Research

Student Research

Research is emphasized throughout the Environmental Studies curriculum, from the introductory course to the senior seminars. The Environmental Studies Department provides opportunities for majors to undertake research through independent study or honors work. A limited number of research assistantships are available each summer and during the academic year for students to work with faculty on specific environmental research projects. The Environmental Studies Program is also affiliated with the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement, an innovative initiative designed to engage students and faculty in projects in the local, state, national, and international communities where they study. Our faculty and students collaborate with partners from the college, local communities, and Maine to study watershed degradation and conservation in the Belgrade Lakes, and a wide range of other projects that are national and international in scope.Students typically present their research findings during the annual Colby Liberal Arts Symposium or at regional, national, and international professional meetings.

Student Honors Research

Environmental Studies majors with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.70 at the end of the January term of the junior year or with special department approval are eligible to apply for the Environmental Studies Honors Research Program.

Successful completion of the Honors Program will include an oral presentation at the Colby Undergraduate Research Symposium, a successful oral thesis defense, and an approved thesis as well as the completion of the required course work for the major. The student fulfilling these requirements will graduate “With Honors in Environmental Studies.” The decision whether or not the student will be approved to convert their fall semester seminar or independent study project to an honors project in the spring semester and continue in the ES Honors Program by enrolling in ES 484 will be made at the end of the first semester. In cases where requirements for Honors have not been fulfilled at the end of the spring semester, ES 484 (Honors Research) will revert to a graded ES 492 (Independent Study).

Colby Liberal Arts Symposium (CLAS)

The Honors Program students present their research during the annual undergraduate research symposium, CLAS (formerly the Undergraduate Research Symposium).

CLAS website

CLAS posters and presentations in Digital Commons @ Colby [link: http://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/ ]



The ES Department is proud of the research undertaken by our honors students. The faculty are committed to helping the students achieve the best research possible, from research design to final production.
You can access these thesis online via Digital Commons @ Colby
Fraser, Catherine (’19)

The Enbridge Line 3 Replacement Pipeline: Attitudes, Symbolism, and  Geography
King, Katherine (’19)

Factors Affecting African Elephant Group Size and Dynamics in Western  Makgadikgadi National Park, Botswana
Patodia, Aanavi (’19)

Using YPAR Methods to Improve Food Equity in the Alternative Education Program in Waterville, Maine
Senechal, Katie (’19)

Mapping Food Access in Waterville, Maine
Wu, Tiffany (’19)

Historical Patterns and Future Projections of Asian Elephant Habitat Suitability
Yu, Anna (’19)

Developing a Predictive and Dynamic Model of Moose-Vehicle Collisions in Maine
Hawkinson, Vivian F. (’18)

Developing generalizable spatial patterns of human-wildlife conflict
Kullberg, Alyssa T. (’18)

Presence and Potential Sources of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Product Chemicals in Messalonskee Lake
Ravenelle, Jeremy P. (’18)

Waste Reduction in Public School Cafeterias through Sorting and Diversion: An Analysis of Three Southern Maine Schools
Wang, Chengyang (’18)

Stable Bromine Isotopic Signature of Bromoform from Enzymatic and Abiotic Formation Pathways and its Application in Identifying Sources of Environmental Bromoform in Damariscotta River
Zebrowski, Wesley (’18)

Biodiversity Conservation as an Adaptation Strategy in Response to Climatic and Economic Shifts: Species Stewardship in Sacred Forests and Smallholder Crop Fields in Eastern Africa
Zheng, Xinyi (’17)

Exploring spatial changes in Maine’s Lobster Fishery
Baker-Wacks, Elizabeth M. (’17)

Can community-based resource management conserve biodiversity?: A case study from Bhutan
Chmiel, Rebecca J. (’17)

Determination of ammonium isotope ratios with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry
Lewis, Robin C. (’17)

Outsider: Personal Essays about Nature, Conservation, and People
Batchelder, Jessica P. (’17)

Temporal changes in the larval Placopecten magellanicus population in a small-scale fishery closure area in coastal Maine
Marra, Madison T. (’17)

The Effects of Past Climate Anomalies on United States Atlantic Coast Fisheries
Serena Haver (’16)

Pharmaceutical and personal care products concentrations in the Belgrade Lakes: A possible threat to aquatic ecosystems and human health
Alexa Junker (’16)

Assessing LakeSmart: The Development and Effectiveness of a Lake Protection Program
Janice Liang (’16)

The Roles of Introduced Eucalyptus in the Conservation and Expansion of Ethiopian Orthodox Church Forests in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands
Samantha Lovell (’16)

