Research

The Menzmer lab studies the impact of disturbances on herbaceous plant diversity and composition. While initial work focused on windthrow and salvage logging, more recently I have become involved in projects that analyze the impacts of invasive species such as the Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) and the European Green Crab (Carcinus maenas) on herbaceous communities. I am also involved in the creation of science communication products focused on the coastal ecology of Maine. 

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) work:

The Emerald Ash Borer is a beetle that is decimating American ash forests - unfortunately, there is little if anything that can be done to stop them. As you can see on this map from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, the EAB was detected in Hermon, ME, in 2023. That's less than 8 miles from Husson's campus in Bangor (Penobscot County). In 2025, funded by the Husson University Research Fund Committee, my ecologist colleagues Dr. Aly McKnight and Dr. Kathy Crowley launched our joint project "How will the invasive emerald ash borer change Husson’s forest community?" 

The idea was to set up sampling plots in our campus ash forest before the EAB arrived to establish baseline data on the small mammal, bird, herbaceous, and woody species. Then after the EAB's inevitable arrival, we can quantitatively compare population levels and community interactions before and after the invasion disturbance. Being able to collect quantitative data both before and after a disturbance at a single location is quite rare in ecology, which makes this study design particularly important and valuable. Additionally, we are able to heavily involve undergraduate students in the research process through coursework or senior capstone projects, and having research on your resume before graduation never hurts!!

European Green Crab work:

The crab project came about in fall 2025, through a partnership with the Center for Ecological Teaching and Learning (CETL) and Dr. Robin Hadlock Seeley. CETL is a research field station situated on the western shore of Cobscook Bay (Washington County), the body of water that separates Maine from Canada. 

CETL, and indeed all of the Cobscook Bay region, is an ecological wonderland. Within easy access you can find salt marshes, rocky intertidal, and spruce-fir forests. The existing infrastructure (cabins, dining hall, teaching lab) streamline the process for both extended research stays and field courses. Dr. Seeley is a conservationist and marine ecologist who currently serves as the executive director of the Maine Rockweed Coalition. For much of her career she has studied rockweed and the rocky intertidal regions of Cobscook Bay. 

However, Dr. Seeley simultaneously noticed a decrease in health of the Cobscook salt marshes. She hypothesized the increase in water temperature increased the range of the green crab who decimated the smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) population. Spartina alterniflora is a keystone species in the Cobscook salt marsh ecosystem - when it is gone, so goes many resident flora and fauna species. And salt marshes are crucial in the fight against climate change: they store 10x more carbon than forests!! 

In our project Documenting salt marsh biodiversity, including low marsh die-off, in Cobscook Bay, Maine: implications for Maine’s blue carbon strategy, we will be collecting quantitative abiotic and biotic data at two Cobscook salt marshes. One marsh is a healthy marsh with Spartina alterniflora and the other is a denuded (unhealthy) marsh without Spartina alterniflora. We plan to collect monthly data on the microgeographic and seasonal variation in salt marsh vegetation, starting summer 2026. This one-year, proof-of-concept study which documents patterns of vegetation will provide the basis for future studies that will bring to light the mechanisms that underlie these patterns. We are excited to be fully funded by the Eastern Maine Conservation Initiative!!

Science Communication work:

I fundamentally believe that being able to communicate science and its' importance clearly in plain English to anyone is a crucial skill to possess and practice. That is, in part, why I incorporate so many science communication projects in my courses, from posters to videos to talks. 

From my interactions with students, I have sensed a great interest in learning more about the coastal ecology of Maine and a simultaneous hopelessness about the possibility of making a difference and preserving this beautiful ecosystem in the face of climate change. Thus, I have begun to develop in partnership with Husson's film department a 15-episode YouTube series, called Waves of Discovery, on the coastal ecology of Maine. My target audience is late high school/early college. The series will feature the various habitats, species, and human impacts of our region. 

In addition to the video episodes, I will be concurrently releasing associated learning activities. The goal of these activities is to transform passive viewers who are despondent about the state of our natural world into active, passionate stewards of their home environments. I am currently forming professional partnerships with local educators and conservation organizations; if you want to be involved, please reach out to me! My current plan is to release the series in late 2027. 

If you are a Husson student and have interest doing research with me, please don't hesitate to reach out! I would be happy to discuss with you the possibilities of involvement in any of these three projects and how they could count towards the completion of your senior capstone project. 

Photo Credit - EAB, Oregon Dept. of Forestry; Green Crab, NPS.