Mitchell Center Graduate Accepts New Position at Dartmouth

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

November 17, 2014 News

Karen Bieluch, a doctoral graduate who was based at the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, has accepted a new position at Dartmouth College.

Bieluch recently began work as a Practice Based Learning Specialist in Dartmouth’s Environmental Studies Program (ENVS). She collaborates with ENVS faculty and staff, as well as stakeholders in Dartmouth and Upper Valley communities. Bieluch will work to integrate practice-based learning opportunities into ENVS, focusing on community partnerships. She will also be conducting research in the Africa Foreign Study Program and working with students on career development, independent study and research.

Bieluch earned her Interdisciplinary PhD in Communication and Sustainability Science from UMaine in 2013. She conducted research as part of the five-year NSF EPSCoR funded Sustainability Solutions Initiative. Her research with SSI’s Knowledge to Action Collaborative examined community-university partnerships, environmental communication and community identity. She was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Communications and Journalism at UMaine during the 2013-14 academic year.

In her work with SSI, Bieluch and fellow researchers conducted a large survey of Maine municipal officials, which found some surprising results. The survey indicated that these local stakeholders were most likely to consider a problem-solving partnership with a university if they held a personal belief that such a venture held value. Neither the severity of a particular local problem nor its financial burden on the community was as big an influence.

Published in the August 2013 issue of the journal Sustainability, the study helped clarify important issues. Building research ties has been a challenge for universities and municipalities alike. Misunderstandings, wrong assumptions and difficulty finding common connections have added up to frustration and missed opportunities. The survey results were part of Bieluch’s doctoral dissertation, which was advised by Knowledge to Action team co-leaders Laura Lindenfeld, Associate Professor of Communication and Journalism and Director of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center and Linda Silka, Fellow at the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions.