SUZANNE LEVINE'S WEBSITE

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR &
COORDINATOR OF
 AQUATIC ECOLOGY AND WATERSHED SCIENCE CONCENTRATION
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT
RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL OF
ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES
BURLINGTON, VERMONT  05405

802-656-2515
802-656-8683 (FAX)

slevine@uvm.edu		 Levine canoeing

BACKGROUND
I grew up in Western Washington, where I attended Newport High School in Bellevue and  Western Washington University, Fairhaven College, in Bellingham. My graduate degrees were from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg for work I did in  the Experimental Lakes Area, northwestern Ontario, with David W. Schindler.  This included a whole-lake radiotracer study of phosphorus cycling and mesocosm experiments to examine the impact of N:P supply ratio on phytoplankton community structure and biogeochemistry.  My first scientific position was as a research associate at the University of Colorado, Boulder.  I managed William M. Lewis's field station in Venezuela and conducted studies of N fixation in Lake Valencia.  I also lectured at the University of Denver. I then spent several years at Cornell University, first at the Ecosystems Research Center, where I mostly researched aquatic ecotoxicology, and then in Microbiology, where I studied the microbiology of deep aquifers.  I have been a professor at the University of Vermont since 1992. My research here has involved further studies of nitrogen fixation, analysis of riverine P spiriling, food web and nutrient limitation studies in Lake Champlain, examination of stable isotope patterns in lakes, remote sensing of cyanobacterial blooms, and paleolimnological study of lake response to changing land use. Current projects are detailed below. I spent a sabbatical year in New Zealand in 2000 examining the impact of resuspended sediments on zooplankton feeding in Lake Waihola.

COURSES CURRENTLY TAUGHT AT UVM
Fall Semesters:
Limnology, NR 250 (odd years)
Stream Ecology, NR 280 (even years)
Aquatic Ecology and Watershed Science Seminar, NR 385

Spring Semesters:
Wetland Ecology and Management, NR 260
Wetlands Field Trip, NR 285, or
Integrating Analyses of Natural Resource Issues, NR 378
Aquatic Ecology and Watershed Science Seminar, NR 385


CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

Remote Sensing of Cyanobacterial Blooms
This project involves the use of satellite sensors (Quickbird, SPOT and MERIS) to describe the spatial and temporal patterns of cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Champlain.  Co-investigators include Drs. Leslie Morrissey (RSENR) and Warwick Vincent (Laval University) and graduate student Sarah Wheeler (RSNR).  Abstracts for posters presented by Wheeler at the 2005 Summer Conferences of ESA and ASLO can be viewed on the websites of these organizations.

Response of Lake Champlain to 400 years of Changing Land Use, Aquatic Resource Management and Population Growth
Paleolimnological methods are being applied to sediment cores from Lake Champlain to uncover information about the lake's trophic state, productivity, and biological community structure during the roughly 400 years that have passed since Samuel Champlain's voyage of "discovery" into the lake. Trends in lake condition will be related to  changes in landuse, aquatic resource management, and urban/industrial growth.  Collaborators include Andrea Lini (UVM Geology), Peter Leavitt (Univ. Regina), Milt Ostrofsky (Allegheny College), Neil Kamman (VT DEC) and graduate student Heather Burgess (Geology). USGS is funding four cores. Sponsorship of 6-8 additional cores is being sought.

Vertical distribution of Algae in Lakes
I am working with James Hoffmann (Botany UVM) and undergraduate Peter Hurd to develop predictive models of the vertical distribution of algae in lakes (surface scums, bottom mats, or mid-water layers) based on nutrient and light dynamics..
Funding is from EPSCoR DOE.
 
Publication List (new and frequently cited works)
SOME OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES

Mother of Nathan Levine- Essex High School senior, computer gamer and China explorer

Member Essex Town Conservation Committee
President Essex Waterways Association


LINK TO THE RUBENSTEIN SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES