News

Instructor of music Ginger Yang Hwalek was named a 2013 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Foundation Fellow at the national conference in Anaheim, Calif., March 11. Now in its 14th year, the MTNA Foundation Fund Fellow Program honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the music world and the music teaching profession. Hwalek, a 2006 MTNA Teacher of the Year, has taught applied piano, class piano and music history at the University of Maine for 18 years. She also teaches 12 students at her home studio. She is the former director of Maine Summer Youth Music program held on campus, and has served as MTNA’s Eastern Division president, a member of the board of directors and Senior Performance Competitions coordinator.

Children and their families are invited to join the Page Farm and Home Museum’s celebration of Maine Maple Sunday from 1–3 p.m., March 24 at the University of Maine. The event begins at the museum with a video, “The Maple Sugaring Story.” For youngsters in grades K–5, there will be activities, games and stories about syrup making — one of Maine’s oldest traditions and seasonal business enterprises.

UMaine’s sugar bush in the University Forest off College Avenue Extension, approximately 1.5 miles from the campus, will be open for tours. Visitors can see sap being made into syrup in the sugarhouse, sample syrup and take part in a “sugar-on-snow” party.

Preregistration is required. A $4 per person fee covers materials. Children must be chaperoned by an adult with transportation. For more information, to preregister or to request disability accommodations, call 207.581.4100.

Two documentary films being screened March 21 at the Collins Center for the Arts are also previews for the fall 2013 Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) course at the University of Maine.

“Downeast” and “Betting the Farm,” both set in rural Maine, will be on the big screen Thursday at 5:30 and 8 p.m., respectively. Question-and-answer sessions will be held after each film. Admission is $5 per film and open to the public. Tickets are available through the Collins Center for the Arts box office or online. For more information or to request a disability accommodation, call the box office, 207.581.1755/800.622.8499.

The films introduce the three-credit CIFF course offered by UMaine’s Continuing Education Division that meets four Saturdays during the fall 2013 semester: Sept. 14, Sept. 21, Nov. 9 and Dec. 7. Students enrolled in the course also gain admission to films, shorts, panels, workshops, special events and networking opportunities with filmmakers Sept. 26–29 at the Camden International Film Festival.

“Downeast,” by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin, follows Italian immigrant Antonio Bussone’s efforts, despite grumblings of some locals, to open a lobster-processing factory in a shuttered sardine cannery in Prospect Harbor. Many laid-off workers are women in their 60s. After the film, District 37 Rep. Ralph Chapman, a research scientist who serves on the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources, and Tony Brinkley, a UMaine professor of English who teaches film, will take part in a question-and-answer period.

“Betting the Farm,” by Cecily Pingree and Jason Mann, captures struggles and victories of dairy farmers who helped create MOO Milk (Maine’s Own Organic) after a national milk company didn’t renew their contracts. After the film, Mann, as well as Vaughn and Laura Chase of Chase’s Organic Dairy in Mapleton, Richard and Janet Lary of Windy Acres Farm in Clinton, and Aaron Bell and Carly DelSignore of Tide Mill Organic Farm in Edmunds will be available to answer questions.

More information about the two documentaries, including trailers, is on the Collins Center website.

More information about the Camden Film Festival is online at camdenfilmfest.org. For more information about the UMaine CIFF course, call Marlene Charron at 207.581.4095 or go online. To register for UMaine’s CIFF course, call 207.581.3143.

College-bound high school students interested in marine sciences are invited to apply to attend a free, three-day in-residence summer immersion program at the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center, Walpole, Maine.

Dive In, Aug. 12–14, is open to students who will be high school juniors and seniors. Attendees will explore topics such as marine biology, oceanography, scientific diving and aquaculture. Participants’ parents are invited to attend seminars about career options on the afternoon of Aug. 14.

Dive In is a UMaine program offered by the Darling Marine Center, School of Marine Sciences and the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture.

More information and application materials are available online and by calling 207.563.8220. Applications are due May 1.

