The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present Robert “Bob” Tarpey, an Athletic Trainer for the Toronto Blue Jays organization since 2006 and a member of UMPI’s Class of 2003, as the next speaker in its 2016-2017 Distinguished Lecturer Series. Tarpey will deliver his talk—On Your Game: A Life in Baseball as an Athletic Trainer—on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

Mapping a research area and getting high resolution aerial photos has become a whole lot easier for the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Geographic Information Systems [GIS] Laboratory thanks to a brand new remote sensing tool—the DJI Phantom-4 drone. UMPI’s GIS Laboratory is the first among all GIS laboratories at universities and colleges in Maine to acquire unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and use them in geospatial applications.

With the help of the Rotary Clubs in Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Limestone, Mars Hill and Washburn, the University of Maine at Presque Isle and the Presque Isle Rotary Club have declared their 5th annual World Polio Day and Purple Pinkie Project celebration—which spread throughout central Aroostook County and was held between Oct. 22 and 29—an overwhelming success. All activities helped to raise awareness of Rotary International’s efforts to eradicate polio worldwide. Combined efforts among the clubs helped to raise more than $4,400 for that global effort—the most ever raised during the celebration.

Anderson Giles, retired University of Maine at Presque Isle professor, has made many fascinating discoveries during his trips to the Pacific to preserve the history of World War II, but none so intriguing and of such international significance as the one that was recently featured in the Chicago Tribune and other news media. While exploring a remote World War II crash site on the island of Bougainville, Giles discovered a gold tooth that may belong to a famous Japanese admiral who died at the site.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle Athletic Department will once again hold its major annual fundraiser in early November. The Owls Action Auction will be held on Friday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Presque Isle Inn and Convention Center and will include a dinner and raffle/auction similar to last year.

Adam Ezra Group, one of Boston’s best folk rock bands, takes the stage at the University of Maine at Presque Isle for a special fundraising concert on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Auditorium in Wieden Hall. UMPI is partnering with Taco Bell and RallySound to present this hard-touring, New England Music Award-winning band. Tickets are $15 for adults; $10 for those under 18, seniors, and students with a UMPI ID. Proceeds will benefit future renovations to the Auditorium in Wieden Hall. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.