Department of Biology

From investigating genes and cells to studying ecosystems, we emphasize a strong foundation in biology that includes practical classroom, laboratory and field experiences.

Both programs benefit from Hood’s graduate programs in biomedical science and environmental biology; seniors have opportunities to take advanced elective courses that are generally not offered at small liberal arts colleges.

Graduates have expressed that this provides a real head start for graduate school, medical school and the job market.

Spring 2026 - Biology Poster Presentation

Student(s)	Poster Title	Faculty Advisor(s)
Moyed Imtiaz	The genetic basis of variation in Drosophila melanogaster's Fitness Traits	Dr. Chia-Hua Lue
Emma Lonergan	Investigating Tissue-Specific Responses to Pesticide Tolerance in Drosophila melanogaster	Dr. Chia-Hua Lue
Catherine Roberts & Mayla Locklear	Pilot Study to Explore Cortical Vestibular Processing with the EEG	Dr. Jennifer Krishnaswamy
Ambrea Gaither & Karen Taylor	Exploring Cortical Vestibular Processing with the EEG	Dr. Jennifer Krishnaswamy
Ryan Kirkpatrick & Maria Mir	Fluorescence labeling of a novel enterococcus isolated from the vinegar fly Drosophila simulans	Dr. Mark Chee
Kindal Davis & Cecelia Cooper	Project Owlnet Internship Program	Dr. Eric Kindahl & Andrew Brown
Amanda Ambrose, Mikayla Bond & Arison Miller	An Intro-duck-tion to the Sea Mouse: A Look Into the Conservation Concerns for the Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)	Dr. Eric Kindahl
McKenna Bishop, Chani Dima & Anna Rozier	The Plight of the Common Nighthawk	Dr. Eric Kindahl
Amanda Bruner, Cecelia Cooper & Angelina Sotela	The Common Loon	Dr. Eric Kindahl
Chani Dima	Examining the Interaction of Salinity and Plant Neighbors on Porewater Nutrient Concentrations of Wild Rice	Dr. Sean Sharp
Emma Prince	Patterns of Salt Accumulation in Halophytic and Non-Halophytic Wetland Plants Across a Salt Gradient	Dr. Sean Sharp
Elisha Kabongo & Kaitlyn Wylie	Valorization of Industrial Hemp Agricultural Residues through Pretreatment-Assisted Enzymatic Hydrolysis	Dr. Daehwan Kim
Gabrielle Waddell, Calvin Morris & Alexa Gieseman	Investigation of Feline Papillomavirus Type I, II, & III in Domestic and Feral Cats	Dr. Meredith Yeager
Vivian Ingraham	Characterization of Papillomaviruses in Puma concolor	Dr. Meredith Yeager
Sidney Brinkman	Anabaena as a Cyanobacterium for Calibration Purposes	Dr. Drew Ferrier
Sophia Smith	Methods and insect order diversity comparison of V-FIT and traditional passive traps	Dr. Chia-Hua Lue

Upcoming Events

Seminar Series

Stories in the Department

Professor Eric Annis Uses Grant Money for Lobster Research

Biology professor Eric Annis was granted money for research into how the juvenile lobster populations are shifting in Maine in response to climate change.