Shifting Baselines of Iconic Marine Species in the Caribbean
Eda Reed (’16)

Endocrine-disrupting Chemicals in Wildlife: Perceptions Among Conservationists
Harriet Rothschild (’16)

Gloeotrichia echinulata and its effect on nitrogen cycling in the Belgrade Lakes, ME
Emily Walker (’16)

The historical ecology of Queensland’s Australian saltwater crocodile population  Maravilla Clemens (’16), The Chachi of Ecuador: A Clash of Cultures
Andrew Currier (’16)

Analyzing Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment In Kasungu, Malawi
Jacob Wall (’16)

Missing the Trees for the Forest: The Socioecological Significance of Scattered Trees in Northern Ethiopian Cropland
Jeff Meltzer (’15)

Social Gardens: Cultivating a Child’s Nutritional Habits, Environmental Knowledge, and Sustainability Practices
Lia Schell (’14)

The Historical Ecology of Sharks in New England
Emily Arsenault (’14)

Macroinvertebrate Community Structure and Feeding Dynamics in Three Forested Headwater Streams in Central Maine
Becky Forgrave (’14)

The Impact of Dams on Nitrogen Cycling in the Messalonskee Stream
Theresa Petzoldt (’14)

The Effect of Azo Textile Dyes on Gross Primary Production and Community Respiration in an Artificial Environment
Taylor Witkin (’14)

The Role of Underutilized Fish in New England’s Seafood System
Grace O’Connor (’14)

Adaptive Co-management in the Face of Environmental Change: Invasive Green Crabs and the Soft-shell clam Fishery in Maine
Erin Love (’14)

The Relationships between Local Food and Food Security in Maine
Michael Stephens (’13)

Climate Change and Epizootic Shell Disease in American Lobsters: Is Maine’s Most Valuable Fishery Doomed?
Virginia Keesler (’13)

Conservation Easement Policies Across New England
Larissa Lee (’13)

Factors Influencing National Park Establishment: Cases to Inform the Maine North Woods
Kaitlyn Bernard (’13)

Metallic Mineral Mining in Maine
Sally Homes (’13)

Managing the Global Aquarium Trade
Daniel Homeier (’12)

Cameras, Satellites, and Surveys: A Multi-Platform Approach to Monitoring Lake Conservation Behavior
Anna Leavitt (’12)

From Pond to Pump: Microalgae as a Feedstock for Biodiesel
Yiyuan “Jasmine” Qin (’12)

Reintroduction of the South China Tiger: Lessons, Assessments, and Implications
Blair Braverman (’11)

The one that carries you away.  Environmental essays
Kimberly Bittler (’11)

Zooplankton of the Belgrade Lakes: The Influence of Top-Down and Bottom-Up forces in Family Abundance
Sophie Sarkar (’11)

Buffernomics: Assessing willingness to pay for lake conservation on North Pond and East Pond
Rachel Baron (’11)

Biomass Energy at Colby College
Michelle Russell (’11)

State Leadership in Safer Chemicals Policy: Lessons from California, Maine, Minnesota, and Washington
Ian McCullough (‘10)

The Impacts of Land Use and Development Patterns on Water Quality of the Belgrade Lakes
John Abbett (‘10)

Achieving Carbon Neutrality at Colby College through Carbon Offsets
Lindsay Driess (‘09).

Protecting Maine’s Mammals: A Model of Human Footprint and Biodiversity in the North Woods
Caitlin Dufraine (’09).

An Identification and Assessment of Human-Carnivore Conflict Hotspots and Large Carnivore Policy Implications in the United States
Patrick Roche (’09).

Learning the Lay of Their Land: Data Recording by Maine Land Trusts
Megan Saunders (‘09).

Factors Influencing Conservation Success or Failure in Tiger Range States
Charles Carroll (’08).

An Analysis of Carbon Sequestration Potential in Maine     Alaina Clark (’08).

Designing a Green Graduation at Colby College
Courtney Larson (’08).

Separating People and Wildlife: Zoning as a Conservation Strategy for Large Carnivores
Jamie O’Connell (’08).

Carbon Neutrality at Colby College Kerry Whittaker (’08).

