Announcements
BOTANY NEWS! (Check NEW Site)
July 2017
- Paper hot off the press
June 2017
- Paper Accepted: Seneviratne, M. N. Rajakaruna, M. Rizwan, S. Madawala, Y. S. Ok, and M. Vithanage. The effects of heavy metal-induced oxidative stress on seed germination and seedling development: A critical review. Environmental Geochemistry and Health (in press)
- Paper Hot off the Press: Urban, A. J., Mittelhauser, G. H., Dickinson, M., and N. Rajakaruna. 2017. The Alpine Vascular Plants of Baxter State Park, Maine, USA. Rhodora (PDF)
- Serpentinophiles meet in Albania and N. Greece for the 9th International Conference in Serpentine Ecology (June 5-14)
- Congratulations to former graduate student Teri Barry (M.Sc. in Botany from San Jose State University and former co-curator at the Sharsmith Herbarium) on her new position as Assistant Curator at the UC Davis Herbarium.
- Nishi presents a seminar titled “Rock Outcrop Plant Communities: Models Habitats for Ecological, Evolutionary, and Applied Research” at the Department of Botany, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
- Nishi presents a seminar titled “Serpentine: A model habitat for ecological, evolutionary, and applied research” to the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. The seminar was organized by Plant Sciences Special students as part of a Mini Symposium on Serpentine Ecology
- Congratulations to Maggie Mansfield for getting accepted to the graduate program in Forest Resources at the University of Maine, Orono. Maggie will be conducting her MS research under the supervision of Dr. Robert Seymour on a project relating to the Acadian Forest Ecosystem Ecosystem Research Program
- Nishi presents a lecture at the American Corner, Kandy, Sri Lanka titled “Travels of a Botanist: Following my passion for plants from Sri Lanka to North America and Beyond” as part of the Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month Speaker Program (May 12)
- Nishi presents a public lecture for the Geological Society of Sri Lanka titled “Geobotany: Interdisciplinary Studies on the Geology-Plant Relationship” at the Department of Geology, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (May 04)
April 2017
- Nishi presents 3 seminars at University of Ruhuna: one each for incoming first-year students in the Faculty of Science, Students and Staff at the Department of Botany, and students and staff at the Department of Chemistry. Below are photos of a field trip with final-year students specializing in Botany
- Paper Hot off the Press: Ultramafic Geoecology of South and Southeast Asia (PDF)
March 2017
- Nishi delivers two seminars at the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University, Sri Lanka titled “Plants of ‘harsh’ soils: Model systems for ecological, evolutionary, and applied research” and “Opportunities for Undergraduate, Graduate, and Post-Doctoral Education in the United States” (March 30)
- Nishi delivers a research seminar titled “Plants of ‘extreme’ soils: Model systems for ecological, evolutionary, and applied research” at the National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri Lanka (March 28)
- Congratulations to Natasha Krell on winning a Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Award to do her field research in Kenya. Natasha is currently a graduate student at UC Santa Barbara
- Photos with Japanese serpentine ecologists at the 64th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of Japan (top photo) and Profs. Takafumi Mizuno, Atsushi Kume, and Bob Boyd (L-R; bottom photo)
- Ian Medeiros wins a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Congratulations, Ian! Ian will be joining the Lutzoni lab at Duke University this fall as a Ph.D. student studying the evolutionary biology of lichens
- Congratulations to Maggie Mansfield for getting accepted to the M.Sc. program at the School of Forest Resources, University of Maine, Orono. She will be working with Prof. Robert Seymour on the Acadian Forest Ecosystem Research Project (AFERP)
- Congratulations to Paul Excoffier for getting accepted to the M.Sc. program at the Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Paul will be my first graduate student at Cal Poly!
- Nishi presents a paper titled ‘Evolutionary Ecology of Serpentine Plants’ at the 64th annual meeting of the Ecological Society of Japan, Waseda University, Tokyo (March 14)
- Nishi presents a paper titled ‘Serpentine Flora of Sri Lanka’ at the South and Central Asia Fulbright Conference, Kolkata, West Bengal, India (March 7)
- Paper Accepted: Galey, M. L., A. van der Ent, M. C.M. Iqbal, and N. Rajakaruna. 2017. Serpentine geoecology of South and Southeast Asia. Botanical Studies (in press)
- Congratulations to former student Ian Medeiros, who will be joining the Lutzoni lab at Duke University this fall as a Ph.D. student studying the evolutionary biology of lichens
- Nishi to present at the South and Central Asia Fulbright Conference (March 6-9) in Kolkata, West Bengal, India
February 2017
- Nishi plants a Platanus orientalis sapling on the Aligarh Muslim University campus
- The University Extension Lecture at Aligarh Muslim University organized by the Department of Botany titled “Plants of Harsh Soils: Models for Ecological, Evolutionary, and Applied Research.’ Images of audience and post-presentation discussion during ‘high tea’
- Nishi during a presentation to the Department of Plant Protection, Aligarh Muslim University, India
- Nishi with some faculty and graduate students from the Department of Wild Life Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, India after a presentation on the ecology, evolution, and conservation of rock outcrop plant communities
- Nishi interacts with 8th and 9th Grade Students at the Blossoms School, Aligarh, India after his presentation titled “My life as a biologist: Following my passion for nature from Sri Lanka to North America.”
