is also a strong advocate on campus for sustainability initiatives.