Using Variable Stomatal Sensitivity to CO2 in Conifers to Reconstruct Ancient Atmospheres and Predict Future Implications of Climate Change
Katie Himmelmann (’07)

Developing a Tool to Assess Human Health Impacts of Purchasing.
Emilia Tjernström (’06)

“Be the Change You Wish to See: National Attitudes and Climate Change Policy”. A co-authored paper (with her mentor Tom Tietenberg) based on this project with the new title “Do differences in attitudes explain differences in national climate change polices?” has been accepted for publication in Ecological Economics in 2007.
Alexandra Jospe (’06)

Modeling Spatially Explicit Human-wildlife Conflict: GIS and Moose-vehicle Collisions in Maine.
Sarah Kelly (’06)

Energy Use Patterns and Potential Areas for Energy Conservation in Dorm Rooms at Colby College.
Hilary Langer (’06)

The Cost of Conservation: Payments for Environmental Services on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.
Jenna Morrison (’06)

Environmental Awareness of Waterville Junior High Students.
Jessica Beetz (’05)

The Role of Private Ownership in the Conservation of Exotic Species.
Brendan Carroll (’05)

The Transboundary Implications of Wolf Reintroduction and Recovery in Maine
Allison Stewart (’05)

The Forest Service’s Quest for Power and Money and its Implications for the American Public
Kellie Phelan (’04)

Estimating the Impact of State Policy Incentives on Wind Power Development.
Catherine S. Benson (’02)

Local Participation as a Determinant of Success in World Bank   Environmental Projects in Africa: What is the Evidence?
Jacob A. Mentlik (’02)

The Private Forest Periphery: Industrial Colonization of the Maine Woods
Sharon K. Lee (’02)

The Impact of Socio-Economic Status on Hazardous Waste Cleanup in Maine
Katie Wasik (’01)

Corporate Interests and International Environmental Negotiations:   The Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
Johanna Reardon (’00)

Is Radical Environmental Activism Effective: A Look At Forestry Protests in the United States.
Abby Campbell (’00)

Marketable Permit Systems: Is there a Recipe for Success?
Amanda Carucci (’00)

Analysis of Environmental Effects of Economic Sanctions though the   Cuban Experience.

Faculty and Student Research

Student Research Opportunities

The Honors Program students present their research during the annual Colby Liberal Arts Symposium.

Research Assistant Positions with Faculty

During the academic year and during the summer break there are research assistant positions open to ES students. Please review the faculty research statements below to find a link to your own research interests.

Summer or Jan Plan Internships

Internships with non-profits, government, or private business are an essential part of education beyond the classroom. Many of the Past Internships Held by ES Students have had a research component as part of their internship work. This not only helps students gain real world skills but also helps the agency which is employing the students. The ES Department supports these efforts through mentoring and also through funding, which students can apply for.

Colby Digital Commons Archive of ES Research

You can view the Colby Digital Commons collection of ES research here.

Faculty and Staff Research Statements

(Student collaboration available)

List of faculty, staff and student publications

You can view some of these publications online through Colby Digital Commons.




Environmental Studies- Associate Professor Justin Becknell

Justin Becknell’s research is focused on the interactions among forest ecosystems, the climate system, and human activities. He uses a combination of field and remote sensing methods to study the flow of carbon and nutrients through forest ecosystems. Justin works in the tropical forests of Costa Rica and Brazil examining the ecological and biogeochemical consequences of deforestation and reforestation. In the temperate forests of New England, he studies the effects of management and climate on forest composition and function.
Environmental Studies- Associate Professor Denise Bruesewitz

Professor Denise Bruesewitz is interested in how human activities alter aquatic ecosystem function. Specifically, she studies nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon cycling in aquatic ecosystems with the goal of understanding how ecosystem function and ecosystem services change in response to human activities. Her ongoing projects include understanding how restored oyster reefs in New York City mitigate nutrient pollution, how lakes across the globe process carbon, and determining how rivers and estuaries in south Texas respond to drought and storms. At Colby, she will build upon ongoing research in the Belgrade Lakes, as well as local streams and rivers, with a focus on carbon and nutrient cycling in these aquatic systems.



Environmental Studies – Assistant Professor Gail Carlson

Gail’s interests focus on the ways in which the environment impacts human health, including via climate change, extractive and polluting industrial activities, and human exposures to hazardous chemicals in the environment. She works with students on advocacy campaigns in the state of Maine to raise awareness about these issues and to advance support for legislative initiatives. Her research focuses on the role of state policy-making in advancing innovations to improve environmental health.
Environmental Studies – Environmental Studies Coordinator Lindsey Cotter-Hayes