The Bangor Daily News cited a 2012 study on use tax by University of Maine economics professor Todd Gabe in an analysis on Maine sales tax revenues. The study, which was commissioned by the Retail Association of Maine and the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, found the percentage of Mainers who pay the full use tax they owe could be in the single digits. Gabe’s study also suggests that requiring online retailers to collect sales taxes could increase business for local stores.

The Bangor Daily News interviewed Lenard Kaye, director of the University of Maine Center on Aging, for an article on Forbes’ ranking of Bangor as one of the best places to retire. Kaye said he was not surprised by the ranking, citing low crime rates, cleanliness, low cost of living and natural beauty as reasons to retire in Bangor. Kaye also called the UMaine Center on Aging a testament to the community’s focus, saying UMaine recognizes the process of aging as an issue that demands attention.

The Library Journal spoke with Deborah Rollins, the head of the collection services department at the University of Maine’s Fogler Library, about a print archiving project between eight of Maine’s largest libraries. The Maine Shared Collections Strategy includes the University of Maine, Colby College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, the University of Southern Maine, the Maine State Library, Bangor Public Library, Portland Public Library, and Maine InfoNet, the state’s consortium. Rollins spoke about the OCLC reclamation project that synchronizes the libraries’ holdings to those marked in the WorldCat which is needed to complete the major archiving project.

The Daily Caller published a report on President Barack Obama not being able to eat a lunch which included “University of Maine lobster salad” after a meeting because his taster was not present. Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins said the lunch included Gifford’s ice cream, blueberry pie and potato chips made in Aroostook County. Collins was also quoted saying the lunch included a “University of Maine recipe for healthy lobster salad — I pointed that out to the president in keeping with the first lady’s initiatives.” Collins said it was unfortunate that the president could not eat.

The Bangor Daily News spoke with University of Maine men’s hockey coach Tim Whitehead and UMaine Athletic Director Steve Abbott about a review of the men’s ice hockey program. The Black Bears, who went 11–19–8 this past season, were ousted by UMass Lowell last week in the Hockey East quarterfinal series. Abbott said he will look at what needs to be done to improve the program and make the team more competitive. Whitehead said he hopes to return as coach next season and build a stronger team.

The Morning Sentinel, San Francisco Chronicle, NECN, Channel 2 (WLBZ) and WABI (Channel 5) were among many news organizations that carried an Associated Press report advancing Monday’s meeting of the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System. Faculty tenure will be a major item on the agenda, with 25 faculty members from across the state being considered for tenure. Also on the agenda are two assistant professorships at the University of Maine and $1 million in additional spending for a project at UMaine’s Memorial Gym and Field House Complex. The Bangor Daily News also published a report.

Click here to view the “UMaine Forestry” video on YouTube.

Click here to view the “How Do I Prune Raspberries” video on YouTube.

The University of Maine System Board of Trustees has approved promotion and/or tenure for 22 University of Maine faculty members. The professors were nominated by UMaine President Paul Ferguson based on a peer and administrative review of their successful work in teaching, research and public service.

“These faculty are among our academic leaders, providing some of the best teaching, research and community outreach in their fields,” says Ferguson. “We appreciate their caliber of excellence, innovation, inquiry and commitment to our students and state, and we celebrate their achievement. They are key to helping UMaine reach its goal of being among the most student-centered and community-engaged research universities in the country.”

Promoted to professor

College of Business, Public Policy and Health

• Nory Jones, Management Information Systems

College of Engineering

• William DeSisto, Chemical Engineering
• Karen Horton, Mechanical Engineering Technology
• David Neivandt, Chemical Engineering
• Bruce Segee, Electrical and Computer Engineering

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Margaret Lukens, English
• Michael Wittmann, Physics

College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture

• Andrei Alyokhin, Applied Entomology
• Benildo de los Reyes, Biological Sciences
• Jasmine Saros, Paleoecology

Promoted to research professor

College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture

• Richard Wahle, School of Marine Sciences

Promoted to Extension professor

• Marjorie Peronto, Cooperative Extension

Promoted to associate research professor

Climate Change Institute

• Andrei Kurbatov

College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture

• Rhian Waller, School of Marine Sciences

Promoted to associate professor with tenure

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Charlsye Diaz, English
• Shawn Ell, Psychology
• Nicholas Giudice, Computing and Information Science/National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis
• Natasha Speer, Mathematics Education

