Scholars’ Symposium
2025 Scholars’ Symposium
Theme: Boundaries and Bridges: The US-Canada Border Over Time
April 30, 2025
The UMFK Scholars’ Symposium is an annual celebration of student achievement and engagement where students have an opportunity to share their academic research through poster projects and presentations.
More Information About the Scholars’ Symposium
Join us for a dynamic day of learning and engagement featuring insightful student-led sessions complemented by presentations from distinguished guest speakers. This year’s theme explores evolving changes at the U.S.-Canada border and their impact on communities on both sides. Faculty will also provide updates on their area of focus, and there will be a free lunch for all attendees. Registration is required.
This is a terrific opportunity for community members of all ages to interact with UMFK students and learn more from subject-matter experts. The day’s events will conclude with an awards presentation to honor exemplary student work.
For a complete agenda, visit the campus portal.
Keynote Abstracts
Dr. Lisa Lavoie
Lisa Lavoie, Ph.D., LCPC, CRC, is Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK) and has completed an M.A. thesis on the effect of 9/11 on the twin towns of Fort Kent, Maine, and Clair, New Brunswick, wherein she discussed specific events that have, at times, transformed the border into a barrier. Her current research highlights the more recent effect of the COVID pandemic on local mental health and, in a broader context, on interpersonal and familial relationships in the area. She is a bilingual native of the region.
Dr. Paul Buck
With the help of historical maps, most of which are housed at USM’s Osher Map Library, Paul’s presentation examines the different perspectives of Maine statehood and of Maine culture as seen through the prism of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842, which definitively established the boundary between British North America and the United States.
Paul explores the treaty itself and its impact on the singular Acadian and Francophone community of the St. John Valley, which found itself split into two countries. He gives historical context as well, most certainly beginning with the long-standing Maliseet and Mi’kmaq communities of the region, along with Scots-Irish and, by the 1820s, of Maine Yankee residents who began arriving in the region. Finally, he will give a more modern perspective with the discussion of the framing of the region as seen through the Congrès mondial acadien/World Acadian Congress in 2014.
PAIC Jodi Williams
Patrol Agent in Charge Jodi Williams will provide an overview of the U.S. Border Patrol’s history, evolution, and key operations. The presentation will cover the agency’s origins, the impact of events like 9/11 and COVID-19, and highlights challenges in the Houlton Sector along the U.S.-Canada border. The presentation will also detail the federal hiring process and training at the Border Patrol Academy, offering insight into what it takes to become a Border Patrol agent and the agency’s role in national security and immigration enforcement.