UMFK Announces English 100 and Rural U Writing Project Composition Series: LIFE Review, Volume Two

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Compositiom Series LIFE Review , Volumne TwoThe University of Maine at Fort Kent is pleased to announce the launch and printing of ENG 100 and Rural U Writing Project Composition Series: LIFE Review, Volume Two.

In a Zoom event scheduled on June 1, 2022 hosted by English faculty members, Dr. Joseph Becker and Professor Geraldine Cannon Becker, the second book of the series is unveiled.

These student interview essays went through a peer review process and were evaluated before being nominated for publication by their teachers. The selected essays were finally read by a panel of five objective judges to select for the awards.

This year, the Old Sylvain House Press Awards were funded by Dr. Joseph E. Becker and Professor Geraldine Cannon Becker.

Winners of the awards are, in first place, Skyler Darrow (Bangor ME); second place (tie), Avery March (Otisfield, ME) and Jasper Makowski (Dover Foxcroft, ME); third place (tie), Madeline Danenhower (Westbrook ME) and Kassidy Gorneault (Fort Fairfield, ME); fourth place (tie), Melissa Mayo (Bridgton, ME) and Rose Reischl (Fort Fairfield, ME), as well as honorable mentions, Jennah Brooks (Island Falls, ME); William Maines (Gray, ME); Ryan Howard (Bangor, ME); Liz Smith (Casco, ME); Leah Plummer (Casco, ME); Kylie Day (Porter, ME); Abby MacDonald (Bangor, ME); Naomi Obenhaus (Sabattus, ME); and Callie Russell (Smyrna Mills, ME).

“English studies and publication opportunities are important in all fields. An Applied Communication English minor gives students tools and techniques for a better focus on how to effectively apply skills of communication to their individual field of study. The NEW English is creative writing with a specific focus on Nature and the Environment,” said Dr. Joseph E. Becker.

On top of paying for the publication of essays written for the Composition Series: LIFE Review, depending upon funding, an annual scholarship may be awarded to a student who has had an essay published and is pursuing a degree in an area of study that is compatible with English at UMFK.

Professor Geraldine Cannon Becker said, “Students could choose to minor in English at UMFK, and we would be happy to help them succeed in Applied Communications or our NEW minor–Nature and Environmental Writing. Come grow with us!”

All money from book sales goes into the Old Sylvain House Press Award Fund. This Fund was put in place by Dr. Becker and Professor Cannon Becker and to benefit the education of students at UMFK and to honor their commitment to the importance of education for young people, specifically in the area of English Language Arts.

UMFK’s Development Officer, Shannon Lugdon, would like to note that anyone interested in donating toward the publication or scholarship award could give at UMFK.edu/donate and designate Old Sylvain House Press Award Fund in the memo.

Additional copies of the second edition may be purchased through the Old Sylvain House Press website.

UMFK Hires New Forestry Professor

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headshot of Stephanie Landry, UMFK's new Assistant Professor of ForestryThe University of Maine at Fort Kent is pleased to announce that Stephanie Landry has been hired as an Applied Forestry Management faculty member.

“We’re so happy to have such a qualified faculty member familiar with the area join us,” said UMFK President Deb Hedeen. “Her expertise in local forests on both sides of the border will be valuable to our students.”

Landry received her bachelor’s degree in biology, with a minor in sociology, from the University of Moncton in 2010. She earned her masters in 2012 from the University of Sherbrooke. Landry is currently finishing her Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Quebec at Rimouski. She is also fluent in French and English.

“I’m so excited to join the UMFK family,” said Landry. “I’m thankful to be able to share my passion for the sustainable management of the forest with the students and doing so not far from home in the region I grew up in is wonderful.”

Landry has been widely published in various publications on topics from LiDAR and remote sensing to canopy cover estimation from Landsat images. She has conducted research on the factors impacting forest regeneration and created tools to estimate different forest characteristics of the Acadian Forest Region of North America. Landry’s area of expertise is broad, covering statistical modeling to landscape ecology.

“The experience I’ve developed in remote sensing, especially with LiDAR, will be an asset for UMFK as well as the students,” said Landry. “The students will develop skills sought by employers, which will make them more competitive in the job market.”

For more information on the Applied Forest Management program at UMFK, please go to the Applied Forest Management webpage or call (207) 834-7500.