- Nishi during and after a presentation at the Department of Museology, Aligarh Muslim University, India
- Nishi visits Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, India to deliver a series of lectures (Feb 20-March 3)
- Congratulations to collaborator Denise Fernando on receiving a grant for research on serpentine plants of Sri Lanka: National Geographic Society, Research and Exploration Grant (2017) “Plant-manganese nutritional dynamics along a climatic gradient of disjunct serpentine ecosystems.” Principal Investigator: Denise R. Fernando; Project Investigator: N. Rajakaruna. $5500
- Nishi presents a seminar titled “Geoecology: Ecological, Evolutionary, and Applied Studies on Plants of ‘Harsh’ Soils” at the Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (Feb 2)
January 2017
- Nishi accepts invitation to join the Editorial Board of the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) Journal (Feb 2017-)
“Plants will always find a way“Nishi at Ruhuna University, Matara, Sri Lanka (Jan 26 2017)
- Nishi presents a guest lecture titled ‘Plants of ‘extreme’ soils: Model systems for ecological, evolutionary, and applied research‘ at the 4th Ruhuna International Science and Technology Conference, University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka
- Nishi accepts offer to join the Editorial Board (Biological Sciences), Ruhuna Journal of Science (Jan 2017-)
- Nishi with a group of students after presenting a seminar titled ‘life as a biologist during and after Trinity‘ at his alma mater, Trinity College, Kandy
December 2016
- An interview with Nishi
- Nishi receives a South and Central Asia Regional Travel Grant, The United States-India Educational Foundation (02/19-03/04, 2017) to visit the Department of Botany, Aligarh Muslim University, India
- Hot off the press: Art Kruckeberg’s In Memoriam
- Paper accepted: Medeiros, I. D., Mathieson, A. C., and N. Rajakaruna. 2017. Heavy Metals in Seaweeds from a Polluted Estuary in Coastal Maine. Rhodora (in press)
November 2016
- Nishi talks about opportunities for higher education in the USA at the Open University, Nawala, Sri Lanka
- Paper accepted: Urban, A. J., Mittelhauser, G. H., Dickinson, M., and N. Rajakaruna. The Alpine Vascular Plants of Baxter State Park, Maine, USA. Rhodora (in press)
- Nishi gives two seminars at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Botany at the Open University, Nawala, Sri Lanka
October 2016
- Former student and current collaborator, Ian Medeiros, hard at work at the Michigan State University Herbarium. Ian will be working with Dr. Alan Fryday for two weeks identifying lichens collected during the National Geographic Society funded expedition to South Africa in Jan-Feb 2016.
September 2016
- COA bids farewell (COA Magazine Fall 2016)
- A photo of the Trees and Shrubs of Mount Desert Island class at College of the Atlantic highlighted in Sierra Club’s America’s Greenest Universities article
July 2016
- Chapter in upcoming book: Trau, M., Owings, R., and N. Rajakaruna. 2016. Implementing Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Conservation Efforts. In Plant Biodiversity: Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation, pp. 525-535, Eds. A. A. Ansari and S. S. Gill. CAB International (PDF)
June 2016
- Hot off the press: Boyd, R. S., Krell, N. T., and Rajakaruna, N. 2016. Extreme Environments. In: Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology. Ed. David Gibson. New York: Oxford University Press (PDF)
- New paper: Stern, M., Medeiros, I. D., Negoita, L., and N. Rajakaruna. 2016. Limestone flora of the Simonton Corner Quarry Preserve, Rockport, Maine, USA. Rhodora 118: 206-226 (PDF; Supplementary Table)
- Edible Botany highlighted on page 7 of Native Plant News of the New England Wild Flower Society (Spring/Summer issue)
- Hot off the press: Stern et al. 2016 (proofs)
May 2016
- Hot off the press: Negoita, L., Dickinson, M., Mittelhauser, G. H. and Rajakaruna, N. 2016. A Comparative Study of the Flora and Soils of Great Duck and Little Duck Islands, Maine, USA. Rhodora 118: 46-85 (PDF)
April 2016
- Congratulations to Ian Medeiros for receiving a Young Botanist Award (2016) from the Botanical Society of America!
- Press Release: Fulbright Scholar Award 2016-2017
- Ian Medeiros submits an abstract for an oral presentation at the Botanical Society of America meeting in Savannah, Georgia July 30-Aug 3 2016
- Congratulations to Rose Dawson for getting a summer NSF-REU position with Dr. Jill Anderson at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab!
- Student success at two recent geology meetings is highlighted here. Congratulations!
- Hot off the press: Seneviratne, M., S. Gunaratne, T. Bandara, L. Weerasundara, N. Rajakaruna, H.M.S.P. Madawala, G. Seneviratne, and M. Vithanage. 2016. Plant growth promotion by Bradyrhizobium japonicum under heavy metal stress. South African Journal of Botany 105: 19-24 (PDF)
- Former student, Hazel Stark, is the co-founder of Maine Outdoor School
- A poster presented by Ian Medeiros receives honorable mention: I. D. Medeiros and N. Rajakaruna. Documenting the Rocks, Soils, and Biota of Serpentinite Outcrops in Western Massachusetts. Geological Society of Maine 2016 Spring Meeting. University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA. 1 April 2016. Congratulations, Ian.
- Luka Negoita has been awarded a National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant. Congratulations, Luka!
March 2016
- Nishi is awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for 2016-2017 to conduct research in Sri Lanka
- Congratulations to Ian Medeiros on securing an internship with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program for summer 2016. Ian will be conducting vegetation surveys in coastal Texas and Florida as part of a multi-year study to fine-tune remote sensing of vegetation communities along the Gulf coast
- See a series of videos of former student Luka Negoita sharing his experiences participating in Sigma XI student research showcase competition
- Ian Medeiros will be presenting his senior project research at the Geological Society of America, Northeastern Section Meeting on Tuesday March 22
- Congratulations to Ella Samuel for securing an internship with the Santa Fe Bureau of Land Management through the Conservation and Land Management Internship Program out of the Chicago Botanic Garden
- Paper accepted: Seneviratne, M., S. Gunaratne, T. Bandara, L. Weerasundara, N. Rajakaruna, H.M.S.P. Madawala, G. Seneviratne, and M. Vithanage. 2016. Plant growth promotion by Bradyrhizobium japonicum under heavy metal stress. South African Journal of Botany (in press)
- Nishi accepts an offer for Associate Professor in Botany from the Biological Sciences Department, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Start date yet to be finalized!
