Gelder lends expertise to University of Alberta researchers

    PRESQUE ISLE – Dr. Stuart R. Gelder, retired professor of biology at UMaine Presque Isle, recently returned from a one-week visit to the research laboratory of Professor Heather Proctor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.     One of Proctor’s graduate students, Bronwyn W. Williams, is studying the ecology and genetics of North American branchiobdellidans, or crayfish worms. In 2006, Williams contacted Gelder regarding the identification of the worms she had collected. It became apparent that the necessary information and background Williams needed would take some months to acquire, meaning precious time in her graduate program would be lost.
    Recognizing the need for taxonomic expertise, Proctor and Williams applied to the Society of Systematic Biologists for a mini-PEET award [Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy] to support Gelder’s visit to the University of Alberta. This enabled him to present the information he would usually give in workshops and seminars to interested researchers. The SSB organization recognizes the importance of having students visit experts, or visa versa, to ensure career-gained experience is not lost and graduate students do not waste their time rediscovering techniques for themselves.
    The visit has led to the start of a long-term collaboration on crayfish worms between Gelder and Proctor’s laboratory. A manuscript on Williams’ work is under preparation and soon will be submitted for publication.