People – Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station /mafes 91 Thu, 16 Oct 2025 13:57:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 Andrei Alyokhin /mafes/people/andrei-alyokhin/ Thu, 10 Feb 2022 16:29:01 +0000 /mafes/?post_type=um_people&p=4234 Expertise Agriculture, Ecology, Evolution, ood security, Insects, Pests and parasites,Pollinators,Potatoes Alyokhin is an entomologist whose research melds the fields of ecology, evolution and pest management in staple crops to strengthen food security. His research aims to predict the effect of human intervention, like insecticides, in insect communities and how those communities will respond. He also studies […]]]>

Expertise

Agriculture, Ecology, Evolution, ood security, Insects, Pests and parasites,Pollinators,Potatoes

Alyokhin is an entomologist whose research melds the fields of ecology, evolution and pest management in staple crops to strengthen food security. His research aims to predict the effect of human intervention, like insecticides, in insect communities and how those communities will respond. He also studies the factors responsible for growth and diversity of insect populations. Visit  to learn more.

A bubble graph showing a 70% research and 30% teaching appointment split.
Alyokhin balances his time between teaching (30%) courses about entomology, biological invasions, and evolution, and researching (70%) beneficial and destructive insects.

Appointment details

Alyokhin’s work is supported by:

  • School of Biology and Ecology at the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture
  • Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station (MAFES)

Experiment Station contributions

Collaborative Potato Breeding and Variety Development Activities to Enhance Farm Sustainability in the Eastern US

McIntire-Stennis project number ___.

1-2 sentence project description. What are you trying to understand and what are the implications of these findings? What are the key takeaways?

Harnessing Chemical Ecology to Address Agricultural Pest and Pollinator Priorities

McIntire-Stennis project number ___.

1-2 sentence project description. What are you trying to understand and what are the implications of these findings? What are the key takeaways?

]]> Seanna L. Annis /mafes/people/annis/ Thu, 24 Feb 2022 21:02:11 +0000 /mafes/?post_type=um_people&p=4308 Expertise ? Agriculture, ? Climate change, ? Food security,? Fungi, ? Pathogens,? Pests and parasites, ? Wild blueberries My research focuses on fungi that are pathogens of plants. Research projects in my laboratory examine the genetic diversity, physiology and molecular biology of various fungal pathogens and applied aspects of control of fungi that attack lowbush […]]]>

Expertise

? Agriculture, ? Climate change, ? Food security,? Fungi, ? Pathogens,? Pests and parasites, ? Wild blueberries

My research focuses on fungi that are pathogens of plants. Research projects in my laboratory examine the genetic diversity, physiology and molecular biology of various fungal pathogens and applied aspects of control of fungi that attack lowbush blueberry. A major focus of my research is mummy berry disease caused by Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi and a disease identified in Maine for the first time in 2009, Valdensinia leaf spot, caused by Valdensinia heterodoxa. Visit to learn more.

A bubble chart demonstrating Seanna Annis' appointment split. Annis balances her time between teaching courses (50%) in plant biology, research (38%) on fungal pathogens of wild blueberries, and Cooperative Extension activities (12%).
Annis balances her time between teaching courses (50%) in plant biology, research (38%) on fungal pathogens of wild blueberries, and Cooperative Extension activities (12%).

Appointment details

Annis’ work is supported by:

  • School of Biology and Ecology at the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture
  • Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station
  • 91 Cooperative Extension

Experiment Station contributions

  • Current project: The biology of fungi causing disease in lowbush blueberry and improvements in their management
  • Developed identification method for leaf rust on lowbush blueberry.
  • Developed program for providing blueberry growers with reports on plant and fungal development and risk of infection information on mummy berry and other diseases that has resulted in improved control of these disease and cost savings to growers.
  • Identified fungal contaminants of maple syrup that may affect quality and safety of syrup and developed control methods.
  • Implemented a network of 15 internet connected weather stations to provide real-time weather data in wild blueberry fields. This network provides data to growers on infection conditions for various fungal pathogens and possible frost conditions.
]]> Kathleen Bell /mafes/people/kathleen-bell/ Fri, 11 Feb 2022 15:13:42 +0000 /mafes/?post_type=um_people&p=4247 Expertise ? Air quality, ? Climate change, ? Coastal and marine topics, ? Economics, ? Forests, ? Health and the environment, ? Housing and land markets, ? Land and natural resource use, ? Public health, ?Water quality Bell employs economics to address community economic development, environmental, and public health issues. She studies individuals, organizations, and […]]]>

Expertise

? Air quality, ? Climate change, ? Coastal and marine topics, ? Economics, ? Forests, ? Health and the environment, ? Housing and land markets, ? Land and natural resource use, ? Public health, ?Water quality

Bell employs economics to address community economic development, environmental, and public health issues. She studies individuals, organizations, and markets to improve management of land and water resources, strengthen regional and community economies, and protect public health. Her current projects focus on rural economic development, coastal recreation, land conservation, and climate change. Bell teaches courses in economics, data analysis, and environmental policy. Visit Bell’s biography to learn more.

