Three hundred and forty-six students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle have been named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester, according to Dr. Michael Sonntag, Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Press Releases
Museum, local cancer group host Fourth Annual Planet Head Day
The Northern Maine Museum of Science and Aroostook C.A.N.C.E.R. will be taking a stand against some of the worst things that fate hands out – bitter, cold weather; loss of hair; and Cancer – when it hosts the Fourth Annual Planet Head Day on Saturday, Feb. 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Gentile Hall, and everyone is invited to attend.
Since 2007, Planet Head Day has been held to increase awareness of NASA’s mission to Pluto and to serve as a fundraiser for the local organization C.A.N.C.E.R [Caring Area Neighbors for Cancer Education and Recovery]. Each year, participants from Maine and Canada have donned theatrical bald caps or had their hair shaved off, and then had their heads painted to look like planets, moons, asteroids and comets.
VITA Tax Assistance program available at UMPI this spring
Area volunteers with the AARP Tax-Aide Program will be on hand at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Saturdays for the next two months to help members of the community prepare their tax returns.
Volunteers will be providing this free service from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday from Feb. 6 to April 10 in Room 118 of UMPI’s Campus Center. The work these volunteers are doing is connected to the VITA [Volunteer Income Tax Assistance] and TCE [Tax Counseling for the Elderly] programs.
Law Enforcement vs. Student Basketball Game to be held
Criminal Justice students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle will take on members of the area’s police departments during the 5th Annual CJ Students vs. Law Enforcement Basketball Game.
The competition begins on Friday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. in Wieden Gymnasium.
UMPI’s Coach Sotskov heading to Vancouver Olympics
University of Maine at Presque Isle Nordic Ski Coach Alexei Sotskov is heading out on the trip of a lifetime this month when he travels to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics to serve as the Head Coach of the New Zealand Cross Country Ski Team.
Coach Sotskov will depart for Vancouver on Feb. 10 to attend his very first Olympic Games. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics begin with the Opening Ceremony on Feb. 12 and end on Feb. 28. The last race for Sotskov’s team will be on Feb. 28.
As Head Coach for the small New Zealand team, he’ll be overseeing everything from travel logistics and race entries to ski waxing and his athletes’ physical and mental preparation. The members of the New Zealand Cross Country Ski Team are 23-year-old Ben Koons of Dunedin, New Zealand, who has been living in Maine for the past 7 years, is training with the Maine Winter Sports Center and has been on the New Zealand national team for two years, and Katie Calder, 29, of Tauranga, New Zealand, who has been on the New Zealand national team for four years.
“I’m very excited about this. Like any athlete or coach, it’s the pinnacle of your career to go to the Olympics,” Coach Sotskov said. “I’m hoping to gain some of the latest knowledge on what other coaches and teams are doing, how they ski, and how they prepare for races of this caliber. I’d also like to take part in the cultural experiences and just enjoy how a huge event like this gets organized. I’m thrilled to see how it all works.”
OAPI offers slate of spring events
With winter in full gear and warmer weather in the future, the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Outdoor Adventure Program International (OAPI) is offering a series of spring adventures for campus and community members to enjoy, including a winter mountain climb, cross country and alpine skiing, snowshoeing and rock climbing.
Faculty Noon Seminar Series returns
The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Faculty Noon Seminar Series returns for the Spring 2010 semester with presentations on First Nations students, student-led teaching models, the challenges ahead for higher education, and the connection between capitalism and zombies.
Seminars will be held on Thursdays from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Normal Hall Faculty Lounge. Presentations will be 20-30 minutes in length, followed by a discussion. Those attending are welcome to bring their lunches and join in the discussion.
Distinguished Lecturer Klaus Lackner to speak on carbon air capture technology
The University of Maine at Presque Isle is pleased to present Dr. Klaus Lackner – the Ewing-Worzel Professor of Geophysics at Columbia University, the Chair of the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, and the Director of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy at the Earth Institute at Columbia University – as its first Distinguished Lecturer of the Spring 2010 semester.
Dr. Lackner will deliver his talk Innovations in Sustainable Energy: Capturing Carbon Dioxide Directly from the Air on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. in the UMPI Campus Center. A snow date has been set for Friday, Feb. 12. During his talk, Dr. Lackner will give an overview of the environmental challenges facing our world, the importance of carbon dioxide capture and sequestration, and the budding technology behind the capture of carbon dioxide from ambient air using ionic exchange resins in the form of artificial trees.
University hosts spring semester blood drive
The University of Maine at Presque Isle will host its annual spring semester American Red Cross Blood Drive on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010. This blood drive is sponsored by the UMPI Residence Life Office, the Brothers of Kappa Delta Phi and the Sisters of Kappa Delta Phi NAS.
The blood drive is scheduled from Noon until 6 p.m. in the Campus Center’s Multi-Purpose Room. Door prizes will be given away during the event. If donors wish to reserve a time to make their donation, they should call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome, or you can sign up at the new online appointment scheduler at www.givelife.org.
UMPI Alumni Accomplishments Wall unveiled
University of Maine at Presque Isle officials, several distinguished alumni and members of the campus and community were on hand Monday afternoon for the ceremonial unveiling of the newly installed Alumni Accomplishments Wall in the Preble Hall front entryway.
The Alumni Accomplishments Wall, meant to showcase recent alumni who have made important contributions and realized impressive achievements since graduating from UMPI, serves as a way for the University to applaud the work that UMPI graduates are doing all around the country and the world, and demonstrates to incoming students that they can achieve great things with a degree from the University.
