Members of the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Fall 2015 Drawing II class have been filling small sketchbooks with all kinds of art this semester as they participate in the Brooklyn Art Library’s Sketchbook Project. Before their finished sketchbooks are submitted to the Project, however, the class will be giving the campus and community a special sneak peek at their work by hosting a show on Friday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. in the Pullen Art Gallery as part of the First Friday Art Walk.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is welcoming 9 new employees in the first part of the 2015-2016 academic year, including new professors and professional staffers.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle and the Presque Isle Rotary Club are joining forces to host their Fourth Annual World Polio Day and Purple Pinkie Project celebration and this year, with the help of the Rotary Clubs in Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Limestone and Washburn, the celebration will once again spread throughout central Aroostook County. A slate of activities will take place between Oct. 17 and Oct. 25 to celebrate World Polio Day, which takes place Oct. 23. All activities are meant to raise awareness of Rotary International’s efforts to eradicate polio worldwide and to raise money — $1 at a time – to go toward that global effort.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will host Dr. Bernd Heinrich, the New York Times bestselling author of nearly 20 books on nature and animal behavior and a national leader in the field of behavioral ecology, as the next speaker in the 2015-2016 Distinguished Lecturer Series. Dr. Heinrich’s talk will focus on the physiological ability of insects and birds to adapt to different environments and will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. This talk is free to the public and everyone is invited to attend.

Healthy competition can go a long way as Northern Maine Community College and the University of Maine at Presque Isle will demonstrate during their Second Annual Food Fight food drive. The event will begin on Oct. 16, which is World Food Day, and end on Nov. 6. All food items will be donated after the event to Catholic Charities Maine.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Art Gallery will present Mutated Growth by Brunswick artist Jackie Brown from Wednesday, Oct. 14 through Friday, Nov. 20, 2015. The public is invited to view the exhibition throughout the show’s run and attend the Gallery Reception on Friday, Nov. 6 from 5-7 p.m., which is being held in conjunction with the First Friday Art Walk. Brown will conduct an Artist Talk during the reception at 5:30 p.m.