Brian Beal
Professor of Marine Biology
Education
Ph.D., University of Maine
M.S., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
B.S., University of Maine at Machias
Contact Information
Phone: (207) 255-1314
Email: bbeal@maine.edu
Location: Science 002A
Areas of Expertise
Brian is a marine benthic (bottom) ecologist who graduated from UMaine Machias in 1979, and then went on to get a M.S. degree in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1983. He began work at UMaine Machias in May 1985 as an Environmental Education Project Assistant and the next year became UMaine Machias’ first Environmental Resources Coordinator. In 1993, he received a Ph.D. from the University of Maine at Orono in Marine BioResources. For the past thirty years, Brian has taught courses half time and conducted applied research half time. His courses relate directly to the research he conducts on the ecology and culture of commercially-important shellfish: Oceanography, Marine Biology, Marine Ecology, Introduction to Statistics, Applied Statistics, and Experimental Design and Analysis for Biologists. He helped to develop the only fisherman-sponsored lobster hatchery for public stock enhancement programs in Maine in the coastal town of Cutler that operated from 1986 to 1992, and he was instrumental in helping to establish in 1987 the Beals Island Regional Shellfish Hatchery, a university-supported program to produce cultured soft-shell clam juveniles for stock enhancement in Maine’s coastal communities that manage their clam stocks. In 2000, the Regional Hatchery became known as the Downeast Institute for Applied Marine Research and Education (DEI), and in 2003 moved 3.5 miles from its home of 16 years at Perio Point on Moosabec Reach on Beals Island to Black Duck Cove on the Western Bay on Great Wass Island. DEI now serves as UMaine Machias’ Marine Science Field Station and supports activities of undergraduates in the three science programs at UMaine Machias affording them summer and intern opportunities where they can be involved in rearing shellfish or conducting research on a variety of coastal marine organisms. To see results of the applied research that Dr. Beal has conducted with students over the years, follow this link to the Downeast Institute’s Published Research page:
Downeast Institute Publications
Ellen Hostert
Professor of Biology
Education
Ph.D., University of California at Santa Cruz
M.A., University of Northern Iowa
B.A., Cornell College
Contact Information
Phone: (207) 255-1301
Email: ehostert@maine.edu
Location: Science 123
Areas of Expertise
Research Interest: I am a population geneticist, so I use the tools of genetics to address questions in evolutionary biology. My research examines genetic variation in natural populations of animals. My current project examines variation in an immune system gene in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). We amplify our gene of interest with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We look for alternate forms of the gene (alleles) by running our PCR reactions on gels using the single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) technique. SSCP gives us a way to “see” alleles that differ by as little as one base. When we find a new allele, we clone it and sequence it.
Previous Student Project: Molecular Analysis of Coyotes in Maine: Evidence for Hybridization with Wolves?
Favorite organism: Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly.
Click Here to View Professor Hostert’s Fall 2019 Schedule (pdf)
Tora Johnson
Associate Professor of Geographic Information Systems
Director of the GIS Service Center
Chair of the Environmental and Biological Sciences Division
Education
M.Phil., College of the Atlantic
B.S., University of Oregon
PhD, University of Maine
Contact Information
Phone: (207) 255-1214
Email: tjohnson@maine.edu
Location: Torrey 223
Areas of Expertise
Since 1996, she has taught marine, environmental, and geographic information systems (GIS) at the college level. She teaches GIS and environmental studies at UMaine Machias and serves as the director of the GIS Laboratory and Service Center. Before her son was born in 1996, Tora made a career of teaching and crewing aboard several of the large sailing vessels that ply the coast of New England, as well as commercial fishing in Alaska.
Tora’s current human ecological research focuses on political conflicts over marine and coastal resources and the uses of maps in decision-making. Tora & GPS students map Passamaquoddy petroglyphs. In service projects through the UMaine Machias GIS Service Center, Tora and her students work with local towns, organizations and businesses to conserve Downeast Maine’s natural resources and plan for a prosperous and sustainable future. Tora was the principal investigator for a statewide GIS education initiative in GIS education involving nine colleges and universities. She has also collaborated with installation artists and sculptors on community-based and place-based installation art projects.
Also a writer, Tora’s award-winning book, Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen, was released in 2005. She was the marine reporter for the Martha’s Vineyard Times from 1998 to 2000. In addition to columns and feature articles for magazines and newspapers, she has published the Guide to Freshwater Animals without Backbones (with Arlene De Strulle; The Catskill Center, 1997).
