The University of Maine’s on-campus housing policy was mentioned in a Bangor Daily News editorial on the need for the University of Maine System to offer more housing and decrease lightly used space. To accommodate a larger freshman class and to keep more sophomores on campus, recently UMaine announced it will give sophomores — as opposed to juniors and seniors — first pick at remaining dorm rooms after all freshmen are placed.
Archive for the ‘UMaine in the News’ Category
UMaine’s On-Campus Housing Policy Mentioned in BDN Editorial
Tuesday, March 4th, 2014UMaine Clean Snowmobile Team to Participate in Annual Challenge, WABI Reports
Monday, March 3rd, 2014WABI (Channel 5) reported the University of Maine Clean Snowmobile Team is preparing for the Society of Automotive Engineers Clean Snowmobile Challenge in April. The contest is an engineering design competition for university students that challenge them to re-engineer an existing snowmobile to reduce emissions and noise. The UMaine team is using compressed natural gas, which has less harmful emissions than gasoline, to power its snowmobile.
Kwai’s Research on International Students Cited in Article Published in New York Times
Monday, March 3rd, 2014Research by C.K. Kwai, director of International Programs at the University of Maine, was referenced in a Chronicle of Higher Education article published in the The New York Times titled “Helping foreign students thrive on U.S. Campuses.” The article reported on Kwai’s study that examined what factors contributed to the retention of foreign undergraduates in two Midwestern university systems. Kwai found only three of several factors had a statistically significant and positive effect on student retention: grade-point average in the spring semester of freshman year, the number of attempted credit hours and on-campus employment. Kwai said because two of the factors were academic, it suggests good early academic advising could improve international student success.
BDN Interviews Keim for Article on Michaud’s Plan to Offer Free Sophomore Year
Monday, March 3rd, 2014The Bangor Daily News spoke with Karen Keim, associate director of the Maine Educational Opportunity Center and Maine Educational Talent Search at the University of Maine, for the article “Is Mike Michaud’s free sophomore year a good idea?” Keim, who coaches adults who enroll in college, said high school students usually come to college unprepared because they don’t challenge themselves enough in high school. She said students need to have a support network and know how to access it, as well as be involved on campus, in order to succeed. “A student who gets involved in their campus community is more likely to complete,” she said.
Morning Sentinel Advances UMaine Cooperative Extension’s Rural Living Day
Monday, March 3rd, 2014The Morning Sentinel previewed the 20th Rural Living Day that will be held in Thorndike on March 29. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Waldo County Extension Association are holding the event that will offer more than 20 workshops and seminars on topics such as how to make cheese, brew beer, attract native pollinators and produce maple syrup.
Brewer Quoted in Press Herald Article on Governor’s Race
Monday, March 3rd, 2014Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine, was quoted in a Portland Press Herald report about Maine’s race for governor. Brewer said he thinks the gubernatorial race is going to attract more attention from more people earlier than usual. He also predicts the candidates will try to sharpen their campaign message and settle on themes.
Coach Barron, Basketball Players Talk to BDN Year After Bus Crash
Monday, March 3rd, 2014Richard Barron, head coach of the University of Maine women’s basketball team, along with players on the team spoke with the Bangor Daily News for an article on the one year anniversary of an Interstate 95 bus crash the team was involved in. The players and coach recalled the crash and spoke about its lasting effects. “I think because we all survived it and without long-lasting, permanent injuries, it was something that we looked at as having brought us together and that we endured,” Barron said. “That’s probably something that strengthens our team.”
Phys.org Publishes Report on Smith’s STEM Observation Protocol
Monday, March 3rd, 2014Phys.org published a report on an observation protocol that can document college instruction and student learning of STEM that was developed by Michelle Smith, assistant professor in the University of Maine’s School of Biology and Ecology and member of the Maine Center for Research in STEM Education. Over a two-year period, Smith and three researchers from the University of British Columbia, tested and validated the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS) by which observers document instructor and student behaviors in two-minute intervals during the class period. The results can help inform professors of their behaviors and the behaviors of students during class.
Rice Talks to BDN About Innovation in Maine’s Pulp and Paper Industry
Friday, February 28th, 2014Robert Rice, a professor of wood science and technology at the University of Maine, spoke with the Bangor Daily News for an article about innovation playing an important role in the future of Maine’s pulp and paper industry. The article states an integral part of the innovations occurring at Old Town Fuel and Fiber is the mill’s collaboration with UMaine and its Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI). The relationship gives the mill the opportunity to take advantage of R&D capabilities it wouldn’t necessarily have access to. Rice said there are no huge changes in technology that will suddenly appear, but he thinks the industry’s economics have the potential to change over time with the addition of new conversions and methods.
WVII Covers Secretary of State Dunlap’s Visit to UMaine
Friday, February 28th, 2014WVII (Channel 7) reported on Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap’s visit to the University of Maine where he was honored as a Margaret Chase Smith Distinguished Maine Policy Fellow. Margaret Chase Smith Distinguished Maine Policy Fellows are prominent Maine individuals with a past or current career as a policymaker in the state. Dunlap, a UMaine alumnus and Maine’s 49th Secretary of State, said the university is a home for him in many ways and it’s humbling to be asked to visit as a guest. Mary Cathcart, senior policy associate at UMaine’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, said every time a fellow visits campus she learns something new about the university and is proud of her students for asking engaging questions.
