BDN notes Laatsch role in Science Teacher Academy

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.

May 24, 2023 Outreach, STEM Education, UMaine in the News

The Bangor Daily News noted that Shawn Laatsch, director of the Versant Power Astronomy Center at the University of Maine, will assist with the Maine Discovery Museum’s pilot of the Science Teacher Academy, a federally funded pilot program for kindergarten through fifth grade teachers. In the introductory conference on Monday, Laatsch gave teachers ideas on how to incorporate next year’s total solar eclipse into classroom lessons and showed them how to build tools to view the eclipse safely with shoeboxes. Hands-on lesson ideas from Laatsch also included how to teach students what causes the moon phases using styrofoam balls and a flashlight.