A bubble chart demonstrating an 83% research and 17% teaching appointment split.
Bell balances her time between teaching (17% ) economics, econometrics (statistics), data analysis, and environmental policy and natural resource management and research (83%) to improve management of land and water resources, strengthen regional and community economies, and protect public health.

Appointment details

Bell’s work is supported by:

  • School of Economics at the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture
  • Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station

Experiment Station contributions

  • Current project: Costs and Benefits of Natural Resources on Public and Private Lands: Management, Economic Valuation, and Integrated Decision-Making. Hatch Multistate project number ME031802.
]]> Erik Blomberg /mafes/people/erik-blomberg/ Wed, 13 Jul 2022 17:47:19 +0000 /mafes/?post_type=um_people&p=4357 Expertise Bats, Birds, Ecology, Environmental sciences, Fish, Fisheries, Forests, Gamebirds, Land and natural resource use, Wildlife Blomberg is a wildlife ecologist who studies how wildlife populations respond to environmental change. His current research focuses on gamebirds (spruce grouse, ruffed grouse, American woodcock), bats, and American eels. Visit Blomberg’s biography to learn more. Appointment details Blomberg’s […]]]>

Expertise

Bats, Birds, Ecology, Environmental sciences, Fish, Fisheries, Forests, Gamebirds, Land and natural resource use, Wildlife

Blomberg is a wildlife ecologist who studies how wildlife populations respond to environmental change. His current research focuses on gamebirds (spruce grouse, ruffed grouse, American woodcock), bats, and American eels. Visit Blomberg’s biography to learn more.

A bubble chart demonstrating an appointment with 50% administration, 25% research and 25% teaching.
Blomberg balances his time between directing the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, teaching courses about wildlife population dynamics and game bird ecology (25%) and studying the how changes in the environment affect wildlife population dynamics (25%).

Appointment details

Blomberg’s work is supported by:

  • Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation Biology at the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture
  • Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station

Experiment Station contributions

My first Experiment Station Project focused on ecology and management of grouse in Maine. Ruffed grouse are an important and popular game bird, and spruce grouse are a protected species with regional declines. We partnered with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Cooperative Forestry Research Unit to assess state management strategies and effects of forest practices on both species.

My second Experiment Station project involves the migration ecology of American woodcock, a native Maine bird that migrates to the southeastern US each winter. We’ve turned this project into an international collaboration involving 14 states and 3 Canadian provinces, using GPS transmitters to track woodcock across their entire range. More information at .

For both projects, I’ve also tackled additional questions related to management and conservation of Maine’s fish and wildlife, including American eels, wild turkeys, Canada lynx, bats, and more.

  • Current project: Linking Migration with Population Process and Management Outcomes for American Woodcock.  McIntire-Stennis Project Number ME042116.

Career highlight

I am most proud of the Eastern Woodcock Migration Research Cooperative, which has grown from my Experiment Station project into an international collaboration involving dozens of partners across the US and Canada. More information at .

]]> Timothy Bowden /mafes/people/timothy-bowden/ Wed, 13 Jul 2022 18:31:11 +0000 /mafes/?post_type=um_people&p=4359 Expertise ? Aquaculture,? Climate change,? Coastal and marine topics, ? Environmental sciences, ? Fish, ? Food security, ? Immune system, ? Pathogens,? Pests and parasites, ? Seafood, ? Shellfish Bowden studies aquatic animal health. His current research interests focus on viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens and their aquatic hosts, how a pathogen invades its host, […]]]>

Expertise

? Aquaculture,? Climate change,? Coastal and marine topics, ? Environmental sciences, ? Fish, ? Food security, ? Immune system, ? Pathogens,? Pests and parasites, ? Seafood, ? Shellfish

Bowden studies aquatic animal health. His current research interests focus on viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens and their aquatic hosts, how a pathogen invades its host, and how that host and its immune system responds. He also evaluates how changes in an aquatic animal’s environment (season, temperature, salinity, acidity) impact its health. Other interests include development of immune function in aquatic animals, and the impact of biological rhythms (circadian, lunar or seasonal) and aging on animal health. Visit Bowden’s biography to learn more.