February 2016
- Congratulations to Natasha Krell ’16 for getting into the graduate program at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University. She will be pursuing her Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. Kelly Caylor
- Nishi receives funding from the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey to visit Ankara University (Department of Biology) to initiate collaborative research on serpentine geoecology in June 2016
- South Africa expedition is highlighted here
- Chapter accepted: Boyd, R. S., Krell, N. T., and Rajakaruna, N. 2016. Extreme Environments. In: Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology. Ed. David Gibson. New York: Oxford University Press (in press)
January 2016
- Ian, Nate, Alan Fryday, and Nishi are off to South Africa to collect lichens January 31-March 1! See press release 1, 2
- Nishi is invited to the Department of Biology, Ankara University, Turkey to discuss collaborative research on serpentine geoecology. The visit will be funded by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)
- Congratulations to former student Meg Trau on her admission to the graduate program in teaching at Brandeis University!
- Congratulations to former student Jason Barton on his recent publication
- Congratulations to Ella Samuel for winning the Craig W. Greene Memorial Scholarship in Botany (2015)
December 2015
- Congratulations to Ian Medeiros ’16 and Paul Excoffier ’14 for winning a research grant from The California Lichen Society for their proposal to survey the gabbro- and serpentinite-tolerant lichens of the Pine Hill Intrusive Complex, El Dorado County, CA
- Upcoming National Geographic-funded research on South African lichens highlighted here
November 2015
- Congratulations to former student, Luka Negoita, on his upcoming paper in Ecography
- Paper accepted: Stern, M., Medeiros, I. D., Negoita, L., and N. Rajakaruna. 2016. Limestone flora of the Simonton Corner Quarry Preserve, Rockport, Maine, USA. Rhodora (in press)
October 2015
- National Geographic Grant news on the MDI Islander October 8 2015
September 2015
- Watch former botany student Ai Kitazumi talking about her Ph.D. research at University of Maine
- National Geographic Society Grant: Press Release
- Paper accepted: Negoita, L., Dickinson, M., Mittelhauser, G. H. and Rajakaruna, N. 2016. A Comparative Study of the Flora and Soils of Great Duck and Little Duck Islands, Maine, USA. Rhodora (in press)
- Grant News: National Geographic Society, Research and Exploration Grant (2015) “Examining the role of substrate chemistry and climate on the diversity of lichen species in South Africa.” Principal Investigator: N. Rajakaruna; Project Investigators: A. M. Fryday, S. J. Siebert, I. D. Medeiros, R. B. Boneschans, and N. Pope. $17,850
August 2015
- SJSU ScholarWorks Featured Author; ScholarWorks publications are found here
- Garden Club of America highlights research scholarship winners for 2015 in their summer Bulletin. Those highlighted include Ian Medeiros, Ella Samuel, and Liam Torrey
- Paper accepted: Bandara, T., I. Herath, P. Kumarathilaka, M. Seneviratne, G. Seneviratne, N. Rajakaruna, and M.Vithanage. Role of fungal-bacterial co-inoculation and woody biochar on soil enzyme activity and heavy metal immobilization in serpentine soil. Journal of Soils and Sediments (online access; PDF)
July 2015
- Ella Samuel and Ian Medeiros present research at the Botany 2015 meeting in Alberta, Canada
- COA herbarium is highlighted in the Wild Seed Magazine. The article concludes by noting that “At COA, the aggregate information, stored and preserved in a relatively small room, is mouthwatering–and beautiful–to anyone interested in native plants.”
June 2015
- Ultramafic Ecosystems: Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Serpentine Ecology (Part 2), Australian Journal of Botany Special Issue, Volume 63, Numbers 3 & 4
Available here
- Ella Samuel, Natasha Krell, Ian Medeiros, and Rose Dawson will present their research at the New England Botanical Club Research Conference June 5-7. Conference program is here.
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Ultramafic Ecosystems: Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Serpentine Ecology (Part 1), Australian Journal of Botany Special Issue, Volume 63, Numbers 1 & 2
Available here
May 2015
- Issues 1-2 (part 1) of the Proceedings of the Serpentine Ecology Conference held in Sabah, Malaysia (2014) is out! See introduction to the Proceedings here
- Paper and book review hot off the press
- Congratulations to Luka Negoita ’11 and Nate Pope ’07 for their appointments as Research Associates at College of the Atlantic (COA). Along with Tanner Harris ’06 (current Research Associate) they will help promote undergraduate research in plant ecology at COA by sharing their expertise in ecological methods, data analyses, and technical writing
- Recent conference participation highlighted
April 2015
- Ian Medeiros, Natasha Krell, and Paul Excoffier, and Nishi Rajakaruna present their research at the Northeast Natural History Conference in Springfield, MA April 18-20
- Hot off the press: Review 1 and Review 2 of Plant Ecology and Evolution in Harsh Environments
- Several new publications hot off the press in the Australian Journal of Botany. These papers will be compiled in a special issue titled Ultramafic Ecosystems, scheduled to published in mid-2015
March 2015
- Luka Negoita ’11 wins the 2015 Sigma Xi Student Research Showcase (Graduate Division Award) for the video describing his Ph.D. research. Congratulations, Luka!
- Heather Brown has been offered a NSF-REU position at San Francisco State University. She will conduct research on ammonia-oxidizing archaea under the supervision of Dr. de la Torre. Congratulations, Heather!
- Check out this video on Luka Negoita’s Ph.D. research. Luka did his senior project on the flora and soils of Little Duck Island, Maine.
- Paper accepted: Burgess, J.L., Szlavecz, K., Rajakaruna, N., and Swan, C.M. 2015. Ecotypic Differentiation of mid-Atlantic Quercus species in response to Ultramafic Soils. Australian Journal of Botany (in press)
- Chris Phillips has been hired as a field technician at University of Montana’s Forest Ecology Lab. Chris will assist Ph.D. student David Wright on his research on stand development in second growth western larch-mixed conifer forests. Congratulations, Chris!