UMFK Announces Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Inductees

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The University of Maine at Fort Kent is proud to announce the UMFK Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Inductees:

  • Ed McKay ’82 – Men’s Basketball
  • Eric Werntgen ’99 – Coach/Administrator (inducted posthumously)
  • Katherine Ferland ’16 – Women’s Soccer
  • Ben Kluvers ’17 – Men’s Soccer

photo of inductee Ben Kluvers

photo of inductee Ed McKay

photo of inductee Eric Werntgen

photo of inductee Katherine Ferland

Inductees will be honored at the 2022 UMFK Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony, during Homecoming Weekend, on Saturday, September 10th at 6 p.m.

More information on each of our inductees and induction ceremony will be released over the summer.

UMFK Hires New Assistant Professor of Computer Science

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Assistant Professor of Computer Science Dr. Kelly White at UMFKThe University of Maine at Fort Kent is pleased to welcome Dr. Kelly White as an assistant professor of computer science.

“Dr. White brings a wonderful combination of technical and educational backgrounds that will allow our students to have greater exposure to the requirements of the industry,” said UMFK President Deb Hedeen.

Dr. White earned his associate’s degree in visual arts from the Community College of Vermont and his bachelor’s in fine art from Arizona State University. He then received his master’s degree in educational technology from the University of Phoenix, and his first doctoral work was in computing technology in education from Nova Southeastern University. Finally, he earned his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of New England.

Prior to teaching at UMFK, Dr. White taught for MSAD #1. For over ten years he was the Director of Teaching and Learning at McLennan Community College in Texas. He also served as the Coordinator of Academic Services for the Community College of Vermont for six years.

“Dr. White utilizes current real-world examples of cybersecurity threats, such as the log4j vulnerability, to educate his students with the most relevant information,” said UMFK student Nickolas Tozier. “He is excellent at developing his student’s critical thinking and communication skills so that we may accurately and competently explain risks and remediation efforts to our future employers. Dr. White will be a valuable asset not only to UMFK, but especially for his students for many years to come.”

Dr. White has extensive experience in curricular design and creation. He has already contributed to the revamp of UMFK’s former Computer Applications program and helped adjust it to become more industry friendly as the Computer Systems Administration program.

At UMFK’s recent Scholar Symposium, Dr. White presented on application development and the intersectionality of university need and student interest in technology. He discussed how he will be helping students learn how to develop smartphone apps and the entire research process that is required to build a successful one.

“Dr. White’s classes have brought high-end concepts such as augmented reality to northern Maine,” said UMFK student Kobe Chasse. “Having a professor that pushes the boundaries of computer science is extremely beneficial in an area with a burgeoning computer field. I hope to work with him in my future endeavors.”

For more information go to www.umfk.edu or call (207) 834-7500.

UMFK Nursing Student Honored with Award

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The University of Maine at Fort Kent is pleased to announce that nursing student, Irene Neal, was recently honored by Maine Campus Compact (MCC) on April 28, 2022, at its 21st Annual Awards Ceremony. Neal was awarded the Heart and Soul Award which recognizes outstanding work in public service and civic engagement by Maine faculty, students, and community and corporate partners.

“During these unprecedented times, our award recipients’ positive impacts on campuses and in communities throughout the state reinforce the importance of the public purposes of higher education,” said Sally Slovenski from MCC.

The Heart and Soul Student Award recognizes six Maine undergraduate students who are actively involved in transforming their campuses and communities into environments of civic engagement. These students have developed positive community and campus change and have worked to institutionalize their community projects. They have implemented innovative approaches to social, educational, environmental, health, economic and legal issues facing their communities and demonstrated leadership through their successful involvement of others on campus and in the community.

“We’re so proud that Ms. Neal’s work is being recognized at the state level,” said UMFK President Deb Hedeen. “She has had such an impact on campus and with her peers.”

Neal is from central Maine. She began her college journey at the University of Maine studying Biomedical Engineering but changed her major to Nursing at UMFK. As a Student Trustee to the University of Maine System Board of Trustees during the onset of the pandemic, she strongly advocated for science-based responses—masking, testing, social distancing, vaccinations—and this focus on public health informs her continuing activities. In addition to serving as an officer on the UMFK Student Nurses Organization, she has also worked part-time as a CNA. After graduation in May, she will start her nursing career at Duke University Hospital in North Carolina on a Cardiac Stepdown Unit.

“Ms. Neal pursued her preceptorship at Duke University Hospital, and they were so impressed with her that they have offered her a position upon graduation,” said UMFK Dean of Nursing, Dr. Erin Soucy. “She has been a wonderful student to have on campus.

For more information about the nursing program at UMFK, please go to the Nursing program webpage or call (207) 834-7600.

UMFK Hires New Forestry Professor

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The University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK) is pleased to welcome Dr. Libin Thaikkattil Louis as a new assistant professor of forestry.