A bubble graph demonstrating a 75% research and 25% teaching appointment split.
Bowden balances his time between teaching courses (25%) in aquaculture and studying how to manage pests and parasites for the aquaculture industry (75%).

Appointment details

Bowden’s work is supported by:

  • School of Food and Agriculture at the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture
  • Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station

Experiment Station contributions

  • Current project: Optimizing the Health of Commercially Important Aquaculture Species.  Hatch Project Number ME021813.
]]> Damian Brady /mafes/people/damian-brady/ Fri, 11 Feb 2022 15:51:36 +0000 /mafes/?post_type=um_people&p=4251 Expertise ? Aquaculture,☀️ Clean and renewable energy,? Climate change,? Coastal and marine topics, ? Data science, ? Fish, ? Fisheries,? Food security,? Land and natural resource use, ? Seafood, ? Shellfish, ? Tourism, ?Water quality Brady’s work focuses on coastal water quality. His team works with aquaculture companies, the fishing industry, offshore wind development, and […]]]>

Expertise

? Aquaculture,☀ Clean and renewable energy,? Climate change,? Coastal and marine topics, ? Data science, ? Fish, ? Fisheries,? Food security,? Land and natural resource use, ? Seafood, ? Shellfish, ? Tourism, ?Water quality

Brady’s work focuses on coastal water quality. His team works with aquaculture companies, the fishing industry, offshore wind development, and wastewater treatment plants to ensure that water quality, a bedrock of Maine’s seafood and tourism branding, is protected. Visit Brady’s biography to learn more.

A bubble graph demonstrating a 75% research and 25% teaching appointment split.
Brady balances his time between teaching courses (25%) in marine biology and investigates the potential of estuaries for hypothetical uses including aquaculture, tourism, fisheries, pollution processing and energy (75%).

Appointment details

Brady’s work is supported by:

  • School of Marine Sciences at the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture
  • Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station

Experiment Station contributions

  • Current project: Remote Sensing and Aquaculture: Identifying Sustainable Aquaculture Growing Areas Via Satellite Imagery. Hatch Project Number ME022014.
]]> Ian Bricknell /mafes/people/ian-bricknell/ Wed, 13 Jul 2022 18:41:08 +0000 /mafes/?post_type=um_people&p=4361 Expertise ? Aquaculture, ? Coastal and marine topics, ?ish, ? Food security, ? Immune system,? Immunization and vaccines,? Pathogens,? Pests and parasites, ? Seafood, ? Sharks, Bricknell studies how parasites thwart host defense mechanisms, the detection of fish diseases, and how the immune system of larval fishes develops to contain or resist infections. He is […]]]>

Expertise

? Aquaculture, ? Coastal and marine topics, ?ish, ? Food security, ? Immune system,? Immunization and vaccines,? Pathogens,? Pests and parasites, ? Seafood, ? Sharks,

Bricknell studies how parasites thwart host defense mechanisms, the detection of fish diseases, and how the immune system of larval fishes develops to contain or resist infections. He is also extremely knowledgable about fish biology, specifically regarding sharks and marine parasites. Visit Bricknell’s biography to learn more.

A bubble graph demonstrating a 75% research and 25% teaching appointment split.
Bricknell balances his time between teaching courses (25%) about sharks and parasites, and studying how to manage pests and parasites for the aquaculture industry (75%).

Appointment details

Bricknell’s work is supported by:

  • School of Marine Sciences at the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture
  • Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station

Experiment Station contributions

  • Current project: The Transmission and Prevention of Aquatic Disease in Maine. Hatch Project Number ME022015.
]]> Stephanie Burnett /mafes/people/stephanie-burnett/ Wed, 13 Jul 2022 19:16:27 +0000 /mafes/?post_type=um_people&p=4363 Expertise ? Agriculture, ? Food security, ?‍? Gardening, ? Horticulture, ? Irrigation, ? Nursery and greenhouse management, ? Ornamental plants, ? Soils Burnett’s research focuses on improving the efficiency and sustainability of greenhouse plant production. Since competition for available water resources will increase as the population increases, one research area focuses on improving irrigation efficiency. […]]]>

Expertise

? Agriculture, ? Food security, ?‍? Gardening, ? Horticulture, ? Irrigation, ? Nursery and greenhouse management, ? Ornamental plants, ? Soils

Burnett’s research focuses on improving the efficiency and sustainability of greenhouse plant production. Since competition for available water resources will increase as the population increases, one research area focuses on improving irrigation efficiency. This may be done by determining the actual plant water needs and automating irrigation based on plant needs. Other areas of focus include production of novel food crops using hydroponics and field grown cut flower production. Visit Burnett’s biography to learn more.

