University of Maine News

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

The University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center will welcome more than 500 students from 60 Maine schools to the DeepCWind Consortium’s 3rd Annual Windstorm Challenge and the 5th Annual Maine Composites Alliance Wind Blade Challenge on Friday, May 3.

The daylong events will be held in UMaine’s New Balance Student Recreation Center.

Windstorm Challenge asks teams of middle and high school students to design and construct a floating platform for a scale model wind turbine, and deliver a business plan and sales pitch to a panel of expert judges. Teams are critiqued on the technical feasibility and aesthetic design of their platform, as well as the quality of their sales pitch. The Windstorm Challenge encourages an interdisciplinary approach to solving large problems.

Maine Wind Blade Challenge was developed by the Maine Composites Alliance, Maine Wind Industry Initiative and UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center to inspire students’ exploration of alternative energy and composites materials by participating in a hands-on application of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The event incorporates STEM guidelines in the classroom, and applied composites and energy education in the field. Students are matched with Maine composite businesses to use hands-on infusion techniques to build their blades.

The cooperating events will have an award ceremony at the end of the day, presenting winning team members from each competition a paid internship at the UMaine Composites Center, an award valued at more than $20,000, contingent upon their enrollment at the University of Maine. More information can be found by visiting windstormchallenge.com or mainewindbladechallenge.com.

The DeepCwind Consortium’s mission is to establish the state of Maine as a national leader in deepwater offshore wind technology through a research initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation-Partnerships for Innovation and others.

Contact: Josh Plourde, 207.581.2117, josh.plourde@maine.edu

WLBZ (Channel 2) reported on the University of Maine’s 78th annual Maine Day. The day’s events included a parade, service projects and a mud volleyball, or oozeball, tournament. Around 2,000 students took part in the cleanup effort that included 70 different projects throughout the campus. The Bangor Daily News also carried photos of the oozeball competition.

The Bangor Daily News, WVII (Channel 7) and WLBZ (Channel 2) covered therapy dog visits to the University of Maine’s Fogler Library. Seven dogs will visit the library for two hours a day during finals to offer stress relief for studying students.

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Maine AgrAbility program was mentioned in the Portland Press Herald blog “The Root: Dispatches from Maine’s food sources.” Lani Carlson, Maine AgrAbility project coordinator, spoke about the program that provides services and assistance to support Maine farmers with disabilities and their families so they can continue to have successful agricultural careers.

WABI (Channel 5) and WVII (Channel 7) reported 70 members of the University of Maine community shaved their heads to raise money for children with cancer. UMaine Circle K, a Kiwanis-affiliated college service organization, held its 3rd annual St. Baldrick’s head shaving event on Maine Day in the Steam Plant Lot. The organization raised about $12,000.

WABI (Channel 5) reported the University of Maine football and women’s soccer team hosted the annual Jeff Cole Bone Marrow Drive. Students were asked to come to the Memorial Union and have a swab inside the cheek taken as a sample to be put in the national bone marrow registry.

The St. John Valley Times previewed the University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s open house May 6 at its new location on the University of Maine at Fort Kent campus.

University of Maine 2013 Commencement is May 11, with ceremonies at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at Alfond Sports Arena.

Motorists in the Orono area will encounter heavier traffic than usual throughout much of the day. Anyone attending Commencement should plan to arrive early. Doors open at 8 a.m.

People attending Commencement are urged to park in the Collins Center Parking Lot on campus, where three shuttle buses will transport them to the arena. The Collins Center Lot is easily reached by traveling on Rangeley Road and following signs.

Shuttle buses also will provide transportation to Alfond Arena from the following parking lots: Steam Plant, Belgrade, Hilltop and Buchanan Alumni House.

The ceremonies will be broadcast live in Bennett Hall in the event that Alfond Arena reaches its legally allowable capacity as determined by the Orono fire marshal. Captioned, live video streaming will be available online for both the morning and afternoon ceremonies.

Backpacks and large bags of any type brought to Alfond Arena during Commencement will be searched at the entrance. People are strongly encouraged to leave large bags and any unnecessary items in their vehicles. Strollers are prohibited in Alfond Arena.

Spectators are not allowed on the Commencement floor for any purpose, including photos. Only professional photographers hired by the university with proper credentials are permitted to photograph the ceremony from the floor.

Vehicles with handicapped plates or placards can be parked in the Satellite Lot behind Alfond Stadium. There will be a designated handicapped drop-off area on the side of the Alfond Arena, where University Volunteer Ambulance Corps personnel will be available to assist attendees.

Visitors are reminded that the University of Maine is a tobacco-free campus.

The Bangor Daily News spoke with Steve Abbott, University of Maine’s athletic director, about the hiring of a new men’s ice hockey coach. Abbott said he hopes the search committee will name a new coach by the end of May.

Mainebiz interviewed George Jacobson, professor emeritus of biology, ecology and climate change at the University of Maine, for the article “Maine companies prep for rise in climate change planning.” Jacobson said because CO2 levels continue to rise, contributing to higher temperatures around the globe, companies need to think about adaptation planning.

Targeted News Service picked up a University of Maine report on the Reading Recovery program. Twenty years of Reading Recovery in the state, led by the University of Maine, will be celebrated May 3 at the Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor.

The Republican Journal of Belfast reported a University of Maine sophomore from Troy was one of two students to win the George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship. Lorna Harriman will spend a semester studying in Ireland as part of the student exchange program.

The San Francisco Chronicle and The Examiner based in Washington, D.C., were among news organizations across the nation to pick up an Associated Press report on the University of Maine’s groundbreaking of the $5.2 million Emera Astronomy Center.

Judith A. Hakola, University of Maine instructor and member of the English department faculty for almost 50 years, will be honored with an award in her name at 2:30 p.m. May 1 at the English Student Honors and Awards Event at the Foster Center for Student Innovation.

The Judith A. Hakola Award in Professional and Technical Communication was established at UMaine in 2001, and originally named The Oliver Award in Technical Communication. In 2013, the founding contributors approved changing the name to honor and celebrate the contributions of Hakola.

Hakola came to UMaine in 1963 as a teaching assistant. She became an instructor in 1965, when she began teaching four sections of college composition. In addition to her teaching and service to the English department, Hakola has been teaching in civil engineering for nearly 30 years.

In addition to the May 1 ceremony, Hakola will also be honored during the Civil Engineering Awards Breakfast on May 11, commencement day.

For more information on the award, contact Charlsye Diaz on FirstClass.

The Bangor Daily News, WABI (Channel 5) and WVII (Channel 7) were among several news organizations to cover the University of Maine’s groundbreaking of the $5.2 million Emera Astronomy Center that will serve as the new home of the Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium and Observatory. Construction begins in mid-May and could be complete by fall 2014. The Lewiston Sun Journal and Portland Press Herald also carried an Associated Press report.