Lindsey Cotter-Hayes, formerly the assistant director of the Oak Institute for Human Rights at Colby, joined ES as the new department coordinator in the spring of 2019. Lindsey graduated from Lesley University with a master of science and completed her undergraduate work in human ecology at College of the Atlantic. Previously, Lindsey was the deputy director at Groundwork Lawrence, a nonprofit organization focused on environmental justice, public health, environmental education, food access, and environmental improvements. She has also worked as the director of education at the Urban Ecology Institute, as adjunct faculty in the Science and Education Program at Lesley University, as a lead educator at GlobalQuest, and as the Director of Curriculum at Shackleton Schools. She is a licensed Maine Guide, has led trail crews throughout the United States and abroad, and is also currently the owner/operator of PoundSweet Farm. Lindsey completed her graduate practicum at the Center for Health, Environment, and Justice under the leadership of Lois Gibbs.
Environmental Studies – Assistant Professor Cait Cleaver
Cait Cleaver is an interdisciplinary researcher trained in qualitative social science and applied marine ecology. Her collaborative research focuses on helping coastal communities respond and adapt to climate change impacts with a focus on commercial fisheries, aquaculture and restoration. In the past, she has studied fishermen’s willingness to diversify into aquaculture and the effect of closed area management on the Maine scallop fishery. Her current research includes projects related to the social and ecological aspects of oyster reef restoration efforts in Maine, supporting the development of the scallop aquaculture industry, understanding the distribution of larval sea scallops and documenting the culture of the Maine lobster fishery.
Environmental Studies Research Scientist – Manny Gimond
Manuel Gimond’s research interest lies in modeling the thermodynamic processes at the earth/atmosphere interface from a second law of thermodynamics perspective with an emphasis on exergy analysis and emergy synthesis. He is particularly interested in quantifying the influence of spatial and temporal scales on such models using GIS. While employed at the Kennedy Space Center, Manuel has worked on validating land surface thermodynamic models using data from an extensive network of meteorological and Eddy-Covariance towers. Other interests include remote sensing of aquatic systems where Manuel has developed an open source stochastic model that simulates the propagation of light in water bodies.
Environmental Studies – Assistant Professor Alejandra Geiger-Ortiz
Dr. Ortiz researches the ecogeomorphic evolution of coastal and fluvial landscapes. She studies how different coastlines evolve over 100-1,000s of years using numerical modeling, remote sensing, lab-based physical models, and site-specific field validation. In particular, she is interested in understanding the impacts of climate change and the feedbacks inherent in these systems between plants, humans, and landscapes. She’s worked on projects with students from modeling bridge scour to fieldwork at Glover’s Reef Atoll off the coast of Belize, to using AI to automate satellite imagery analysis of Atoll Islands. She’s even had students build instruments for measuring ocean waves and adjusted reality sandboxes.
Environmental Studies –  Research Affiliate Loren McClenachan

A New England native, Loren first became interested in conservation growing up on an organic farm in southern Vermont. Loren was an Environmental Studies major Middlebury College, and continued to work to cross disciplines in her graduate and post-graduate research. She is deeply concerned with long-term human impacts on marine species and ecosystems, and in her research, she works to (1) assess and quantify changes in the distribution and abundance of marine species over century-long time scales and (2) determine links between social history and changing marine environments. This research crosses the disciplines of marine ecology, conservation biology, and environmental history, and is motivated by the desire to conserve and restore degraded ocean and coastal ecosystems. To this end, Loren also aims to establish more accurate baselines for marine species—on which recovery targets can be set—and to understand past human interactions with the sea so that we can more successfully manage marine resources today. Loren has worked in tropical marine environments in the Caribbean, Florida Keys, and most recently in the Hawaiian Islands.
Environmental Studies – Professor Philip Nyhus

Professor Nyhus’ interdisciplinary research bridges the natural and social sciences to address human interactions with the environment.  He is particularly interested in the policy 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.
Environmental Studies – Teaching Assistant Abby Pearson

Abby’s graduate research focused on assessing ecosystem functionality in a restoring salt marsh using arthropod food webs. This involved describing arthropod distribution in an affected salt marsh in relation to associated common salt marsh plants. Arthropods were collected, identified, and processed using stable isotope analysis of 13C and 15N. These data were used to describe food web structure (i.e. what arthropods are found where) and function (i.e. how carbon passed through the food web)
Environmental Studies – Research Faculty Nichole Price