A bubble graph showing a 40% research and 60% teaching appointment split.
Burnett balances her time between teaching courses about landscape plants and design, fruit and vegetable production, and greenhouse management (60%) and studying how to improve greenhouse production (40%).

Appointment details

Burnett’s work is supported by:

  • School of Food and Agriculture at the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture
  • Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station

Experiment Station contributions

Burnett works to improve the efficiency of greenhouse production and explore novel technologies for use in greenhouses.

  • Current project: Resource Optimization in Controlled Environment Agriculture. Hatch Multistate Project Number ME031901.
]]> Lily Calderwood /mafes/people/calderwood/ Wed, 13 Jul 2022 19:59:13 +0000 /mafes/?post_type=um_people&p=4367 Expertise ? Agriculture, ? Climate change, ? Food security, ?‍? Gardening, ? Horticulture, ? Insects, ? Organic food production, ? Pests and parasites, ? Soils, ? Wild blueberries Calderwood aims to develop whole system approaches to wild blueberry production in Maine. IPM is at the forefront of her work, which can improve the economic and […]]]>

Expertise

? Agriculture, ? Climate change, ? Food security, ?‍? Gardening, ? Horticulture, ? Insects, ? Organic food production, ? Pests and parasites, ? Soils, ? Wild blueberries

Calderwood aims to develop whole system approaches to wild blueberry production in Maine. IPM is at the forefront of her work, which can improve the economic and ecological resilience of farms by incorporating subjects such as fertility, soil health, and plant physiology into pest management. Current research includes a weed surveys, tine weeding and cover cropping studies for organic weed management, mulching studies, crop and pest forecasting tools, and foliar fertilizer assessments. Visit Calderwood’s biography to learn more.

A bubble chart demonstrating appointment split30% research and 70% Cooperative Extension activities.
Calderwood balances her time between research about wild blueberry production (30%) and Cooperative Extension activities (70%).

Appointment details

Calderwood’s work is supported by:

  • 91 Cooperative Extension
  • School of Food and Agriculture at the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture
  • Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station

Experiment Station contributions

  • Current project: Integrated Nutrient and Pest Management for Wild Blueberry Growers in Maine. Hatch Project Number ME022113
]]> Mary Ellen Camire /mafes/people/mary-ellen-camire/ Wed, 13 Jul 2022 20:22:15 +0000 /mafes/?post_type=um_people&p=4371 Expertise ?? Aging and older adults, ? Consumer preference, ? Food science,? Food security, ? Human health, ? Nutrition, ? Potatoes, ? Seafood, ? Shellfish Camire’s research spans the fields of food technology and human nutrition including how processing changes a food’s nutrients and antioxidants; ingredients and processing techniques to make foods more healthful and […]]]>

Expertise

?? Aging and older adults, ? Consumer preference, ? Food science,? Food security, ? Human health, ? Nutrition, ? Potatoes, ? Seafood, ? Shellfish

Camire’s research spans the fields of food technology and human nutrition including how processing changes a food’s nutrients and antioxidants; ingredients and processing techniques to make foods more healthful and satisfying, and assessing consumer reactions to new crops by sensory evaluation. She is interested in improving the nutritional status of older and disadvantaged individuals, and in promoting the consumption of healthy foods and the development of sustainable food production. Visit Camire’s biography to learn more.

A bubble graph showing a 60% research and 40% teaching appointment split.
Camire balances her time between teaching courses about nutrition, aging, research design, and sensory evaluation (40%) and studies how to leverage food technology to make foods more healthy and satisfying (60%).

Appointment details

Camire’s work is supported by:

  • School of Food and Agriculture at the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture
  • Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station

Experiment Station contributions

Annually we assess promising potato varieties for their suitability for baking and boiling. My Hatch project seeks to improve the nutrition quality of foods for older adults and reduce food waste through utilization of food by-products.

  • Current project: Palatable, Healthful Foods for Maine. Hatch Project Number ME021804.
  • Current project: Collaborative Potato Breeding and Variety Development Activities to Enhance Farm Sustainability in the Eastern US. Hatch Multistate Project Number ME032331.

Career Highlights

Institute of Food Technologists and International Life Sciences Institute Babcock-Hart Award (2008), American Society for Nutrition Health and Innovation Award (2016), Past President of Phi Tau Sigma, Cereals & Grains Association, and the Institute of Food Technologists, and the first Editor-in-Chief appointed for sole responsibility of Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety.

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