April 2018

Two UMPI programs are hosting the 9th semi-annual Science Lunchtime Seminar Series this spring to provide more exciting ways for the community to explore the world of science in northern Maine. The Environmental Science and Sustainability and the Biology programs present the series to provide a forum to present scientific research conducted by UMPI students and faculty, and local and regional scientists, as well as topics in management, medicine and applied science. All are invited to attend.

Five seminars are being offered this spring from March to April, with two left to be presented. The series is held on Tuesdays in Folsom 201, UMPI’s GIS Lab, unless otherwise noted. People should plan to arrive by 12:15 p.m. for the meet and greet. The seminars usually start at 12:30 p.m. and end around 1:30 p.m.

There will be a presentation on Purchasing locally-sourced vegetables for institutional dining by Maeve McInnis, the Maine Course Director for Sodexo Foods, on Tuesday, April 17.

The series ends on Friday, April 27 at 12 p.m. with Composting in UMPI’s backyard or in your own backyard by Mark King, an Environmental Specialist with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. This talk will be followed by a visit to UMPI’s compost pile. Please note that this seminar will start at 12 p.m. instead of the typical 12:30 p.m. start time.

For more information about the Science Lunchtime Seminar Series, please contact Dr. Jason Johnston at 207-768-9652 or jason.johnston@maine.edu.

Members of the UMPI History Club recently took a trip to the Presque Isle airport for a different kind of adventure. The club is collaborating with the Presque Isle Middle School History Club to work on projects connected with the museum located at the airport, including working to create an online tool in ARC GIS to organize materials about the history of the Presque Isle Air Base. There are lots of materials, artifacts, pictures, interviews and more that will all be saved in this platform. Club members also looked at original documents at the museum and will be working to scan them in the near future so that they can be preserved. Also, they are looking into how to make a to scale 3D model of the air base. Club members are excited to be working on these projects together to help preserve local history.

UMPI President Ray Rice took part in a panel presentation during the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN) conference in San Antonio, Texas, in early March. He discussed the work UMPI has done in collaborating with K-12 schools, both in its transition to personalized learning and the work staff members do with local school partners and Great Schools Partnership. UMPI has been a part of C-BEN since 2014 and its work with Competency Based Education in the last few years has allowed it to become the first public university in New England to offer a fully accredited, online Competency Based Education Business degree program. UMPI’s CBE programs are designed to helps adults with some college but no degree to finish their coursework quickly and affordably. To learn more about the recently expanded CBE degree programs, click here; for details about UMPI’s CBE offerings and how to sign up, visit www.umpi.edu/cbe.

Chunzeng Wang and Kevin McCartney took 8 students to this year’s Geological Society of Maine spring meeting held at Unity College on April 6. The students presented a poster entitled “Bedrock geologic mapping at Chandler Mountain of northern Maine woods.”

The Rotary Club of Houlton’s Literacy Committee works in partnership with Cary Library, the Houlton Higher Education Center, and the area schools to find ways to “Support Family Reading in Aroostook County.”

Local Rotarians volunteer in the elementary school by reading to children on a weekly basis, and the Club supports the Literacy Committee with donations to purchase books for children, across a wide age span. Cary Library runs its annual summer reading program, along with the summer Book Swap hosted by the Houlton Higher Education Center. Free books are given out during the annual light parade, and at other community events throughout the year.

During each Saturday in February, a Reading Event was held at particular locations in the community. The kick-off took place as part of the annual Moosestompers festivities, with a 2-hour session at the Millar Arena during open skate time. There were also crafts, coloring, and hot chocolate. Other hosts for the Saturday events included the Houlton Higher Education Center, Cary Library, and the County Co-op. A total of 50 children completed the reading challenge and each received a free Disney book to take home. To complete the challenge, one simply read with or to a child/children for at least 15 minutes. Photos of the experience were posted to the host’s Facebook page with the #ReadtoME and #ReadaloudME hashtags.

The Athletic Department will be holding its 2017-2018 Athletic Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, May 2 in Wieden Hall Gymnasium. Social time with light refreshments will be held from 5:30 – 6 p.m. and the awards ceremony will be held from 6 – 8 p.m. Please RSVP by Friday, April 13 to Sandra McDougal at 768-9506 or email sandra.mcdougal@maine.edu.

Planning a wedding or a big event? Know someone who is? Or are you just looking for a fun event to attend? Come celebrate your engagement and invite all of your friends on Saturday, April 14 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center.

Northern Maine’s best wedding vendors are throwing you a party! The Grand Ballroom at the Campus Center will be fully decorated like you’ve never seen it before! There will be free appetizers, dancing, a cash bar, and so much more. Come see the space and learn about what we can do to help you plan your big day or just come by to see all of the decorations, grab a snack, and enjoy the music!

