Simultaneous Planet Head Day celebrations will happen in Maine and Poland for the second time as the unique cancer fundraiser—where people get their heads shaved and painted to look like planets—goes international again. The event takes place in Presque Isle on Saturday, March 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Wieden Hall Gymnasium, with a simultaneous event happening in Szczecin, Poland. This is the 13th annual event being held in Presque Isle, and the third time the event is happening in Sczcecin.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present its next Salmagundi Film Series screening on Tuesday, March 12, at 6 p.m. in the Campus Center Multi-Purpose Room. In honor of Women’s History Month, the series will feature Hidden Figures, the 2016 film based on a true story about the black female mathematicians at NASA who helped launch an astronaut into orbit.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present Brittany Ray, the Director of TREE: Transforming Rural Experience in Education and the 2007 Maine Teacher of the Year, as the next speaker in its 2018-2019 Distinguished Lecturer Series. Ray will speak on Thursday, March 7, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. During her talk, titled “Creating Trauma-Informed Schools and Communities by Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences,” Ray will discuss how people can work together to create environments that foster healing and help students to grow.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present a night of comedy plus a whole lot of talent when it hosts UMPI’s First Annual Variety Show on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. in the Auditorium in Wieden Hall. This family-friendly Variety Show will feature acts by students, faculty, and staff, and will be hosted by Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian, actor, and voice actor Justin Rupple. This event is free and open to the public.

he University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Art Gallery will present works from the New Brunswick Art Bank collection from Feb. 1 through March 15, 2019. The public is invited to view the exhibition throughout the show’s run and attend the Gallery Reception on Friday, March 1, from 5-7 p.m.; light refreshments will be served.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s very own Mitch Wheeler served as one of the speakers in the 2018-2019 Distinguished Lecturer Series, providing a Distinguished Student/Alum Lecture on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., in the Campus Center. Wheeler, who also served as the sixth-ever UMPI student/alum Distinguished Lecturer, delivered a talk titled Carving Out Your Own Career Path.

Officials with the University of Maine at Presque Isle, area hospitals, donors, and students gathered on Thursday, Jan. 10 to celebrate the establishment of a state-of-the-art learning space for UMPI’s Medical Laboratory Technology Program. The new $200,000 MLT Training Center, created with support from a $50,000 Davis Family Foundation grant and a $15,000 Libra Foundation grant, helps address healthcare workforce needs while providing UMPI’s MLT students with a dedicated space that simulates a hospital setting for completing intensive clinical training.

The region’s premier leadership development training opportunity for professionals new in their careers—a partnership between MMG Insurance and the University of Maine at Presque Isle—is gearing up for its 12th year of fast-paced, interactive learning. Nominations are now open for the Young Professionals Institute, facilitated by UMPI’s Employer U program and offered this year on Wednesdays from Feb. 27 to April 10.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will undertake a major green initiative this academic year—turning cafeteria food waste into high quality compost for soil enrichment—after receiving a $5,650 grant from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection through its Grants to Support Recycling and Organics Management Initiatives.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Art Program used pottery to fight hunger on a local scale as part of the region’s Fifth Empty Bowls fundraiser. Featuring the handmade creations of students and local ceramicists all to benefit a local soup kitchen, this year’s event took place on Thursday, Dec. 20 at the Sargent Family Community Center.