Ph.D. candidate named new executive director of Herring Gut Learning Center

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.

January 19, 2017 Climate Change, Marine Sciences, Signature and Emerging Areas

The Herring Gut Learning Center, a nonprofit marine education center in Port Clyde, has selected University of Maine Ph.D. candidate Samuel Belknap as its next executive director.

Belknap is currently pursuing a doctorate in anthropology and environmental policy through Adaptation to Abrupt Climate Change, a National Science Foundation IGERT fellowship program. A native of Midcoast Maine, Belknap grew up in the towns of Damariscotta and Bristol, learning to lobster on Muscongus Bay with his father and grandfather. Before beginning his Ph.D. studies, Belknap graduated from Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, earned a bachelor’s degree from UMaine in anthropology and a master’s degree in quaternary and climate studies from the Climate Change Institute.

In a new release put out by the Herring Gut Learning Center, Belknap said he has long admired the organization’s work, engaging public school teachers and students in hands-on aquaculture and marine science programs.

“Herring Gut has a special place in my heart,” Belknap said. “Having struggled in traditional classroom settings, especially in high school, I know firsthand the difference that experiential learning and one-on-one time with exceptional educators can make.”

The full Herring Gut Learning Center news release is online.