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Posted May 6, 2013

Merida Batiste, PhD student in Physics, and David Pearson, Master of Science student in Physics, presented at the 221st Meeting of the American Astronomical Society. The meeting is the largest annual meeting for astronomers and astrophysicists in North America and attracts scientists from all over the  globe. Presentations at the Meeting can take one of three forms: posters, regular oral presentations which are five minutes, and dissertation talks which in  15 minutes aim to explain a major conclusion from thesis work. Batiste presented her research on gravitationally bound superclusters of galaxies, the largest structures in the universe held together by gravity. She said of her present ation, “While about 10 million superclusters of galaxies have been identified in the Universe, bound superclusters are incredibly rare; prior to our work only one had been identified. I presented on my results for the Corona Borealis supercluster, which provide the most conclusive observational evidence to date that this structure is bound and in collapse.”

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A week of lectures, panel discussions and tours highlighting humanities research and exploring its intersects with community partners will be held May 13–16 on campus and in downtown Bangor, coordinated by the University of Maine Humanities Initiative.

The week culminates with a Maine Humanities Summit May 17 in Augusta.

The events involve 37 participants, including UMaine faculty and staff, leaders of regional arts and cultural organizations, and area teachers and policymakers. The interdisciplinary sessions showcase UMaine arts and humanities research and explore ways of making this scholarship more visible and pertinent to community partners.

All events are free and open to the public. Registration is required for the Maine Humanities Summit.

More information is online or by contacting UMaine Humanities Initiative Director Justin Wolff, 207.581.3259.

A summary of the events:

On campus, May 13

Faculty and Staff Development Seminar, 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m., with introductory remarks by Dean Jeff Hecker and President Paul Ferguson at 9 a.m.; “Politics, Performance and Palimpsests: The Cartography of Social Space,” with Robert Glover, Michael Grillo, Sarah Harlan-Haughey and James Warhola at 9:30 a.m., all in Hill Auditorium, Barrows Hall; lunch at the Innovative Media Research and Commercialization Center, followed at 2 p.m. by “Online Teaching” with Justin Hafford, Richard Powell and Owen Smith, moderated by Jeff St. John.

On campus, May 14

Faculty and Staff Development Seminar, 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m., featuring “Humanities Approaches to Nonviolence,” with Doug Allen, Hugh Curran and Tina Passman at 9 a.m.; “Teaching Beyond Disciplinary Boundaries” featuring Katherine O’Flaherty, Stefano Tijerina and Jennie Woodard at 11 a.m.; and “Wasahpskekmenehan (Marsh Island): A Wabanaki Sense of Place” with Gretchen Faulkner, John Bear Mitchell and Micah Pawling, moderated by Darren Ranco, Hill Auditorium, Barrows Hall.

Downtown Bangor, May 15

“The Garden Artists: A Retrospective Look at Collective Women’s Art in Changing Times,” by Mimi Killinger, with a University of Maine Museum of Art tour led by director George Kinghorn, 10 a.m., May 15, UMaine Museum of Art, 40 Harlow St., Bangor.

Walking Tour of Downtown Bangor, led by Tom McCord and Ben Sprague, 11:15 a.m., May 15, starting at the Hannibal Hamlin statue on Kenduskeag Canal, downtown Bangor.

“Connecting Classrooms and Cultural Organizations: A Dialogue,” a panel moderated by Marcia Douglas and featuring Marcie Bramucci, Kal Elmore, Mimi Killinger, George Kinghorn and Bari Newport, 1:30 p.m., May 15, Penobscot Theatre, 131 Main St., Bangor.

“Humanities and the Book,” featuring presentations by Barbara McDade — “The Bangor Book Festival”; Elizabeth Neiman — “The Minerva Press and Romantic-era Redefinitions of Literature”; and Rachel Snell — “Nineteenth-century Cookbooks and Public Domesticity,” 3:15 p.m., May 15, Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow St., Bangor.

Collaborate and Celebrate: The University of Maine Humanities Initiative, featuring live music by Larry LeBlanc & Mike Conant, and Raw Chicken, a fine art exhibit curated by participants in the UMaine Museum of Art’s Young Curators program, and other activities to usher in Penobscot Theatre’s production of “Around the World in Eighty Days,” 5 p.m., May 15, Maine Discovery Museum, 74 Main St., Bangor, sponsored by the University of Maine Humanities Initiative, Maine Discovery Museum and the Downtown Bangor Arts Collaborative.

