Libraries and information is the theme of the latest issue of “Maine Policy Review,” a joint publication of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center and the Margaret Chase Smith Foundation, now available at DigitalCommons@UMaine. Among the articles is “Are Libraries Necessary? Are Libraries Obsolete,” by Linda Silka and Joyce Rumery. Rumery also wrote about institutional repositories, and served as a guest editor for the special issue. Ann Acheson is the “Maine Policy Review” editor.
Students in an advanced art education course taught by Constant Albertson at the University of Maine presented $2,730 to the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday.
The From Art to Empathy students created, marketed and sold ceramic mugs for $10 to support educational programs for children at Hirundo. Each handcrafted mug features a unique design inspired by nature.
The four students — Hannah Berta of Rockport, Elizabeth Miller of Kittery, Abigail LeBlanc of Brewer and Nicole McGuigan of Woolwich — worked together to spread knowledge and inspire the community.
The students raised $2,930, and after spending $200 for materials, they were able to present Hirundo with $2,730, according to Albertson.
Hirundo Wildlife Refuge is a 2,400-acre nature preserve 10 miles from the UMaine campus. The Hirundo land was deeded to UMaine in 1983, cementing a long-term collaboration based on research and scientific studies, according to its website.
Leslie Forstadt, University of Maine Cooperative Extension child and family development specialist, is participating in an invitational forum May 13–14 in Philadelphia, Pa., aimed at restoring wellness to children and communities who have experienced trauma.
Forstadt, a co-facilitator of the Maine Resilience Building Network, will attend the National Summit on Adverse Childhood Experiences, where leaders will explore a number of topics, including research, pediatrics, behavioral health and public policy implications.
Forstadt says she looks forward to building nationwide connections and gaining knowledge that can be utilized to benefit Maine children, adults and families.
After conducting a statewide survey with multiple stakeholders, Forstadt and Mark Rains completed a report in 2011 for the Maine Children’s Growth Council titled “Working with Adverse Childhood Experiences: Maine’s History, Present and Future.”
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), include stressful childhood events like physical and emotional abuse and neglect, sexual abuse and exposure to substance abuse. These early experiences increase the risk of a number of causes of premature death and illness when these children become adults, including attempted suicide, drug and alcohol use, depression and obesity, according to the report.
Childhood trauma, Forstadt says, is a human issue as well as a clinical issue.
“This is about opening a conversation not by ‘what’s wrong with you?’” she says. “Instead, it’s about ‘what happened to you?’ Many (adverse) things happen to us as children and many people are incredibly successful and engaged in the world. The story becomes about what happens to help us build resiliency.”
Sue Mackey Andrews, also a co-facilitator of Maine Resilience Building Network, will present “The Maine Event: Addressing and Preventing ACEs Through Enhanced Statewide Capacity” during a policy and advocacy panel portion of the summit.
The Institute for Safe Families and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are co-hosts of the two-day summit. The American Academy of Pediatrics, Academy on Violence and Abuse, Futures Without Violence, National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, Prevent Child Abuse America and Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation are sponsors.
The University of Maine Professional Employees Advisory Council (PEAC) has named Dwane Hutto, Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI) project manager, and Barbara Ouellette, Honors College coordinator of student academic services and budget, the winners of the 2013 Outstanding Professional Employee Award.
The PEAC selects winners based on the employee’s actions and achievements beyond work responsibilities that positively affect their field, the university and community.
Each winner is awarded $1,000 in recognition of his or her contributions, and will be honored at the Employee Recognition and Achievement Reception and Awards Program May 21.
As project manager, Hutto oversees FBRI’s administrative functions, coordinates project work and collaborates with the institute’s executive director to ensure the efficiency of operations.
Hutto joined FBRI in 2008 after working for three years in the UMaine Process Development Center as group leader in pulping.
FBRI members credit Hutto with being instrumental in helping increase the institute’s support staff from three professionals to six, designing and overseeing the construction of new office space in Jenness Hall, and getting students interested in engineering through department tours and his involvement with the Consider Engineering program.
Hutto is also working with a local middle school teacher to bring engineering principles to the classroom and is designing a workshop to provide hands-on experiences, according to Amy Luce, FBRI technology research center manager who nominated Hutto for the award.
Ouellette, who has served the university for more than 30 years, is responsible for coordinating student academic services and handling the Honors College budget. She has served as an adviser to the dean, and is credited with guiding and supporting the college and interim dean after last year’s unexpected death of Honors College Dean Charlie Slavin. Ouellette also advises and teaches students in the Explorations Program, and acts as a liaison between the Honors College and other colleges on campus.
Ouellette aided in the selection of a new Honors College dean, has served on the Associate Deans and Directors Committee, trained Honors associates, served on Honors thesis committees, worked on the Honors College publication “Minerva,” and coordinated and attended the annual National Collegiate Honors Council Conference.
