University of Maine at Presque Isle Assistant Professor of Fine Art Renee Felini travelled to New York City to share her artwork in the ARTexchange presented in conjunction with the College Art Association (CAA) 99th Annual Conference. The CAA celebrated the second year of the ARTexchange with a one-night event held on Feb. 11.
An artwork display of University of Maine at Presque Isle first-level ceramics students will open to the public on Friday, March 4 at the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library. The exhibit is a celebration of ceramics pieces created by students during the fall semester. The show will be displayed for the entire month of March.
The Student Organization of Social Work at the University of Maine at Presque Isle will host a special panel presentation about immigration experiences on Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center.
Leaving Home: An International Journey will feature two panelists speaking about issues around immigration and their personal immigration stories. The event, which is supported by UMPI’s Diversity Committee, is being offered thanks to a University of Maine System Diversity Mini-Grant that the student organization received. The diversity mini-grants are meant to fund events, projects and activities that promote the retention of diverse student, faculty and staff populations.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle will host its Annual Career & Job Fair in the Campus Center from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 17. Twenty businesses and governmental agencies from the region and across the state are expected to participate in the event.
“The Career & Job Fair provides a unique opportunity for our students and the public to explore career options, network with employers, discover opportunities and gain professional employment,” Barbara DeVaney, Director of Career Services, said.
– Art and science will come together at the University of Maine at Presque Isle when two professors host an event in honor of internationally celebrated Brain Awareness Week. “North of Ordinary Neuro-Art Night” will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16 in the Pullen Art Room.
Biology professor Dr. Rachael Hannah and Art professor Renee Felini are teaming up to offer a fun art project that also will teach participants about brain function and neuroscience. Felini will be creating brain molds out of silicon rubber. Plaster brains will be produced from the molds that participants will be able to paint under Felini’s guidance. Hannah will offer a 15-minute presentation about the human brain, showing how brains are mapped, and then participants will use that information and their imagination to create their brain art.
– The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Faculty Noon Seminar Series has returned for the Spring 2011 semester with presentations on brain research, juvenile court systems, and genealogy.
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.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Pullen Hall soon will have a much smaller carbon footprint thanks to a $2.3 million building renovation project that includes the installation of solar panels on the roof, a biomass boiler system in the basement and many energy efficiencies in between.
Work is expected to begin later this spring on the Pullen Hall Renovation Project after UMPI officials announced this week that A&L Construction of Presque Isle has been awarded the bid as general contractor.
In addition to the two major sustainable energy systems, crews will be installing energy efficient windows, improving ADA accessibility, updating the aging heating and ventilation system, and adding temperature control in Pullen Hall, one of the University’s two major classroom buildings. A similar renovation project was done in 2008 to the adjoining classroom building, Folsom Hall.
In celebration of winter fun, families and community members are invited to come to the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Wednesday, March 2, from Noon to 5 p.m. to experience the thrill of a short dog sled ride.
A University of Maine at Presque Isle program that serves local residents over 50 and believes in “learning for life” will host its spring kick-off with a luncheon event at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 8 in the Campus Center.
Seniors Achieving Greater Education [SAGE] has worked for more than a decade to bring short courses in arts, sciences, and specialty areas to the region’s senior community. SAGE is one of 17 senior colleges in the Maine Senior College Network.
When Rex Fowler visits Aroostook County in early March to take the stage at the Caribou Performing Arts Center, he’ll be returning to the region where he first became serious about singing and songwriting. The former student at Aroostook State College (one of the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s former names) is now a nationally touring, critically acclaimed musician. Fowler is part of the award-winning band Aztec Two-Step, and he recently embarked on another project with Tom Dean of the band Devonsquare – a 7-piece ensemble called the Nu-Utopians. The group performs the songs of John Lennon as a tribute concert and their CD Imagined was just nominated for the 2010 Independent Music Awards Tribute Album of the Year. Fowler will return to northern Maine for the Nu-Utopians’ John Lennon tribute concert at CPAC on Friday, March 4 at 7 p.m. Leading up to the concert, though, Fowler shared lots of memories about his college days and how they helped to shape the artist he would become. “It was an amazing place for me to be,” Fowler remembered of his time at Aroostook State College, “a small campus environment where I was encouraged to develop my identity as an artist, a musician.”