Saint Joseph's College - ME
AC-9: Research and Scholarship

Saint Joseph’s College
Sustainability Research Inventory

Gregory Teegarden Ph.D. Professor of Environmental and Marine Science
Dr. Teegarden studies coastal oceanography and plankton food webs, particularly red tide outbreaks and the response of plankton communities to environmental change. Teegarden is principal investigator (PI) and Co-PI on two sustainability research projects, one for the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) on resilience and change in the Gulf of Maine, and one (NSF/IUSE - Co-PI's Ryan Dorland of Environmental Science and Marion Young of Psychology) on developing environmental sensing networks to document environmental change and inform approaches to sustainable ecosystem management.

Lucas Bernacki, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology
1) A project investigating the spatial genetics of variable-leaf milfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum), serves to inform invasive species management practices, which in turn has major repercussions on economic (lake-associated tourism and property values) and ecological (ecological community stability) considerations in Maine.
2) A Maine Space Grant Consortium-funded (student) project studying the efficacy of a smelt stocking program in Sebago Lake contributes to the Maine IF&W's understanding of the impact of fish stocking programs. This project focuses on sustainability through its consideration of the population ecology and management practices of a game species.
3) Another Maine Space Grant Consortium-funded (student) project investigates the relationship between distance from forest edge and tick abundance in livestock pastures, and determines the prevalence of the the Lyme disease-causing agent, Borellia burgdorferi using genetic techniques. This project addresses sustainability through its goal of determining land management practices which will reduce the parasite loading on livestock, which in turn has both ecological and economic repercussions.

Johan Erikson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Natural Sciences
Dr. Erikson's research is quantifying the pollutant load accumulated in the snowpack near Mount Washington in the White Mountains. He's finding as much as 3x as much acidic pollutant stored in the high-elevation snowpack as compared to lower elevations. This has implications for nutrient flushing from near alpine forest soils.

Emily Lesher, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Ryan Dorland, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics, Nina Eduljee, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology

Dr. Lesher, Dr. Dorland and Dr. Eduljee collaborate with our community partner the Portland Water District to monitor and research the health and sustainability of Sebago Lake, which is the drinking water source for 15% of Maine’s population. Like other Maine lakes, it is facing challenges due to climate change, competing uses, and development within the watershed. This project, led by Saint Joseph’s College and Portland Water District deploys a high frequency data collecting and transmitting buoy to monitor the lake’s response to stress and build an understanding of fundamental lake dynamics. The research informs sustainable management of the lake in the short and long term. While monitoring is a crucial technical need, we also view it as an opportunity for stakeholder engagement and education. Four stakeholder groups, along with key stakeholder partners have been identified, and will drive the delivery platform and design of data products resulting from the buoy measurements thus maximizing the opportunity for the data to inform stakeholders and encourage their sustainable use of the lake.

Emily Lesher, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Ongoing research on drinking water in the greater Portland area testing for lead contamination, working with schools for safe drinking water. Lesher directs community-engaged research with local lake associations to protect and restore habitats, employing student interns/researchers.

Steven Jury, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology
Dr. Jury researches behavioral physiology of lobsters and stress responses, to better understand how changing environments may impact Maine's most important fishery resource. Jury collaborates with other researchers on invasive species impacts, and fish stock enhancement.

James Paruk Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Dr. Paruk studies population dynamics and biology of threatened Common Loons, especially habitat and population restoration, and the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on Loon recovery.

Mark Green Ph.D. Professor of Marine and Environmental Science
Dr. Green researches the impacts of ocean acidification on valuable fishery resources, and on sustainable aquaculture operations to enhance food production.

Yolanda Brooks Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology
Dr. Brooks is a microbiologist studying microbial dynamics in public water and agriculture systems, and epidemiology of pathogen transmission. A recent example is leading wastewater testing for coronavirus SARS CoV-2 at Saint Joseph's College, and serving on/consulting to the SJC Pandemic Response Team (PRT) to inform and guide sustainable/resilient management of campus wellness and academic delivery.

Karen Croteau, Ed.D., Education, Sport and Exercise Science, Interdisciplinary Studies.
Dr. Croteau studies wellness program effectiveness and sustainable/resilient workforce maintenance (e.g. Croteau K.A. (2016). A preliminary study examining the use of pedometers to increase the non-workday steps of hospital nursing and support staff. Workplace Health & Safety.)

Suellen Nadeau, MSN, Assistant Professor of Nursing and Health and Wellness Promotion (Interdisciplinary Studies). Assistant Professor Nadeau uses student research project-based pedagogy in three Integrative health courses. All have semester long self care projects where the students complete evidence-based interventions daily or 3 times a week for 10 weeks to attain measurably higher level of wellness. She conducted similar projects in Personal Health for the HWP program. All of them have weekly measurement tools to assess progress. These student research programs promote wellness and resilience, fostering a sustainable work environment.

Faculty Self-Reporting