Mt. Blue high-schoolers launch high-elevation balloon, Sun Journal reports

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 8, 2017 Outreach, UMaine in the News

Sun Journal reported on a high-elevation balloon launch conducted by students at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. Rick Eason, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Maine, has worked in collaboration with the biology class on the astrobiology-scientific ballooning project for several years, according to the article. He and UMaine engineering students assisted with the launch. Attached to the balloon were payloads that contained sea monkeys, seeds and other materials. Students will see how the items have been affected when the balloon returns to Earth, the article states. Once the balloon goes as high as it can and can float no longer, it will come down, and UMaine students will track it using a GPS, Sun Journal reported.