“We are very excited to have Dr. Louis join us as an assistant professor of forestry,” said UMFK President Deb Hedeen. “His research will benefit our students greatly.”

Dr. Louis received his Ph.D. in Forest Resources from the University of Maine in 2021 and his doctoral research focused on the economic constraints of timber harvesting, developing a novel model for the small diameter tree market scenario for the region, and exploring the perspectives of forestry stakeholders in the Northeastern states. Previously, he had been trained as a landscape ecologist exploring the importance of landscape composition and configuration on biodiversity in agricultural farms as part of his master’s in forestry from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He has also completed his bachelor’s in forestry from Kerala Agricultural University in Kerala, India.

“I am very excited to be part of UMFK,” said Dr. Louis. “This opportunity helps me to work closely with my research collaborators on the UMaine campus as well as to continue to pursue my research interests in the forests of Maine. Moreover, teaching has always been a passion of mine and I cherish continuing to provide quality forestry field experiences as part of the courses.”

Published in well-known forestry peer-reviewed journals such as International Journal of Forest Engineering, Forests, and Current Forestry Reports, Dr. Louis has remained at the forefront of research in his field of study. He has presented his research at various regional, national, and international conferences such as Symposium on Forestry Mechanization, Council of Forest Engineers, and International Congress on Conservation Biology. His current research interests are biomass and bioenergy, economics of timber harvesting, and reducing the environmental impacts of forest management in the Northeast United States.

“When I moved to Maine in January 2019, Fort Kent was one of the first places I visited as part of a course field tour,” said Dr. Louis. “I instantly fell in love with the incredible Northern Maine woods. It is my great pleasure to be living in Northern Maine because I have worked with various forestry professionals in the region as one of the study areas in my doctoral thesis was near Eagle Lake.”

Dr. Louis is a seasoned subject matter expert and presenter. He is proficient in several advanced analysis software utilized in scientific research as well as in the forest industry. Dr. Louis will be teaching forestry classes such as Introduction to Global Positioning; Forest Ecology; Forest Products, Harvesting, Transportation, and Forest Mensuration. In his free time, Dr. Louis enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking and photography.

For more information, please go to www.umfk.edu or call (207) 834-7500.

UMFK Professor Awarded Research Grant

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The University of Maine at Fort Kent is pleased to announce that Professor Duane Belanger has been awarded a Rural Health and Wellbeing Grand Challenge Injury Prevention Seed Grant focusing on safety and wellness of Acadian residents of the upper Saint John River valley.

Professor Belanger will be focusing several inherited forms of spastic ataxia in French-Canadians and whether there is any evidence of dysarthria, lower limb spasticity, and distal weakness affecting lower limb movement and gait within the patient population of the area, which may increase the risk for falls and injuries. The grant also provides for the inventory and evaluation of traditional and complimentary alterative medical (CAM) treatments utilized within the French Acadian culture.

“This is an innovative collaboration between the Nursing and Behavioral Sciences program at UMFK and the Physical Science and Physical Therapy Assistant programs of UMPI which provides an opportunity for undergraduate students in both programs to cultivate inter-professional relationships that will provide professional development opportunities for our students on both campuses,” said Belanger.

The $25,000 research grant provides undergraduate research stipends for up to 15 nursing, behavioral science, physical sciences, and physical therapy assistant students from both campuses. As primary researcher, Professor Belanger will be working with Dr. Matthew Papsadora of the UMPI along with UMFK professors Maisie Plourde and Larry Nadeau.

“There is an existing and long-standing history of collaboration between the two campuses and the implementation of this project resolves to reinforce and build upon the positive momentum achieved thus far,” said Belanger.

The application portal for student will open shortly with an application deadline shortly before the beginning of the fall semester. By participating in this grant the hope is that students will become engaged practitioners prepared to be active participants within the evolving inter-professional collaborative healthcare delivery model focused on preventing falls, improving the patient experience, and delivering improved patient outcomes.

For more information you may contact Professor Belanger via email at duane.belanger@maine.edu or via phone at (207) 834-7586. Information on this research project may be obtained by visiting https://duanebelanger.wixsite.com/grandchallenge

UMFK’s Acadian Archives to Hold Open House

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The Acadian Archives at the University of Maine at Fort Kent is pleased to announce that on Friday, May 20, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., they will be holding a special, daylong meet-and-greet event. Tailored to community members who have yet to discover the Archives or who have not visited in a long time, this event will be an opportunity to meet the staff, (re)discover the institution’s resources, and learn about activities and events.

“We’re extremely privileged to serve as custodians of the rich recorded history of French-heritage peoples in the Upper St. John River,” said Dr. Patrick Lacroix, director of the Acadian Archives acadiennes. “We are always happy to share our passion and our resources and to enhance the visibility of Acadian culture.”