On campus, May 16

Faculty and Staff Development Seminar, 8:30 a.m.–noon., featuring “The Downeast Fisheries Trail,” with Kathleen Ellis. Catherine Schmitt and Natalie Springuel at 9 a.m.; “Interdisciplinary Community Engagement,” with Melissa Ladenheim, Linda Silka and Claire Sullivan, 10:45 a.m., Hill Auditorium, Barrows Hall.

Augusta, May 17

Maine Humanities Summit, featuring panel discussions on humanities-related topics, including museums, libraries and public policy, with remarks by Hayden Anderson, director of the Maine Humanities Council, and Julie Richard, director of the Maine Arts Commission, and a lunchtime address by award-winning journalist Colin Woodard, speaking on “Liberal Arts in the Real World: An Author-Historian-Journalist’s Argument for the Importance of the Humanities,” 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., May 17, Governor Hill Mansion, Augusta. Registration required: email amy.cross@umit.maine.edu.

Baritone Ludlow Hallman, a longtime music director and conductor in the University of Maine School of Performing Arts, will receive the 2013 Vincent A. Hartgen Award from UMaine’s Patrons of the Arts.

The award will be presented in a ceremony May 10 at Buchanan Alumni House on campus.

During his more than 40 years in the UMaine community, Hallman has served as conductor of the University Orchestra and the Oratorio Society, director of the Opera Workshop and chair of the Music Department. He has been music director and conductor of dozens of opera and musical comedy productions — from Mozart to Puccini and Sullivan to Sondheim — throughout the country and around the world.

Hallman also has performed as a recitalist and soloist, with operatic roles with the Santa Fe Opera Company, Mozart Opera Salzburg, the Salzburg Festival and Surry Opera Company.

In addition, the professor of music has served as resident director of New England Universities in Salzburg, an immersion program for students of German.

Hallman studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Southern Illinois University and the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

UMaine flutist and chamber musician Elizabeth Downing, who nominated Hallman for the award, calls him an “institution” at the university and an “incredibly versatile musician” who conducts oratorio, opera and orchestral works, and has appeared on both sides of the Atlantic as a conductor and singer.

“Ludlow continues to give his full devotion to the conducting and teaching of music. There is no one more passionate and dedicated to the world of classical music, and he continues to share his wealth of knowledge and vision to music students, the musical community and the public,” Downing says. “As just one of many of his students, he truly changed my life and my career and brought the world of music to my heart.”

Hallman has taught hundreds of voice students and has introduced many to vocal recovery. One of his early students, Dr. Linda Carroll, a speech-language pathologist and voice trainer, became a leader in the field of vocal rehabilitation. Hallman also has served as a mentor teacher for the National Association of Teachers of Singing and as a presenter for the Voice Foundation in Philadelphia.

Since 1999, the Hartgen Award has been given annually to recognize outstanding contributions to arts advancement at the university. The award is named in honor of the late Vincent Hartgen, founder of the UMaine Department of Art and Museum of Art, and a champion of traveling art exhibitions for Maine schools.

Contact: Margaret Nagle, 207.581.3745

WABI (Channel 5) covered the 20th anniversary celebration of the University of Maine’s Reading Recovery program and the continuing support of the Galen Cole Family Foundation.

WABI (Channel 5) and Seacoast Online carried reports on the Maine Wind Blade Challenge and the Windstorm Challenge hosted Friday by UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center. More than 500 middle and high school students from around the state competed in the engineering challenges.

The University of Maine’s Graduate School of Social Work held a forum Saturday night to shed light on social issues such as economic justice and health care, WABI (Channel 5) reported. The forum was held to encourage community involvement.

The Portland Press Herald interviewed Hollywood film producer and this year’s University of Maine commencement speaker Lawrence Bender. Bender says his time as a UMaine student prepared him for his successful career.

A University of Maine study commissioned by Maine Equal Justice Partners was cited in the Press Herald article “Maine Speaker calls bill pathway out of poverty.” The study found a provision enacted last June by Gov. Paul LePage that limits Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to 60 months has caused 1,500 families to lose assistance. The study showed 39 percent of those who lost benefits reported a work-limiting disability and more than 40 percent had less than a high school education.

Jeffrey Thaler, a visiting professor of energy policy, law and ethics at the University of Maine, spoke to the Bangor Daily News about the proposed sale of Maine’s largest power plant and New England’s changing energy market.