Nichole Price is a benthic marine ecologist with interest in how global change phenomena, like ocean acidification and warming, can alter bottom-dwelling species interactions, community dynamics, and ecosystem function in shallow coastal regimes. Her work focuses primarily on the eco-physiology of seaweeds and calcifying invertebrates and their current and future role in dissolved inorganic carbon and nutrient cycling. Nichole utilizes state-of-the-art analytical tools including prototype autonomous oceanographic instrument packages in field campaigns, develops custom experimental aquaria in the lab, and applies emerging technological approaches (like environmental DNA) to tackle fundamental ecological research questions about population dynamics, biological feedbacks, and ecosystem services. Nichole also applies her expertise to explore mitigation strategies for coastal acidification (the ‘Halo’ effect) and climate change (e.g., blue carbon and uses of farmed seaweeds). She has focused on these topics primarily on tropical coral reefs and temperate systems and extrapolates her results from each biome to regional and global scales using statistical modelling.
Environmental Studies – Associate Professor Stacy-ann Robinson

Professor Stacy-ann Robinson specializes in the human, social and policy dimensions of climate change adaptation in small island developing states (SIDS) across three main geographic regions: Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Caribbean, and Pacific. At the core, her work centers islands as marginalized societies with a focus on addressing inequality, securing island futures, and building a just and sustainable world. Key lines of inquiry include climate justice through government-led adaptation actions and the delivery of adaptation finance through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Her work draws on multiple theories, including world-systems theory, systems theory, and resource dependence theory. She is a qualitative dominant mixed methods researcher, combining multiple regression analyses with case studies, content and discourse analyses, focus group discussions, and semi-structured interviews.



Biology – Professor Emeritus. Clara C. Piper Professor of Environmental Studies David Firmage

Professor Firmage investigates problems in plant ecology. Recent studies focus on pollen viability and stigma receptivity, solar tracking of several species   in Israel, and the reproductive biology of an important endemic plant in Bulgaria. He also conducts watershed analyses to determine sources and amounts of phosphorus   additions to local lakes.
Economics – Professor Emeritus, Mitchell Family Professor of Economics Tom Tietenberg

Professor Tietenberg is  author or editor of eleven books (including Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, one of the best selling textbooks in the field, and Emissions Trading, one of the most widely cited books in the tradable permits literature) as well as over one hundred articles and essays on environmental and natural resource economics. Elected President of the Association of Environmental and Natural Resource Economists (AERE) in 1987-8, he has consulted on environmental policy with the World Bank, the InterAmerican Development Bank, the Agency for International Development and the Environmental Protection Agency as well as several state and foreign governments. Tom attended and spoke at the first Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 and has lectured on sustainable development at many international conferences. In 2006 he was designated one of six inaugural AERE Fellows and in 2010 he received the “Outstanding Public Service Though Economics” award from the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association.
Environmental Studies – Oak Professor of Biological Sciences Russ Cole

Professor Russ Cole’s research investigates the natural history,ecology, and conservation of mammals. He also studies the impact of exotic species on the biota of the Hawaiian Islands, plant/animal interactions and their ecological implications, Maine lake water quality in relation to watershed land use patterns, and sustainable development and campus resource use.



Biology – Professor and Dr. Charles C. and Pamela W. Leighton Research Fellow Cathy Bevier

Professor Cathy Bevier’s research interests include the behavioral and physiological ecology of vertebrates, particularly how behavioral performance during reproductive and locomotor activity is correlated with physiological and biochemical characteristics of the animal. Her current work focuses on the behavior, energetics, and thermal biology of frogs using techniques such as sound recording and analysis of vocalizations, focal behavioral observations, mark-recapture census, muscle biochemistry, and respirometry.
Chemistry –  Dr. Frank and Theodora Miselis Professor of Chemistry Whitney King

Professor Whitney King recently began a study of the chemical and physical characteristics of local lakes, employing underwater mapping computer programs and chemical   analysis equipment that he developed. This project will continue for several years as different lakes within the region are investigated.
To find out more about the Belgrade Lakes Watershed Sustainability Project visithttp://web.colby.edu/epscor/
Chemistry – Associate Professor Karena McKinney
Associate Professor Karena McKinney’s research focuses on the atmospheric chemistry of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), hydrocarbon-based molecules synthesized and emitted by trees and other plants. These compounds play a key role in determining the chemistry and composition of the lower atmosphere by controlling the cycling of atmospheric oxidants and the production of ozone and secondary organic aerosols.
Economics – Assistant Professor Jennifer Meredith
Assistant Professor Jennifer Meredith’s research focuses on Natural resource economics, environmental economics, development economics and labor economics.
Biology – Leslie B. Arey Professor of Biological Sciences Herb Wilson

Professor Wilson research interests include the study of the impacts of climate change on the migration of Maine migratory breeding birds; winter foraging of Maine songbirds; ecology of damselflies, damselflies and butterflies.