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Title: Lichens, Biofilms, and Stone
Scheduling Details: June 5–11, 2026
Description: Maine’s rocky shorelines and inland outcroppings are rich with diverse lichen and biofilm covers. Buildings made with granite from local quarries host lichens and biofilms, as do grave markers of granite, marble, slate, and sandstone from other New England states and foreign countries. In this seminar, we will study the physical, chemical, and ecological relationships between lichens, biofilms, and stone.
Lectures will cover basic lichen morphology and species identification; biofilm morphology; the
role of lichens and biofilms in the environment; basic geology; the history of stone quarrying and
working; and the history and practice of stone preservation. Field trips are planned for forest and
shore environments, a granite quarry, and local cemeteries. We will examine lichens, biofilms, and stones outdoors and in the laboratory. As a class project, participants will compile a checklist of the lichen species found during field trips.
We expect participants to represent a wide variety of disciplines and avocations; the pursuit of individual interests will be encouraged. While prior knowledge of lichens, biofilms, or stone will be useful for this seminar, it is not necessary.
Judy Jacob (judy...@gmail.com) is an architectural conservator, now retired from the National Park Service where she worked on stone monuments and masonry buildings. She is currently collaborating on a National Science Foundation study examining biofilms and marble.
Annie Evankow, PhD (ann.e...@gmail.com) is a lichenologist and a postdoctoral researcher at Drexel University, studying the urban evolution of lichens in Philadelphia. Her doctoral work focused on lichens and their symbiotic algae growing on rock and soil.
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