Nominations open for 2021 Geddes W. Simpson Distinguished Lecturer

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.

April 5, 2021 Research

The University of Maine, in partnership with The University of Maine Foundation, is soliciting nominations for the 2021 Geddes W. Simpson Lecture. This endowed lecture series facilitates campus visits and presentations by prominent speakers with expertise at the interface of science and history. In the past the series has hosted a broad range of speakers from varied academic disciplines.

Geddes Wilson Simpson was a distinguished faculty member who began his 55-year career at UMaine with the College of Life Sciences and the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station in 1931. His research program, which focused on aphids in potato plants, was renowned.

Simpson served as the chair of the Entomology Department from 1954 until his retirement in 1974. He was the first recipient of the UMaine Presidential Research Achievement Award.

Awarded emeritus status upon retirement, he continued to work part-time as an editor with the Agricultural Experiment Station. UMaine Professor emeritus David C. Smith dedicated his history of the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station to Simpson noting that Simpson was “one of three men whose work I admire.”

To nominate a speaker to address the UMaine community in the fall of 2021, submit a one page letter of nomination and the curriculum vita of the nominee via email to marka@maine.edu no later than Friday, April 30.