- Paper accepted: Gall, J. E.**, Boyd R. S., and N. Rajakaruna. Transfer of heavy metals through terrestrial food webs: A review. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (in press)
- Congratulations to Ella Samuel for winning a Garden Club of America Award for Summer Environmental Studies. Ella will use the funding for her senior project research on using fungi to clean contaminated soils at Callahan Mine
- Congratulations to Liam Torrey for winning the Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany from the Garden Club of America! Liam will use the funding for independent research on environmental influences on antimicrobial activity of lemon balm
- Paper accepted: Van der Ent, A., N. Rajakaruna, R. S. Boyd, G. Echevarria, R. Repin, and D. Williams. 2015. Global Research on the Ecology of Ultramafic (Serpentine) Ecosystems (8th International Conference in Serpentine Ecology, Sabah, Malaysia): a summary and synthesis. Australian Journal of Botany (in press)
- Ian Medeiros wins the The Joan K. Hunt and Rachel M. Hunt Summer Scholarship in Field Botany from the Garden Club of America. Ian will use the funding for his senior project research on the serpentine flora of Massachusetts. Congratulations, Ian!
- Congratulations to Becca Haydu for winning the Garden Club Federation of Maine Scholarship for 2015. Becca is the 2nd winner of this award from COA in the last 5 years!
February 2015:
- Congratulations to Ian Medeiros, Natasha Krell, and Ella Samuel for winning research grants from the Maine Space Grant Consortium! The funding will help them conduct geoecological research on serpentine outcrops and metal mines in New England
- Ian Medeiros receives a Shelby Cullom Davis Student International Studies Award to attend the Botanical Society of America meeting this summer. Ian will present his ongoing research on lichen systematics at this meeting. Congratulations!
- Paper accepted: Seneviratne, M., Seneviratne,G., Madawala, H.M.S.P. Iqbal, M.C.M., Rajakaruna, N. and Vithanage, M. 2015. Role of bacterial-fungal interactions on heavy metal phytotoxicity in serpentine soil. Australian Journal of Botany (in press)
- Upcoming seminar (February 13) on Evolutionary Ecology of Serpentine Plants
- Les Mehrhoff Botanical Research Fund, administered by the New England Botanical Club, has awarded Ian Medeiros a grant to support his research project titled, “Documenting the serpentine biota of Massachusetts: A study of the plant and lichen diversity of serpentine outcrops in Massachusetts, USA.” Congratulations, Ian!
- Paper accepted: Medeiros, I. D., Rajakaruna, N. and Alexander, E. B. 2015. Gabbro Soil-Plant Relations in the California Floristic Province. Madrono (in press)
- Paper accepted: Venter, A., A. Levanets, S. Siebert, and N. Rajakaruna. 2015. A preliminary survey of the diversity of soil algae and cyanoprokaryotes on mafic and ultramafic substrates in South Africa. Australian Journal of Botany (in press)
December 2014:
- Paper accepted: Chathuranga, P. K. D., S. K. A. T. Dharmasena, N. Rajakaruna, and M. C. M. Iqbal. Growth and nickel uptake by serpentine and non-serpentine populations of Fimbristylis ovata (Cyperaceae) from Sri Lanka. Australian Journal of Botany (in press)
- Paper accepted: Ghasemi, R., Z. Zare Chavoshi, R. S. Boyd, and N. Rajakaruna. Calcium:magnesium ratio affects environmental stress sensitivity in the serpentine endemic Alyssum inflatum Nyár. (Brassicaceae). Australian Journal of Botany (in press)
- Paper accepted: Burgess, J.L., Szlavecz, K., Rajakaruna, N., Lev, S. and Swan, C.M. Vegetation Dynamics and Mesophication in Response to Conifer Encroachment within an Ultramafic System. Australian Journal of Botany (in press)
November 2014:
- Miranda Galey will work as a research assistant for Dr. Dylan Burge at the California Academy of Sciences from Jan-March 2015
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Suzie Woolhouse has just returned from a year and a half traveling and volunteering in Europe. She has accepted a position as a naturalist at the Mendocino Outdoor Science School for Spring 2015.
- Neilson, S. and N. Rajakaruna. 2014. Phytoremediation of Agricultural Soils: Using plants to clean metal-contaminated arable lands. In: Phytoremediation: Management of Environmental Contaminants, pp. 159-168, Eds. A. A. Ansari, S. S. Gill, G. R. Lanza, and L. Newman. Springer (PDF).
October 2014:
- Congratulations to Natasha Krell and Ella Samuel on their nomination for a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship 2015
- Chapter in Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology hot off the press (PDF)
- Recent Edible Botany field trip on mycology is highlighted here
- Garden Club of America-COA relations highlighted here
- Success with Garden Club of America Scholarships is highlighted on page 20 of their Fall Bulletin
- Announcement for the lecture on Edible Botany, Ural Federal University, Russia (October 21)
- Russian visit highlighted here
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Congratulations to Natasha Krell on winning two awards for her poster presentation titled ‘Dynamic Pulse-Driven Flowering Phenology in a Semiarid Shrubland.’PROSE – Phenology Research and Observations in Southwest Ecosystems. Awarded 2nd best student poster overall.
RISE – Research Insights in Semiarid Ecosystems. Awarded best undergraduate student poster presentation.
- Edible Botany class highlighted in COA’s Sustainable Food Systems Newsletter (Fall 2014, issue 1: pp. 14-15; PDF)
September 2014:
- Adjunct faculty profile at San Jose State highlighted (see page 7)
- Hot off the press: two papers in Rhodora on vascular plants and lichens of metal-contaminated sites in Maine
- Subscribe to & Publish in RHODORA
- Hot off the press: paper in Journal of Soils and Sediments (PDF)
August 2014:
- Announcing ……
- In the news at the New England Botanical Club’s what’s new site
- Recent appointment as Editor-in-Chief of Rhodora announced (also see Bangor Daily News)
- Paper accepted: Herath, I., P. Kumarathilaka, A. Navaratne, N. Rajakaruna, and M. Vithanage. 2014. Immobilization and phytotoxicity reduction of heavy metals in serpentine soil using biochar. Journal of Soils and Sediments (in press)
- Upcoming book announcement is made!
July 2014:
- Ian Medeiros in the news!
- Upcoming research visit to South Africa highlighted
- Chapter accepted for publication in Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology: Rajakaruna, Nishanta; Boyd, Robert. “Geoecology.” In Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology. Ed. David Gibson. New York: Oxford University Press, forthcoming.
