Micropaleontology Undergraduate Research Lab
University of Maine at Presque Isle
The Micropaleontology Undergraduate Research Lab was established in 1990 to foster undergraduate micropaleontologic research at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Thus far, six students (see photographs below) have written and submitted research publications to the Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program; five of these students have published papers (see publications list for references).
Most of the undergraduate research has dealt with siliceous sponge spicules. This is an ideal group for undergraduate research, as the literature is compact and there is an uncomplicated form taxonomy. In 1992, two students and their professor engaged in an ambitious study of silicoflagellates and ebridians of the sites drilled during Ocean Drilling Program Leg 138, in the East Equatorial Pacific in the general vicinity of the Galapagos Islands.
W. John Ahlbach and Kevin McCartney during
the initial study of sponge spicules from ODP Leg
120, off Antarctica. The study was done while
Ahlbach was taking courses at the University of
Maine (Orono); their joint paper was published in
1992 (see Ahlbach and McCartney, 1992).
Ryzard Zolnik and Kevin McCartney during a study
of sponge spicules from ODP Leg 127, in the Japan Sea.
This study utilized a microscope borrowed from the
University of Maine (Orono). Their paper was
published in 1992 (see Zolnik et al., 1992).
From left to right: Linda Woestendiek, Eric Brunden
(did not finish program), Kevin McCartney and
Sherry Churchill during study of silicoflagellates from
ODP Leg 138, East Equatorial Pacific. This study uses a
microscope obtained from an NSF equipment grant.
Their paper was published in 1995 (see McCartney, Churchill and Woestendiek, 1995).
See this publication on pdf format
L. Kirk Lurvey and Kevin McCartney during their
study of sponge spicules, silicoflagellates and
ebridians from the Greenland margin. Their paper
was published in 1998, (see Lurvey and McCartney, 1998).
David Cassidy and Kevin McCartney during their study
of sponge spicules of the Japan Sea. Their paper was
not accepted for publication. (No photo yet available)
Robb Engel, Tracy Reed and Rita Williamson combined with Kevin McCartney to publish three papers for ODP Legs 183 and 199. Robb was first author in a Leg 199 paper that described a new silicoflagellate species (see Engel, R., and McCartney, K. (2005)).
Chris Power and Kevin McCartney during their
study of silicoflagellates off Suriname, South America. Their paper
was published in 2007, (see Power and McCartney, 2007).
List of undergraduate reviewed publications:
Ahlbach, W. J.* and McCartney, K. (1992): Sponge spicules from Ocean Drilling Program Hole 749B. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, 120:833-837. *William Ahlbach did this work as an undergraduate student at the University of Maine.
Zolnik, R.*, McCartney, K. and White, L. D. (1992): Siliceous sponge spicules from ODP Site 795. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, 127:541-544. *Ryszard Zolnik did this work as an undergraduate student at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
McCartney, K., Churchill, S.* and Woestendiek, L.* (1995): Silicoflagellates and ebridians from ODP Leg 138, Eastern Equatorial Pacific. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, 138:129-162. *Sherry Churchill and Linda Woestendiek were undergraduate students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Lurvey, L. K.*, McCartney, K., and Wei, W. (1998): Sponge Spicules, silicoflagellates and ebridians from ODP Site 918D, Greenland. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, 152:191-199. *Kirk Lurvey was an undergraduate student at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, now graduate student at U-Maine.
McCartney, K., Engel, R.*, Reed, T.*, Williamson, R.*, Bohaty, S. M., and Wise, S. W., Jr. (2003): Silicoflagellates from ODP Holes 1138A and 1040A, Kerguelen Plateau. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, Leg 183. http://www-odp.tamu.edu/publications/183_SR/011/011.htm *Robb Engel, Tracy Reed and Rita Williamson are undergraduate students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Engel, R., and McCartney, K. (2005): Silicoflagellates recovered from the deep sea, Ocean Drilling Program Leg 199, Site 1219, East Equatorial Pacific. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, Leg 199. http://www-odp.tamu.edu/publications/199_SR/202/202_.htm *Robb Engel, Tracy Reed and Rita Williamson were undergraduate students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
McCartney, K., Engel, R.*, Reed, T.*, and Williamson, R.* (2006): Silicoflagellates and ebridians recovered from Leg 199 Sites 1215, 1216, 1217, 1218 and 1220, East Equatorial Pacific. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, Leg 199. http://www-odp.tamu.edu/publications/199_SR/210/210_.htm *Robb Engel, Tracy Reed and Rita Williamson were undergraduate students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Power, C. P., and McCartney, K. (2007): Silicoflagellates recovered from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 207 Sites 1257 and 1258. Ocean Drilling Program, Scientific Reports, Leg 207. http://www-odp.tamu.edu/publications/207_SR/111/111.htm *Chris Power was an undergraduate student at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
To read more about the Micropaleontology Undergraduate Research Lab:
McCartney, K. (1994): Ocean drilling: Undergraduate research goes to sea. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 14:193-196.
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