College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture

• Aaron Weiskittel, Forest Biometrics and Modeling

Promoted to associate Extension professor with continuing contract

• Caragh Fitzgerald, Cooperative Extension
• Leslie Forstadt, Cooperative Extension

Granted tenure at the rank of associate professor

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

• Reinhard Moratz, Computing and Information Science/National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis

Contact: Margaret Nagle, 207.581.3745; 207.949.4149

Channel 5 (WABI) reported on the Expanding Your Horizons program, which invites female middle schoolers to take part in engineering, technology, mathematics and science workshops on the University of Maine campus for a day. Barbara Stewart, a UMaine chemistry department lecturer, said the program offers students a look into what the university can offer in those fields. Channel 2 (WLBZ) also covered the story.

The Portland Press Herald cited a 2012 University of Maine study on the state’s obesity rates in an article about U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stressing the importance of childhood nutrition. Vilsack said preventing obesity is a critical issue to helping young people thrive in their health, education and economic achievements. The UMaine study cited in the article found that in Maine, 7.8 percent of children and adolescents are obese, and including adults, 23.1 percent of the state’s population is obese. The study also found the annual medical costs of obesity in Maine are about $453 million.

The Bangor Daily News spoke to Tony Llerena, coordinator of UMaine’s Office of Veterans Education and Transition Services, about the possibility of student-soldiers losing tuition aid because of federal cuts. Llerena said about 30 of the 200 student-soldiers at UMaine receive federal tuition assistance and knows a lot of those students depend on that money. He said he’s interested to see how the university will help them if their aid gets cut.

The Bangor Daily News reported on the new Penquis Regional Linking Program, a partnership of nearly three dozen agencies and providers in eastern Maine that seek to help children of drug addicts by using trauma-informed treatment designed to break down barriers. The group is led by the University of Maine School of Social Work and the Bangor-based agency Families And Children Together. The article also cited a report by Jennifer Middleton, UMaine assistant professor of social work and lead researcher on the project. Middleton’s data says there has been a huge increase in the number of babies born in Maine exposed to drugs, from 165 in 2005 to 667 in 2011.

The cost of college was a focus of MBPN’s Maine Watch with Jennifer Rooks March 14. Rooks interviewed UMaine President Paul Ferguson and University of Maine System Chancellor James Page on the impact of the systemwide in-state tuition freeze. UMaine alumnus and University of Maine System Board of Trustee Adm. Gregory “Grog” Johnson and UMaine undergrad Taylor Phillips also were featured. The segment will be rebroadcast at 9 p.m., March 15.

Poverty and deforestation in Central America will be the focus of two lectures by Florence Reed, president and founder of Sustainable Harvest International. Reed will speak at 7:30 a.m. March 25 at Bangor Public Library, and at 2 p.m. at the University of Maine in 117 D.P Corbett Business Building. Her talks, “An Extraordinary, Garden-Variety Solution to Poverty and Deforestation in Central America,” are sponsored by Bangor Foreign Policy Forum. For more information or to request disability accommodations, call 207.581.1835.

A faculty chamber concert at at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21 in in Minsky Recital Hall will include the premiere of a composition by Peter Westergaard, professor emeritus of Princeton University. “All Odds” for clarinet, cello and piano was written by Westergaard for his former student, Beth Wiemann, chair of Music Division in UMaine’s School of Performing Arts. Wiemann will play the piece with the Silver Duo, faculty members Phillip and Noreen Silver, as part of the faculty chamber concert. Westergaard is expected to attend the performance. Admission is $9; free with student MaineCard. Tickets can be purchased at the door or through the Collins Center for the Arts box office. Composer and music theorist Westergaard is the William Shubael Conant professor of music emeritus at Princeton University. He has composed many operas from “Charivari” in 1953 to “Alice and Wonderland” in 2006 and wrote “An Introduction to Tonal Theory” in 1975.