Eric Jones
Associate Professor of Plant Biology
Education
Ph.D., Florida State University
B.S., Florida State University
A.S., Tallahassee Community College
Contact Information
Phone: (207) 255-1267
Email: eric.jones1@maine.edu
Location: Science 125
Areas of Expertise
Dr. Eric Jones graduated from Florida State University in 2012 with a Ph.D. in biological sciences. Dr. Jones studied plant mating system evolution in the genus Houstonia (Rubiaceae, the coffee family). Eric’s interests are in biodiversity, the philosophy of science, and botany in the broad sense. His background in botany ranges from molecular biology to phylogenetics and development. Dr. Jones currently serves as the Assistant Professor of Botany at the University of Maine at Machias where he teaches courses in general biology, general botany, general ecology, plant systematics, plant ecology, and phylogenetic methods. Dr. Jones is also the curator of the UMaine Machias herbarium, which houses collections of vascular and non-vascular plants and marine macroalgae.
Click Here to View Professor Jones’ Schedule (pdf)
Gayle Kraus
Professor of Marine Ecology
Education
Ph.D. Zoology University of Rhode Island
M.S. Biology Hofstra
B.A. Biology Hofstra
Contact Information
Phone: (207) 255-1261
Email: gkraus@maine.edu
Location: Science 15
Areas of Expertise
Dr. Kraus regularly teaches Marine Mammals and Pelagic Birds, Oceanography, Ichthyology, Invertebrate Zoology, Ornithology, Skeletal Preparation, and General Ecology. She periodically adds Special Topics in Wildlife Rehabilitation to her teaching schedule. Gayle loves fieldwork and service learning which she incorporates into her classes. Gayle and her students have participated in the Marine Mammal Stranding Network for over a decade, assessing the status of numerous Harbor Seal pups, Grey Seal pups and juvenile Harp Seals, rescuing and performing triage on various seals and collecting basic data from a variety of dead whales, dolphins and seals. Skeletal Preparation developed as an outgrowth of this work. Gayle and her students have articulated a Minke Whale, a Pilot Whale, several seals and dolphins and even a tuna. As part of Ichthyology and other classes, Gayle and her students maintain numerous fresh and saltwater aquaria in the Science building. Recently they have started culturing corals. In Invertebrate Zoology, she and her students monitor local zooplankton communities. She has trained students in toxic algal monitoring and amphibian monitoring for over twenty years. She is a compiler for Audubon Christmas Bird Count and incorporates various censusing techniques in Ornithology. Gayle was a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator for over twenty years. She is returning to this work, specializing in young White-tailed deer and a few other local mammals at her home. In her spare time she and her students have built and maintain two labyrinth gardens on campus.
William Otto
Professor of Chemistry
Education
Ph.D., University of Kansas
B.A., MidAmerica Nazarene University
Contact Information
Phone: (207) 255-1345
Email: william.otto@maine.edu
Location: Science 107
Areas of Expertise
Dr. William Otto is an analytical chemist by training, with a very strong focus on the environment. He is currently interested in environmental monitoring with a focus on the Downeast rivers that are home to the endangered Atlantic Salmon. He regularly incorporates chemical monitoring of the rivers and ocean in courses. His students have monitored pH of the rivers, demonstrating episodic acid rain events that may be impairing the survival of Atlantic Salmon.
Dr. Otto also has a very strong interest in energy. At UMaine Machias, he has guided several student projects that focused on energy. In 2004-2005 as part of an EPA P3 funded project, he worked with a student group identifying what green features would be feasibly incorporated into a new building at UMM. In 2007-2009, he worked with students in developing the greenhouse gas inventory for UMM. This was the focus of the project oriented Environmental Studies: Issues and Actions course that he taught.
Sherrie Sprangers
Professor of Biology
Education
Ph.D., Marquette University
B.S., University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Contact Information
Phone: (207) 255-1205
Email: ssprange@maine.edu
Location: Science 202
Areas of Expertise
Biology
Stuart Swain
Associate Professor of Mathematics
Education
Ph.D., University of Maine
M.A., University of Washington
B.A., Colby College
Contact Information
Phone: (207) 255-1302
Email: stuart.swain@maine.edu
Location: Science 204B
Areas of Expertise
Stuart Swain has been a mathematics professor at UMaine Machias since 1987. He teaches across the math curriculum. Stuart enjoys working with students in all majors and with all kinds of math backgrounds. His teaching expertise is in guiding students to develop a deep conceptual understanding as the foundation for their mathematics success.
Stuart has served the University in a wide range of roles over the years, including as division chair, provost, and interim president. In his doctoral work he focused on the ways diversity education can best be infused across a student’s collegiate experience.
Melanie Tardiff
Lecturer of Mathematics
Education
B.S., University of Maine at Fort Kent
B.S., University of Maine at Machias
Contact Information
Phone: (207) 255-1358
Email: melanie.tardiff@maine.edu
Location: Science 213
Areas of Expertise
Mathematics
Part-time Instructors
Heather Heck
Assistant Professor of Biology
Louis McNally
Associate Professor of Meteorology
Cynthia Roberts
Instructor of Mathematics
David Winski
Instructor of Physics
Gerard Zegers
Associate Research Professor