Herpetologists in Albuquerque, NM, in July where he presented a poster co-authored with Helen Hess, Robin Van Dyke '11, Zinta Rutins '14, and MDIBL's Charlie Wray on population genetics and parasite prevalence in an estuarine fish. Chris also coauthored "Phylogenetic perspectives on the evolution of functional hermaphroditism in fishes" with investigators from Scripps Institute of Oceanography and UC Santa Barbara in the July Journal of Integrative and Comparative Biology. With Jillian E. Gall '13 as first author, COA faculty member in botany Nishanta Rajakaruna '94, published "The physiology, functional genomics, and applied ecology of heavy metaltolerant Brassicaceae" in Brassica: Characterization, Functional Genomics and Health Benefits, by Nova Science Publishers. With RS Boyd, Nishi published "Heavy Metal Tolerance" in Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology, edited by David Gibson and published by Oxford University Press, and "Edaphic Factor" in Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences, edited by Scott Elias and published by Elsevier, Oxford, UK. With Nathaniel Pope '07 as first author, Nishi and two others published "The role of elevation and soil chemistry in the distribution and ion accumulation of floral morphs of Streptanthus polygaloides Gray (Brassicaceae), a Californian nickel hyperaccumulator" in Plant Ecology and Diversity. Nishi is on the scientific advisory committee for the 2014 International Conference on Serpentine Ecology.
In September biology faculty member Steve Ressel gave the talk, "ColdBlooded Animals in a Cold Weather State: The amphibians and reptiles of northern New England" at the Eagle 46
Hill Institute of Steuben, ME, and in August the talk, "The Ecology and Conservation of Vernal Pools: A race against time" at the Somes-Meynell Wildlife Sanctuary on MDI. In July he presented the poster, "Coverboard sampling of terrestrial salamanders in Acadia National Park: Employing citizen scientists to monitor the population dynamics of amphibians" at the 2013 Joint Meetings of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Albuquerque, NM, co-authored with Sarah Colletti '11. Steve also served as a judge of student oral presentations for the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Seibert Award in Amphibian Conservation. While there, Steve and Chris Witt '97, University of New Mexico biologist and curator of birds at the Museum of Southwestern Biology, exchanged regional bird specimens for their respective museums' teaching collections. Steve's "Natural History Note" on the occurrence of snakes swimming in open cold seawater, co-authored with Eddie Monat '88, was published in the June issue of Herpetological Review.
Doreen Stabinsky, faculty member in global environmental politics, was appointed to a two-year position on the ad hoc Technical Expert Group on Risk Assessment and Risk Management of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. She spoke at the Common Ground Fair in September, and lectured in August on "Humanitarian aspects of limits to adaptation" at an international conference on adaptation, loss, and damage in the Asia-Pacific region, hosted in Bangkok by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network. She also spoke on the global politics of climate change and its impact on
agriculture in Rangeley, ME, in July and in Camden, ME, in May. Recent writings include a policy brief on climate change and agriculture published by the Climate Action Network South Asia, and several reports and monographs on loss and damage in climate negotiations. In November she heads the COA delegation to the 19th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention Climate Change.
Bonnie Tai, faculty member in education, spoke on critical exploration in teacher education as a panelist at the annual meeting of the Jean Piaget Society in Chicago this June. Her essay, "Witness to learning," came out in Always Wondering … a Mélange of Eleanor Duckworth and Critical Exploration, edited by Shorr, Hoidn, Lowry, and Cavicchi, published by Critical Exploration Press. She serves on the board of The Next Step Domestic Violence Project and on the advisory board of IMPACT Boston. Sean Todd represented COA at a joint US/Canadian Oil Spill exercise (CANUSLANT), serving as a key wildlife respondent. He co-authored "Has designating and protecting critical habitat had an impact on endangered North Atlantic right whale ship strike mortality?" in Marine Policy and another with Jessica McCordic '12 (see alumni notes). Sean's work on grants for Allied Whale has netted an $80,000 Prescott Grant, and $90,000 from anonymous donors. Toward a Literary Ecology: Places and Spaces in American Literature, co-edited by Karen Waldron, Lisa Stewart Chair in Literature and Women's Studies, and Rob Friedman, was published by Scarecrow Press in August, 2013.
College of the Atlantic Magazine