The Bangor Daily News and WABI (Channel 5) reported on the Weight Watchers of Maine Black Bears of Tomorrow program. More than 200 fifth-graders visited UMaine on Friday to learn about healthy lifestyles and campus living from coaches and athletes.

First Coast News based in Jacksonville, Fla., carried a video clip of therapy dogs at Fogler Library during finals week.

The 27th Annual Graduate Student and Faculty Recognition (Hooding) Ceremony will be held on Friday, May 10th, 2013 from 4 to 6 pm at the Alfond Arena.  A reception in the Field House will immediately follow.  For more information please see the appropriate link below, or contact the Graduate School at umhooding@maine.edu or 207.581.3291. 

  Student Information and Registration   Faculty Information   UPDATE: GradImages® will be photographing all graduates at the upcoming Recognition (Hooding) Ceremony. Visit their website, www.gradimages.com, and click on Pre-Event Email Registration. Enter your email and up to 6 emails of loved ones who would like to share in your accomplishment by viewing and ordering your photos. You will receive a coupon for $5 off an order of $25 of more just by registering your information before the event!   Also, flowers will be available for purchase at the Alfond.     We hope to see you there!

The Bangor Daily News covered the University of Maine’s eighth annual New Media Night at the new Innovative Media Research and Commercialization Center, or IMRC, on Thursday. New media students showed off their work in the $9.3 million renovation of the former Stewart Dining Commons.

WABI (Channel 5) reported a pilot program designed by a University of Maine intern is offering free peer mentor training to students at Piscataquis Community Secondary School in Guilford. Nine students have been certified in the program.

University of Maine’s ADVANCE Rising Tide Center has partnered with Maine EPSCoR, Colby College and the University of Southern Maine to offer “Advancing Women in Academia: 2nd Annual Networking Conference” from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, May 14 at Hilton Garden Inn in Bangor.

Guests are invited to join colleagues in STEM and social-behavioral sciences from around the state for a day of networking and discussion of issues relevant to career advancement for women in academia.

The event includes poster presentations, networking and workshops. Dr. Jaime Lester of George Mason University will deliver the keynote speech, “Women Can’t Have it All? Work-Life Issues in Higher Education.”

The conference is free and a buffet lunch will be provided.

To register or for more information, call Joan Perkins, 207.581.3439. Registration is also available online.

The ADVANCE program, funded by the National Science Foundation, seeks to develop systemic approaches to increase representation and advancement of women in academic science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and social-behavioral science careers, thereby contributing to the development of a more diverse science and engineering workforce.

Click here to view the “How to Grow Strawberries: Planting a Strawberry Bed” video on YouTube.

Click here to view the “How to Freeze Fiddleheads” video on YouTube.

A Family Tradition

When John “Jack” Baldacci Jr., graduates from the University of Maine May 11, he will be joining a long line of family members who are UMaine alums — including his mother and father, six of his aunts and uncles, and two cousins.

His father, Gov. John Baldacci, says it will be “a tremendous honor — and humbling” to see his son get his UMaine degree in May, maintaining the proud family tradition.

“The university will always be a part of me and my family,” Gov. Baldacci says.

The former two-term Maine governor and four-term U.S. Congressman received his bachelor’s degree in history from UMaine in 1986. He met his wife, Karen, at UMaine. Mrs. Baldacci received a bachelor’s degree in food and nutrition from UMaine in 1983, and a master’s in elementary education in 2001.

May 11, Jack will receive a bachelor’s degree in international affairs, with a concentration in political science. He is headed to the University of Maine Law School.

Jack chose his international affairs major based on the recommendation of his roommate, Jordan Bailey, a graduate student in the program. “It was one of the best decisions I made,” Jack says.

“The University of Maine is great,” says Jack, a Dean’s List student. “I owe a lot to the faculty and staff. I’m very fortunate to have chosen to come to Maine, and the lessons I have learned here I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Jack took the advice of his parents, who encouraged him to find a field of study that interested him and learn everything he could about it.

“Challenge yourself, your professors and your fellow students,” Mrs. Baldacci told him. “Ask questions, struggle with issues, understand the who, what, where, when and how of the profession.”

The governor’s advice to his son was to stay focused on his studies, ask for help if he needed it — and have fun.

“UMaine is like a lantern,” says Gov. Baldacci. “It helps you find your way and (then) you have the responsibility to lead others.”

At UMaine, Gov. Baldacci studied a subject for which he is passionate — history.