- Ian Medeiros ’16 wins the Barbra D. May Scholarship from the National Garden Club and another scholarship from the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts. Congratulations Ian! Ian’s success is highlighted here.
- Recent conference participation and seminar invitation highlighted
June 2014:
- Ian Medeiros wins the Craig W. Greene Memorial Scholarship in Botany
- Ian Medeiros, Tanner Harris (2006), and Nishi Rajakaruna present papers at the Eighth International Conference on Serpentine Ecology, in Kota Kinablu, Borneo, Malaysia.
- Institute of Natural Sciences at the Ural Federal University, Russia invites Nishi Rajakaruna to visit as a guest lecturer from October 16-25 2014
May 2014:
- Call for Papers: Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Serpentine Ecology (Guest eds. Antony van der Ent, Rimi Repin, Guillaume Echevarria, Robert Boyd, and Nishanta Rajakaruna)
- Congratulations to Jose Perez Orozco for completing his Master’s in Sustainable Development Practice at the University of Florida
- Nishi is appointed as an honorary Professor for three years at the Unit of Environmental Sciences and Management, School of Biological Sciences at North-West University, South Africa
April 2014:
- Recent chapter highlighted
- Botany news highlighted: paper and scholarship
- Congratulations to Marketa Doubnerova for getting accepted to the Master’s program in Outdoor Environmental Education and Outdoor Life at Linköping University, Sweden
- Congratulations to Naveed Davoodian for receiving a graduate student fellowship to study fungi specimens at the Farlow Herbarium, Harvard University
March 2014:
- Congratulations to Abbe Urban for getting hired as a field botany assistant with the Natural Areas Program, Maine. Abbe will start this summer.
- Congratulations to Ian Medeiros for winning the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship! We are all thrilled!
- Hazel Stark has been accepted to Antioch University New England’s MS Resource Management and Conservation program, where she will finish her Master’s in 2014-15. Congratulations Hazel! See Hazel’s recent work and accomplishments under ‘former student notes’
- Congratulations to Ian Medeiros for his success in securing a summer research position with the Field Museum, Chicago, IL. Ian will work on a lichen project under the supervision of Dr. Robert Lücking (Adjunct Curator and Collections Manager, Botany) and Dr. Thorsten Lumbsch (Curator, Botany and Associate Director, Integrative Research Center)
- Paper hot off the press: Barton, J., Ciccotelli, B., Gall, J. E., Olday, F. C., Connery, B., T. B. Harris, A. M. Fryday, and N. Rajakaruna. 2014. Lichens of six vernal pools in Acadia National Park, ME, USA. Evansia 31: 31-39 (PDF; undergraduate senior project of Jason Barton)
- Congratulations to Paul Excoffier for winning the Joan K. Hunt and Rachel M. Hunt Summer Scholarship in Field Botany from the Garden Club of America. Paul will use the funding for his ongoing research on the bryophytes of vernal pools in Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island.
- Paper hot off the press: Ghasemi, R., Chavoshi, Z. Z., Boyd, R. S., and N. Rajakaruna. 2014. A preliminary study of the role of nickel in enhancing flowering of the nickel hyperaccumulating plant Alyssum inflatum Nyár. (Brassicaceae). South African Journal of Botany 92: 47-52 (PDF)
February 2014:
- Paper hot off the press: N. Rajakaruna and R. S. Boyd. 2014. Serpentine Soils. In: Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology. Ed. David Gibson. New York: Oxford University Press (PDF)
- Paper accepted February 24 2014: Medeiros, I. D., Fryday, A. M., and N. Rajakaruna. 2014. Additional lichen records and minerological data from metal-contaminated sites in Maine. Rhodora (in press)
- Recent publication highlighted on COA’s Newsworthy
- Congratulations to Nathaniel Maddix for getting accepted to the M.Sc. program in Ethnobotany at the University of Kent, UK. Nathaniel starts Fall 2014.
- Congratulations to Blue N. Sky for winning a Maine Space Grant Consortium Research Fellowship ($500) for her proposal on establishing a medicinal plant garden for teaching, research, and outreach activities at the Peggy Rockefeller Farm, College of the Atlantic, Maine
- Congratulations to Ian D. Medeiros for winning a Maine Space Grant Consortium Research Fellowship ($500) for his ongoing research on lichens of granitic and serpentinite outcrops of Deer Isles, Maine
- Congratulations to Paul Excoffier for winning a Maine Space Grant Consortium Research Fellowship ($2000) for his ongoing research on bryophytes of vernal pools of Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island, Maine
- Grant Received: Maine Sea Grant Program Development Fund (2014) “Investigating Metal Accumulation by Seaweeds at the Callahan Mine Superfund Site, Brooksville, Hancock Co., Maine, USA”. Principal Investigators: Ian D. Medeiros and Nishanta Rajakaruna. $2050
- Paper accepted February 9: Mansfield, M., Pope, N., Mittlehauser, G., and N. Rajakaruna. 2014. Diversity and Soil-Tissue Elemental Relations of Vascular Plants of Callahan Mine, Brooksville, Maine, USA. Rhodora (in press)
January 2014:
- Paper accepted on January 27 – Ghasemi, R., Chavoshi, Z. Z., Boyd, R. S., and N. Rajakaruna. 2014. A preliminary study of the role of nickel in enhancing flowering of the nickel hyperaccumulating plant Alyssum inflatum Nyár. (Brassicaceae). South African Journal of Botany (in press)
- Hot off the press: paper published in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
- Grant Received: The Department of the Interior, National Park Service (2014) “Train students in herbarium management and catalog herbarium specimens for public education and research.” Principal Investigator: N. Rajakaruna. $15,275
- Ian’s recent research is highlighted here. Congratulations Ian!
