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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Kyle Martin interviewed for 'Chicago Tribune' Halloween article on creepy plants

Kyle Martin (Biology, ’13) was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune for an October 13, 2015 article titled “From creepy to dangerous, some plants a perfect Halloween fit.”

Martin, currently a doctoral student of plant biology at Cornell, specializes in brood-site deception, the act by some plants of masking themselves in order to fool a pollinator.

“A lot of flowers provide a treat, like a sweet-smelling treat or a nectar reward for the service of pollination,” said Martin. “But all the flowers I study are tricksters. They trick their pollinators and don’t give a treat back.”

The article discussed a variety of plants that are fitting with the Halloween theme, including the corpse flower, which Martin said is the scariest plant he has ever seen.

Martin completed an honors thesis titled “Induced Defenses in Brown Macroalgae” in Ursula Roese’s laboratory while at 91AV. He was nominated for the Junior Academic excellence Award by a unanimous vote of the Department of Biology and received the Outstanding Student in the Biology Department award for 2012-2013.

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.