“Where we come (from) leads a path to where we’re going,” he says of his choice of undergraduate study. “(UMaine) gave me a solid foundation and clearer thinking on difficult issues.”

UMaine was the governor’s school of choice not only as the alma mater of six of his siblings — Robert, Peter, Gerry, Rosemary, Lisa and Joseph Baldacci — but also because the university offers a “quality education” and is “affordable and represents value,” he says.

The Baldacci family has since established the Robert E. Baldacci Sr., and Rosemary K. Baldacci Memorial Scholarship Fund in honor of their parents.

Growing up in Dexter, Maine, the university was Mrs. Baldacci’s school of choice because it was “close, has incredible opportunities, experienced professors, challenging studies and a great campus.”

“UMaine has incredible faculty and curriculum that challenge you to learn,” Mrs. Baldacci says. “They engage you in necessary, real-world experiences and connections that help you succeed, from your college preparation to your future career choice.”

For Mrs. Baldacci, human nutrition — the study of food and its relationship to human health — has long been an interest. As a UMaine undergraduate, she completed a dietetic internship to become a registered dietitian and was mentored by legendary nutritionist Katherine Musgrave. For 27 years, Mrs. Baldacci has worked in the dietetic profession, in both the clinical arena, as well as community dietetics.

Mrs. Baldacci also pursued a graduate degree at UMaine after her experience as a volunteer in Jack’s kindergarten class. With her master’s degree in elementary education, Mrs. Baldacci taught kindergarten in the Bangor School System until Gov. Baldacci was elected to the Blaine House in 2003.

Today, she says, UMaine is still part of her life. Mrs. Baldacci has mentored and been a preceptor for many UMaine nutrition students. And she continues to be a guest lecturer in the community nutrition class.

“I believe it’s important to reach back, as well as lean forward — to be a mentor,” she says, adding that her advice to students is to be engaged, active learners.

“Take advantage of the opportunities UMaine has to offer,” she says. “Make connections, build relationships, and make UMaine the college of your heart always.”

Movie lights and cameras have resulted in economic action in Maine.

University of Maine economist Todd Gabe says including multiplier effects, film and photography sectors contributed nearly $118 million to the statewide economy in 2010, as well as 2,057 full- and part-time jobs, and $33.1 million in salaries.

The total financial impact of movie production and photography in Maine in 2010 was similar to the amount grossed that year by Shutter Island — $128 million.

A few scenes of that mystery-thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley were shot in Maine. The $128 million grossed by Shutter Island was good for 20thoverall among movies in 2010. (Toy Story 3 was tops at the box office that year, grossing more than $415 million.)

In 2010, Gabe says movie and photography industries directly supported 1,698 jobs in Maine — including people working full- and part-time for film production companies and photography businesses, as well as self-employed people. The jobs, he says, provided about $19.6 million in salaries.

“Maine is a great state for filmmakers and the entire state benefits from a vibrant film industry,” says Karen Carberry Warhola, director of the Maine Film Office. “Creating conditions to encourage filmmaking in Maine can be economically advantageous to the state.”

Nationwide in 2010, including multiplier effects, the U.S motion picture and television industry supported 2.1 million jobs and $143 billion in wages, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

A multiplier is when an increase in spending in a given industry initiates a flow of expenditures to other companies and workers that generates more economic activity.

The Maine Attraction Film Incentive Program, adopted in 2006, gave tax reimbursements and credits to companies involved with eight projects involving video or photo shoots in the state in 2012, and 17 in 2011. The projects resulted in approximately 108 full- and part-time jobs in 2012 and 281 in 2011, Gabe says.

Including multiplier effects, Gabe says projects supported by the Maine Attraction Film Incentive Program during 2011 and 2012 generated a total statewide economic contribution of $11.6 million in output, an average per year of 195 full- and part-time jobs and 3.4 million in wages.

Gabe has conducted a number of studies about the impact of entertainment and tourism-related industries on local economies, including the Waterfront Concert Series in Bangor and cruise ship passengers in Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine. This study was conducted with input from the Maine Film Office.

Contact: Beth Staples, 207.581.3777

This year, the Graduate School held its first Graduate Student photo contest which was open to all UMaine graduate students and included prizes for 1st place ($100), 2nd place ($50), and 3rd place ($25) in two categories: grad student life and grad student research.  Students from various disciplines participated and the winners were announced at the GradExpo in April.  To view the winning submissions, please click here.