- Paper accepted on January 1 – Vithanage, M., Rajapaksha, A. U, Oze, C., Rajakaruna, N. and C.B. Dissanayake. 2014. Metal release from serpentine soils in Sri Lanka. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (in press)
November 2013:
- Book contract signed with Nova Science Publishers: Rajakaruna, N., R. S. Boyd, and T. B. Harris, eds. (2014). Plant Ecology and Evolution in Harsh Environments. Nova Science Publishers, Inc., NY, USA (under preparation)
October 2013:
- COA highlights botany publications by Jill Gall ’13 and Nishi Rajakaruna
- Paper accepted: Rajakaruna, Nishanta; Boyd, Robert. “Serpentine soils.” In Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology. Ed. David Gibson. New York: Oxford University Press, forthcoming
- New Publication: Gall, J. E. and N. Rajakaruna. 2013. The physiology, functional genomics, and applied ecology of heavy metal-tolerant Brassicaceae In: Brassicaceae: Characterization, Functional Genomics and Health Benefits (Ed. Minglin Lang), pp. 121-148. Nova Science Publishers, Inc., NY, USA (PDF)
September 2013:
- New publication: Boyd, R. S. and N. Rajakaruna. 2013. Heavy Metal Tolerance. In: Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology. Ed. David Gibson. New York: Oxford University Press (PDF)
- New publication: Rajakaruna, N. and R. S. Boyd. 2013. Edaphic Factor. In: Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. Ed. Scott A. Elias. Elsevier, Oxford, United Kingdom
May 2013:
- Congratulations to Teri Barry for successfully defending her MS thesis at the Department of Biological Sciences, San Jose State University. Teri’s studied local adaptation in the Lasthenia californica-L. gracilis complex (Asteraceae) at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. Her research is published here.
April 2013:
- Congratulations to Ella Samuel for securing an internship with graduate student Sean Cahoon from Eric Post’s lab. Ella will be spending the summer near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
- Congratulations to Paul Excoffier and Ian Medeiros for securing research assistant positions with Dr. Hugh Safford (USFS) and Gabrielle Bohlman (Graduate Student, UC Davis). They will be working in the Eldorado National Forest this summer
- Katie Jumper gets into San Francisco State University, CA to pursue a Master’s under the supervision of Dr. Dennis Desjardin. She has, however, decided to join Humboldt State University, CA to work under the supervision of Dr. Terry Henkel.
- Ian Medeiros and other botany-focused students at COA put together websites for the greenhouse and herbarium. Thank you for your efforts!
- Paper Hot off the Press (PDF) – collaborative project with former COA & SJSU students and Dr. Bob Boyd
- Congratulations to Rob Lau for securing an internship with the Oahu Army Natural Resource Program. Rob will pursue the horticulture/rare plant propagation internship
- Marketa Doubnerova is hired as a naturalist intern at Foothill Horizons, CA. She will join the instructional staff this June. Hazel Stark and Brianna Larsen also worked for Foothill Horizons in 2011 & 2012, respectively. Congratulations Marketa!
- Miranda Galey is offered another internship at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Looks like Miranda will accept this internship instead of the one listed just below. Congratulations on getting two fantastic offers!
- Miranda Galey is offered an internship at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Congratulations on your ecological modelling REU!
- Jill Gall is offered another internship at the New York Botanic Garden. Congratulations. She has decided to take on the offer from UC, Davis.
- Jessica Celis, former student from San Jose State University, is accepted to the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Oregon State University, Corvallis. Jessica will pursue her Master’s research with Dr. Andy Jones. Congratulations Jessica!
- Kate Unkel wins a Nell Goff Memorial Scholarship from the Garden Club Federation of Maine. Congratulations!
- Becca Berezuk gets accepted to the Science Illustration Program, California State University, Monterey Bay. Congratulations!
- Decision FINALLY made: Katie Jumper will join Humboldt State University to work under the supervision of Dr. Terry Henkel. Congratulations!
- Jill Gall will soon join Dr. Neal Williams‘ lab at UC Davis. She will assist ongoing research on restoring habitats of native pollinators. Congratulations! Nate Pope (see March 2013 news) also worked for Dr. Williams prior to starting his graduate research.
- Dr. Fred Olday, who is currently teaching lichen biology at COA, receives a grant to conduct a lichen inventory of one of the the Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s coastal preserves. Congratulations Fred! Fred has co-authored many papers on lichens and bryophytes with COA students (See pub #s 44, 37, 31, 18, 16 here https://nrajakaruna.wordpress.com/publications/)
March 2013:
- Nate Pope wins a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Nate is currently pursuing his Ph.D. with Dr. Shalene Jha
- Jon Carver ’09 is finishing up his M.Sc. at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, and will soon start working as an intern with the Maine Natural Areas Program
- Katie Jumper gets into the graduate program in biology at Humboldt State University to work under the supervision of Dr. Terry Henkel. Congratulations on your third acceptance with funding. We await your decision.
- Hazel Stark ’11 is hired as an Environmental Education Instructor for Appalachian Mountain Club’s A Mountain Classroom program. She starts April 1. Congratulations!
- Katie Jumper wins Garden Club of America’s Engle Scholarship in Horticulture. Congratulations!
- Will Batt wins Garden Club of America’s Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship. Congratulations!
- Erica Georgaklis wins Garden Club of America’s Zeller Scholarship in Medicinal Botany. Congratulations!
- Maggie Mansfield ’11 will return to northern California this summer to work as a research assistant for Dr. Hugh Safford, US Forest Service. Congratulations on this position
- Congratulations to Katie Jumper for becoming a semi-finalist for admission to the Field Naturalist-Ecological Planning Graduate Program at the University of Vermont
- Paper accepted: Pope, N., Fong, M., Boyd, R., and N. Rajakaruna. 2013. 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. Plant Ecology and Diversity (in press)
February 2013:
- Hazel Stark ’11 accepts an offer from Teton Science School Graduate Program to start her graduate studies this fall. Congratulations!
- Liz Robertson (former student SJSU) accepts an offer from the Dynamic Ecosystems and Landscapes Lab at Portland State University to start her master’s research in the fall of 2013. Congratulations Liz!
- Katie Jumper (COA visiting research student – 2010 onwards) gets accepted to the Ph.D. program at George Washington University. Congratulations Katie. Katie applied to work under the supervision of Dr. Amy Zanne. Katie is waiting to hear from several other programs she has applied for before making her final decision.
