Momentum Aroostook and the University are teaming up for the second year in a row to provide the area’s young professionals with a one-of-a-kind leadership development opportunity.

The two entities will host the Young Professionals Institute, a professional development short course designed specifically for emerging leaders looking to hone their professional skills. The program will be offered at the University during eight afternoon sessions between March and April. The Wednesday sessions will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on March 4, 11, 18, and 25 and April 1, 8, 15 and 22.

Officials are pleased to be partnering again on this project and hope to build on the successes they realized during the 2008 course.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will host its Annual Job & Career Fair in the Campus Center from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 25. Thirty businesses and governmental agencies from the region and across the state are expected to participate in the event.

“The Job & Career Fair provides a unique opportunity for our students and the public to network with employers, discover opportunities, and to gain professional employment,” Barbara DeVaney, Director of Career Services, said.

Campus and community members will learn all about journeying to the stars when the University hosts a NASA astronaut and space shuttle commander in March as part of its Distinguished Lecturer Series.

Pamela Melroy (Colonel, USAF, retired) has served as a NASA astronaut since 1995 and has participated in three space flights, logging more than 900 hours (more than 38 days) in space and helping to conduct important assembly work for the International Space Station. She will speak on “Human Spaceflight-Shuttle, International Space Station and Beyond” at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 9 in the Campus Center. All are encouraged to attend. During her visit to Maine, Melroy will speak with students at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics and at a school in Mars Hill. On the LCS/MSSM campus, she will speak at 11 a.m. on March 9 in Boothby Auditorium.

Melroy completed a 13-day flight in 2000 aboard the space shuttle Discovery, a 10-day flight in 2002 aboard Atlantis, and a 15-day flight, on which she served as shuttle commander, in 2007, again on the space shuttle Discovery. On her 2000 and 2002 flights, she served as the shuttle pilot. She will speak about her missions, her work as commander of a shuttle, and spacewalking, robotics and living in space.

The Maine Hysterical Society takes the stage at the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Wieden Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10 for a night of side-splitting laughter and entertainment.

The troupe is made up of three of Maine’s most popular entertaining variety artists, actors, musicians and Downeast humorists – Randy Judkins, Barney Martin, and Steve Underwood. The trio will present a comedy variety show of original songs and parodies, hilarious Maine characters, ‘wicked-good’ juggling, and hysterical sketches.

The Northern Maine Museum of Science and Aroostook C.A.N.C.E.R. are asking local community members to put their heads to good use and take part in the third annual Planet Head Day, to be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14 in Folsom Hall.

This is the day where community members of northern Maine and adjacent Canada have the opportunity to shave their heads and have them painted to look like planets. The less adventurous can don swim caps, provided by the museum, and have them painted instead. Participants will have many photographs of planets and moons to choose from when selecting how they want their scalp to look. This year, barber Patrick Coughlin of Parsons Street Barbershop and an assemblage of planet head painters will be available for the occasion.