FCCI-Related Student Research

Kaizad Patel, who studied forest soil biogeochemistry, particularly nitrogen dynamics, in response to environmental drivers for his PhD. Kaizad’s research focused on subniveal (below the snow) soil processes and the impacts of climate change on these processes during the vernal transition (winter to spring), including a project on the effect of snow removal and a decreased snowpack on soil processes conducted on the Dwight B. Demeritt Forest at the University of Maine.
Xue Bai (candidate PhD in Forest Resources) is doing a project on Maine soil carbon.
Lydia Horne is working on her PhD in the Ecology & Environmental Sciences program. Her focus is to understand climate change risk perceptions and resulting behavioral responses among Maine’s coastal communities.
Alyssa Soucy is working on her MS in Forest Resources. She has a particular interest in forest climate change resilience.
James Elliott is also working on his MS in Forest Resources. He is part of an interdisciplinary team of UMaine researchers focused on the biophysical and social impacts of ticks on the moose population.
Brooke Hafford, now working on her PhD after successfully gaining her MS in Ecology & Environmental Studies, is digging into the connections between ticks, Lyme disease and outdoor recreation.