- Paper accepted: Boyd, Robert; Rajakaruna, Nishanta. “Heavy Metal Tolerance.” In Oxford Bibliographies in Ecology. Ed. David Gibson. New York: Oxford University Press, forthcoming
- Philip B. Kunhardt ’11 (COA) gets into the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies for his graduate studies. Congratulations! He starts his studies Fall 2013 and will work under the supervision of Dr. Mark S. Ashton.
- Call for papers for upcoming special issue of the Scientific World Journal (Botany): Plant Ecology and Evolution in Harsh Environments
- COA students Erica Georgaklis (medicinal plant botany), Will Batt (phytoremediation), and Ian Medeiros (plant evolutionary ecology) have won Maine Space Grant Consortium Research Fellowships for botanical research. Congratulations!
January 2013:
- Luka Negoita ’11 wins best Ecology/Macroecology student poster award at the 6th International Biogeography Society Conference in Miami, FL. Congratulations!
October 2012:
- Paper hot off the press (PDF)
- Recent Class Field Trip Highlighted
September 2012:
- Paper hot off the press (PDF)
- Paper hot off the press (PDF)
August 2012:
- Paper hot off the press in The Lichenologist
- Our research highlighted in the Island Ad-Vantages newspaper (see PDF)
- Vivian Lambert gets accepted to two Ayurvedic Schools: Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and the Ayurvedic Institute. Congratulations! Good luck with your decision.
- Suzie Woolhouse’s MS Thesis on the ecology of rare Monardella (Lamiaceae) species is approved by the Grad Studies at San Jose State, CA – meaning she is now DONE! Congratulations!!!
July 2012:
- Congratulations to Anna Fialkoff for getting accepted to the Conway School to pursue a Master’s in Sustainable Landscape Design and Planning. She starts this Fall.
- Katie Jumper presents a poster at the Mycological Society of America Annual Meeting: Jumper, K. Porter, D. and Rajakaruna, N. 2012. Diversity and Heavy Metal Uptake of Macrofungi found on Serpentine and Granite Outcrops on the Deer Isles, Maine, USA. Poster presented at the Conference of the Mycological Society of America, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, July 15-19.
June 2012:
- Recent paper on Lasthenia cited in Science along with a photo of Nishi’s on the serpentine at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, CA
- Nishi gives an invited seminar titled ‘Parallel Speciation in the Lasthenia californica complex (Asteraceae)’ at the Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada (June 26)
- Nishi gives the keynote at the Goldschmidt 2012 Earth in Evolution Conference on June 25. The talk titled ”The Role of Extreme Geologies and Substrates on Plant Life in North America’ was presented in the session Critical Zone Processes: Their Role in Ecology and Evolution. The talk is highlighted here.
- Tanner Harris becomes a Research Associate at COA. Congratulations
- Casie Reed publishes her first paper in Nature Medicine. How cool is that?
- Paper accepted for publication: Bieger, A., N. Rajakaruna, and S. P. Harrison. 2012. Little evidence for local adaptation to soils or microclimate in the postfire recruitment of three Californian shrubs. Plant Ecology and Diversity (in press)
May 2012:
- Paper accepted for publication: T. B. Harris, N. Rajakaruna, S. J. Nelson, and P. D. Vaux. 2012. Stressors and Threats to the Flora of Acadia National Park, Maine: Current Knowledge, Information Gaps, and Future Directions. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society (in press)
- Nishi’s recent book Serpentine: Evolution and Ecology of a Model System is reviewed in The Quarterly Review of Biology
- Congratulations to Sarah Neilson for getting into the Master’s program in Agriculture with a focus on Systems and Sustainability at the University of Copenhagen.
- Congratulations to Meg Trau for securing a Collections Curatorial Assistant position at the Museum of Science in Boston. She will also be working as the Exhibit Development Intern at the Ecotarium in Wocester, MA. Meg starts both these positions right after she graduates early June
- Nishi’s recent trip to South Africa highlighted on COA’s Newsworthy Webpage
April 2012:
- Congratulations to Jose Perez Orozco for getting into the graduate program Sustainable Development Practice at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Jose has received funding to start his Master’s this coming Fall.
A paper Jose co-authored with me and his peers during his time at COA is found here: https://nrajakaruna.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/10ornithocoprophilousplants.pdf
- Congratulations to Margaret Stern for winning the Summer Environmental Studies Scholarship from the Garden Club of America to conduct her senior project research on plant-soil relations of limestone in Rockland/Thomaston, Maine
- Paper hot off the press in American Journal of Botany: Yost, J. M., Barry, T., Kay, K.M. and N. Rajakaruna. 2012. Edaphic adaptation maintains the coexistence of two cryptic species on serpentine soil. American Journal of Botany 99 (5): xx-xx. (online version)
- Congratulations to Eva Dannenberg for getting into the graduate program in Environmental Science (focus Environmental Education) at Antioch University, New England.
- Congratulations to Jessica Hardy for getting into the graduate program in Naturopathic Medicine at the University of Bridgeport, CT.
- Margaret Stern (poster presentation), Jason Barton (poster presentation), Katie Jumper (poster presentation) and Luka Negoita (oral presentation) attend the Northeast Natural History Conference in Syracuse, NY. Nishi moderates the session in Plant Ecology and gives an oral presentation on the geoecology of eastern North America.
- Amy Behnke (San Jose State University), former botany student, gets into vet school at Auburn University. Amy is currently working with me in geo-referencing herbarium specimens on a NSF-funded project at the Carl W. Sharsmith Herbarium. Congratulations on your success!
- Paper accepted in The Lichenologist: Rajakaruna, N., Knudsen, K., Fryday, A., O’Dell, R. E., Pope, N., Olday, F. C., and S. Woolhouse. 2012. Investigation of the importance of rock chemistry for saxicolous lichen communities of the New Idria serpentinite mass, San Benito County, California, USA (in press)
- Paper by former student (College of the Atlantic), Sarah Neilson, hot off the press: http://www.springerlink.com/content/w700865ggp4g5677/
- Sarah McCracken wins Garden Club of America’s Zeller Summer Scholarship in Medicinal Botany. Congratulations!
March 2012:
- Katie Jumper receives a Garden Club of America Summer Field Scholarship to pursue her research on macrofungi of serpentine and granite outcrops of Deer Isles, Maine. Congratulations!
- Luka Negoita receives a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship! AND Nate Pope receives an honorable mention for the same fellowship. Congratulations to both!!! (Notes on Luka and Nate can be found in the former student notes page at the link above)
- Paper accepted in Northeastern Naturalist: Davoodian, N., J. Bosworth, and N. Rajakaruna. Mycorrhizal colonization of Hypericum perforatum L. (Hypericaceae) on adjacent serpentine and granite outcrops on the Deer Isles, Maine, USA. Northeastern Naturalist (in press)
- Jill Gall is successful in securing a second summer internship. She has been offered a NSF-REU position with the Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University. Looks like the offer comes a little too late as she has already accepted the offer from Chicago Botanic Garden. Congratulations on your success.
- Maggie Mansfield is offered a position in plant ecology at the Plumas National Forest, Quincy, CA! She will be working under the supervision of Drs. Erik Jules and Hugh Safford. Congratulations Maggie!
- Vivian Lambert’s Senior Project will be on show March 26-30. Vivian has combined her two passions, healing with plants and art, in an amazing collection of pottery and paintings.
- We receive NSF funding to digitize the 1500 macrofungi in our herbarium. The funding will provide digitizing equipment and summer salary for a student assistant for both 2012 & 2013. Click on link to see the participating institutions (http://sweetgum.nybg.org/ih/GrantsMap.html)
- Suzie Woolhouse successfully defends her M.Sc. thesis on the rare plants of Plumas National Forest. Congratulations. Suzie is currently working as a field biologist for the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
- Hazel Stark wins the Best Student Oral Presentation at the Northeast Natural History Conference 2011. Her presentation was titled ‘Plants and people of New England: our contemporary reliance on traditional knowledge.’ A belated congratulations!
- Casie Reed will soon join North Carolina State University to do her MS under the supervision of Dr. Alexander Krings. Congratulations on your success!
- Congratulations to Casie Reed for getting accepted with funding to the
following graduate programs in plant ecology: Central Michigan
University, Northwestern University, and North Carolina State
University (all M.S. programs). She is still waiting for an admissions decision from Florida International University/Fairchild (a PhD program). We await Casie’s decision.
- Paper accepted in American Journal of Botany: Yost, J. M., Barry, T., Kay, K.M. and N. Rajakaruna. Edaphic adaptation maintains the coexistence of two cryptic species on serpentine soil. American Journal of Botany (in press)
- Exciting news! Nate Pope accepts the offer from University of Texas (Austin) to pursue his Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. Shalene Jha. Congratulations!
- Jill Gall is offered a NSF-REU internship in entomology/botany at the Chicago Botanic Garden (her project: http://echinaceaproject.org/). She is waiting to hear from three other positions prior to making her decision. Congratulations!
- Luka Negoita accepts the offer from Syracuse University to pursue his Ph.D. with Dr. Jason Fridley. Congratulations!
Jan-Feb 2012:
- Nate Pope has been accepted for Ph.D. positions at UC Davis (to work with Dr. Neal Williams) and at University of Texas, Austin (to work with Dr. Shalene Jha). Congratulations…we await Nate’s decision….
- Jill Gall and Margaret Stern receive Maine Space Grant Consortium Fellowships to pursue their research on plant-insect interactions and limestone vegetation, respectively. Congratulations!
- 4 papers were accepted for publication (pending revision) in the Journals – American Journal of Botany, Plant Ecology and Diversity, Northeastern Naturalist, and The Lichenologist
- Nishi visits South Africa to explore their vast serpentine habitats and establishes collaborative research with Dr. Stefan Siebert and colleagues from North-West University, Pochefstroom and Dr. Jolanta Mesjasz-Przybylowicz, ithemba Laboratory, Western Cape
- The BOOK by Susan Harrison and Nishi is reviewed by Dr. Erik Jules (check it out)
================================
Online Interviews:
Education and Career Guidance in Botany
In the News:
Serpentine Research at Deer Isles, Maine
Garden Club of America Scholarships_2011
Serpentine Ecology Conference 2008
Soil and Biota of Serpentine: A World View
Blazing Star, CNPS March-April 2009
Spartan Daily, SJSU – Botany Garden
Personal Notes on Botanical Topics:
An encounter with the First People of Sri Lanka (see page 49; PDF)
Botanical Electronic News – BEN #245 (Dedicated to Art Kruckeberg)
Botanical Electronic News – BEN #313
Ecology/Botany Internships/Jobs, Graduate School Opportunities, & Grants – Useful Links:
National Science Foundation REUs
Ecological Society of America: Physiological Ecology Section
Botany Facilities at San Jose State University:
Useful Botany, Ecology, & Evolution Links Links:
California Native Plant Society
Integrated Taxonomic Information System
International Plant Names Index
Society for the Study of Evolution
Former research team from San Jose State University, CA (2009)
(From L) Jessica Celis, Teri Barry, Nishi Rajakaruna, Suzie Woolhouse, Johann
Zaroli, and Jennifer Cross posing for a photo during a Sunday afternoon hike.
Suzie Woolhouse (MS student, SJSU) posing with Dr. Fred Olday (Adjunct Faculty, COA and current research collaborator)
EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
- Badminton News
MDI YMCA Open 2007 Spring (a, b)
MDI YMCA Open 2007 Fall (a, b, c)
MDI YMCA Open 2013 Fall_Oct 17 2013
MDI OPEN Fall 2013_COA NEWS (PDF)
MDI OPEN Fall 2014_YMCA news (MDI Islander Photo & Caption)
Maine State Badminton Championship_2015
MDI YMCA Open 2016_Doubles_April 09
Badminton Open_May 14 2016 (PDF)