This event is presented by UMPI, Interior Accents, C-DJ Services and Blush Bridal and Formal. FMI, contact Lydia Kieffer-Till at 768-9502 or email Lydia.kieffer@maine.edu.

The UMPI/Community Band, a unique performing ensemble of about 50 members, will perform a concert, conducted by Jon Simonoff, on Monday, April 30 at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium in Wieden Hall (snow date: Monday, May 7). A variety of music will be performed including classic band literature, settings of choral music for concert band, marches, and more contemporary works. The UMPI/Community Band is composed of local and traveling musicians from as young as middle school age through retirement. This event is free and open to the public. FMI, contact Simonoff at jonrsimonoff@gmail.com.

A fire that occurred in the nacelle of UMPI’s wind turbine on Sunday, April 1, is under investigation. There were no injuries reported and the turbine site, located more than 1,800 feet from any university buildings, has been secured to ensure campus safety.

The incident disrupted electricity service, but working with Emera Maine, crews were able to restore power to campus at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Monday, April 2.  The university has remained operational following the incident and classes are being conducted as scheduled.

Technicians from Vestas, the company that oversees maintenance of the turbine, are working to investigate the incident and conduct a damage assessment.

The UMPI wind turbine has generated more than 4.7 million kiloWatt hours of emission-free power since it became operational in 2009.   The turbine receives regular semi-annual inspection and maintenance in keeping with industry standards.  The next planned inspection and service was scheduled for April 2018.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is holding an UMPI Spirit photo contest. Capture your UMPI pride with a photo. You must be a current UMPI student or employee and must submit your own work. The subject must show or be about UMPI or UMPI students. You may enter up to three photos in each of the three following categories: most creative UMPI photo; having fun at UMPI photo; and best photo of UMPI scene. Email your photos in jpeg format and include your name, contact number and category you are entering in the text of the email to Kathryn Higgins at kathryn.higgins@maine.edu. By entering the contest, you agree that the University can use your photo in University promotional materials. The deadline to submit photos is Wednesday, April 11. Voting will be done by students, faculty and staff and the winners will be announced on Thursday, April 26.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s 109^th Commencement will be held on Saturday, May 12 at 10:30 a.m. in Wieden Gymnasium. If you would like to participate in marching, please RSVP to Denise Trombley at 768-9520 or email denise.trombley@maine.edu.

Robing and assembly will take place before the procession in Kelly Commons at 9:30 a.m. If you are marching, don’t forget to attend rehearsal in the Auditorium in Wieden Hall at 2 p.m., Friday, May 11. Regalia is not needed for rehearsal.

If you forgot to apply to graduate for this spring, it’s not too late! See the Registrar’s Office for details, or email umpireg@maine.edu.

Shirley A. Ballard, Administrative Assistant to the faculty for 14 years, passed away March 10, 2018. Prior to her time at UMPI, she worked for Bud Stewart’s law office. During her years at the University, she was a beacon for those who worked in Normal Hall, ensuring order was kept with great care and good humor. Shirley retired from UMPI in 2008. To view her obituary, please visit this site.

Want another great reason to read through the image newsletter? Well, somewhere in this issue of the image is our very own owl emoji. Here’s the challenge: just find it (don’t tell anyone else its hiding place!), let our office know, and you could be eligible for a great prize (UMPI swag or a $5 gift certificate to the Campus Store or UMPI Starbucks)! A winner will be randomly drawn from all of the people who find the emoji on Friday, April 27. The winner for last month was Max Bushman.

To let us know you’ve found it, either click on the emoji and fill out the very short form, or email Gayla Shaw with the location at gshaw@maine.edu. Happy searching!

Congratulations to April Student of the Month Seth Cropley, a senior majoring in Criminal Justice from Wytopitlock. Cropley is Vice President of the Criminal Justice Club and is a member of Alpha Phi Sigma honor society and Phi Eta Sigma honor society. He has participated in many fundraisers and has volunteered for AmeriCorps and for the Admissions Office during Accepted Students Day and Open Houses this past fall. Cropley also works two jobs while maintaining a high GPA. Congratulations again, Seth!

Several Aroostook Relay for Life teams, including UMPI’s, participated in the annual Chocolate Festival on March 30 at the Caribou Middle School. The teams sold homemade chocolate goodies that included cookies, cupcakes, bonbons as well as entire cakes and pies. They also had games for the kids and the Easter Bunny made an appearance as well. The UMPI team was very successful and was the top team earning $852; overall, the event took in just over $4,800. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society.

Also, the UMPI team has welcomed Olivia the Pig and will be bringing her around campus to collect change for Relay. They would also like to let everyone know they are still looking for team members; you do not have to be an employee of UMPI to join. If you are interested, please contact Laurie Boucher at 768-9512 or email laurie.boucher@maine.edu.