In addition to her work at UMaine, Ouellette has been involved in the community, volunteering in the NICU at Eastern Maine Medical Center, quilting blankets for children in crisis, serving as a Maine Swimming Association official, and being a United Way team and unit leader.
Ouellette’s professionalism, knowledge, commitment and compassion has greatly influenced the Honors College culture and community, says Melissa Ladenheim, adjunct associate professor in Honors who nominated Ouellette for the award.
The University of Maine is accepting applications from area middle school students for its Maine Summer Transportation Institute. The free two-week program will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 8–19 on the UMaine campus.
The institute is supported by Civil Rights Offices of the Federal Highway Administration and Maine Department of Transportation, along with the UMaine College of Engineering.
As many as 20 students from Greater Bangor will get a close look at engineering and transportation careers during the program designed to introduce students at an early age to jobs available in Maine’s transportation industry.
Activities will focus on electrical, mechanical, chemical and civil engineering as well as physical sciences. Students will participate in field trips, leadership and team-building activities, and workshops with hands-on laboratory experiences in areas related to transportation such as air-flight simulation, wind energy and computer-aided design.
The majority of the activities will take place at the Foster Center for Student Innovation, engineering labs on campus and various off-campus locations. Students also will participate in physical activities at the New Balance Student Recreation Center.
For more information or to request disability accommodations, call Sheila Pendse, 207.581.2225.
Application forms are available online at umaine.edu/msti.
Applications and required documents may be mailed to: MSTI, Dean’s Office, College of Engineering, 213 AMC Building, University of Maine, Orono 04469. Deadline for registration is May 31.
The National Association of College and University Food Services recently recognized the University of Maine as an honorable mention in its annual Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards for 2013. The UMaine dining team at York Commons was recognized in the Residential Dining/Special Event category at a medium school for its Taste of India theme night that was held in March as part of the university’s Taste of the World event.
University of Maine’s ADVANCE Rising Tide Center has partnered with Maine EPSCoR, Colby College and the University of Southern Maine to offer “Advancing Women in Academia: 2nd Annual Networking Conference” from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, May 14 at Hilton Garden Inn in Bangor.
Guests are invited to join colleagues in STEM and social-behavioral sciences from around the state for a day of networking and discussion of issues relevant to career advancement for women in academia.
The event includes poster presentations, networking and workshops. Dr. Jaime Lester of George Mason University will deliver the keynote speech, “Women Can’t Have it All? Work-Life Issues in Higher Education.”
The conference is free and a buffet lunch will be provided.
To register or for more information, call Joan Perkins, 207.581.3439. Registration is also available online.
The ADVANCE program, funded by the National Science Foundation, seeks to develop systemic approaches to increase representation and advancement of women in academic science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and social-behavioral science careers, thereby contributing to the development of a more diverse science and engineering workforce.
Judith A. Hakola, University of Maine instructor and member of the English department faculty for almost 50 years, will be honored with an award in her name at 2:30 p.m. May 1 at the English Student Honors and Awards Event at the Foster Center for Student Innovation.
The Judith A. Hakola Award in Professional and Technical Communication was established at UMaine in 2001, and originally named The Oliver Award in Technical Communication. In 2013, the founding contributors approved changing the name to honor and celebrate the contributions of Hakola.
Hakola came to UMaine in 1963 as a teaching assistant. She became an instructor in 1965, when she began teaching four sections of college composition. In addition to her teaching and service to the English department, Hakola has been teaching in civil engineering for nearly 30 years.
In addition to the May 1 ceremony, Hakola will also be honored during the Civil Engineering Awards Breakfast on May 11, commencement day.
For more information on the award, contact Charlsye Diaz on FirstClass.
Curtis Jewett, a Facilities Management employee since 1997, passed away unexpectedly at his home in Hermon on April 24. He was 56. Jewett joined the UMaine community as a member of the custodial staff, then became a truck driver for the Resource Recovery Shop in Facilities Management in 2004. According to his obituary, Jewett is survived by his wife and four children, as well as sisters, brothers and other extended family members. Friends may call 11 a.m.–noon April 29, at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor. A funeral service will be held 12:30 p.m. Monday, at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 225 French St., Bangor.
At the annual Phi Kappa Phi ceremony on campus April 24, 90 members of the University of Maine community were inducted, including 85 undergraduate and graduate students. Also inducted were Ted Coladarci, director of Institutional Research and professor of educational psychology; Natasha Speer, assistant professor of mathematics education; Janet Waldron, senior vice president for administration and finance; alumnus and former UMaine hockey coach Tim Whitehead; and Vivian Wu, associate professor of food science and human nutrition. Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and largest collegiate honor society, was founded at the University of Maine in 1897.