Although this tour of archival collections will not focus solely on genealogy, it will provide visitors who have an interest in family history with a glimpse of available resources. Special, seldom-seen artifacts will be on display, including woodcarvings and nineteenth-century maps.

Archives staff are also planning virtual information sessions for researchers who want to make the most of the institution’s extensive collections from afar. For more information on the Acadian Archives, please go to the Acadian Archives webpage or call (207) 834-7535.

UMFK To Become a Pet-Friendly Campus

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Crocker Hall now allows pets, cat Oliva is a residentThe University of Maine at Fort Kent will be the first University of Maine System school to have a pet-friendly residence hall, effective fall 2022.

Beginning with the Fall 2022 semester, students who live in Crocker Hall may bring a small pet to live with them. The pets that will be allowed to live in Crocker Hall are cats, hamsters, gerbils, hermit crabs, and certain types of birds.

“We are very excited to offer this option for students,” said UMFK Dean of Students Matthew Morrin. “Approximately 1% of American universities allow pets on campus and UMFK will be the first school in the University of Maine System to be pet friendly. We hope that this will attract and retain students in our residence halls.”

A frequent concern that students have is that they cannot bring a pet, or get one, to live with them in residence. This new approach is aimed at addressing that concern.

“We are launching this initiative in a wing of Crocker Hall to determine how many students respond to this opportunity,” said UMFK President Deb Hedeen. “As a first-come, first-served opportunity we expect it to fill quickly.”

There are specific health requirements and standards of care that are currently in place for the service animals allowed on campus. Those same standards of care will be utilized for the pets allowed in Crocker Hall. Pets in Crocker, however, must remain in their assigned rooms in the residence hall. They will not be allowed to be in other areas of campus like registered service animals.

“For many students, this will make the residence halls feel more like home,” said Morrin. “We strive to make students feel like we’re their home away from home. We hope that adjusting to meet the needs of current and prospective students UMFK will be their school of choice and they will have an even better college experience.”

For more information on the specifics regarding having a pet in Crocker Hall, please go to www.umfk.edu/student-life/ or call 834-7500.

UMFK Scholars’ Symposium to Feature Students’ Achievements

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The University of Maine at Fort Kent’s eleventh annual Scholars’ Symposium will take place on Tuesday, April 26th, and Wednesday, April 27th, on the UMFK campus. The theme of this year’s event is “Perspectives: a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.”

“Our committee composed of faculty, students, and staff felt Perspectives was an important theme in recognition of the complexity of the diversity of perspectives and outlooks on our campus and globally,” said Dr. Kaisa Holloway Cripps, co-chair of the committee along with colleagues Dr. Michael Curran and Dr. Leo Trudel. “The theme provides a way for us to share our opinions and engage in collegial conversation to continue to build our positive campus and Fort Kent community.”

The two-day showcase of students’ academic achievements kicks off on Tuesday evening with a talk by Acadian Archives/Archives Acadienne Director Dr. Patrick Lacroix, who will share perspectives on the Acadian and Franco communities of St. John Valley and beyond. The presentation will be held at 6:00 p.m. in the Bengal’s Lair, located in Cyr Hall.

Dr. Lacroix earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in history at institutions throughout Canada and New England. Dr. Lacroix has published several pieces in publications. He recently published in the American Review of Canadian Studies, Prelude to the “Great Hemorrhage”: French Canadians in the United States, 1775-1840.

On Wednesday, the symposium will begin with a welcome from UMFK President Dr. Deb Hedeen at 8:30 a.m. in Fox Auditorium. She will be followed by the keynote speaker Honorable Troy Jackson, Maine State Senate president and UMFK alumnus from the class of 2001, who will speak to the UMFK campus community at 8:40 a.m.

Troy Jackson is a fifth-generation logger from Allagash, Maine. Jackson serves in the Maine Senate from District 1, representing northern Aroostook County. In 2018, he was unanimously elected president of the Maine Senate, and in 2020, Jackson was re-elected to that position.

According to his webpage, “In Augusta, Troy has emerged as a health care champion, spearheading legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs, increase access to care, and fund rural hospitals. He has fought for property tax relief so hardworking Mainers can afford to stay in their homes and communities. He has led the charge to protect workers’ rights and worked to promote good-paying jobs in rural Maine.”

At 9:10 a.m. in Fox Auditorium, undergraduate awards will be presented by Dr. Hedeen.

“Lightning Talks,” which are five-minute presentations that will focus on a single topic, example, idea, project, or technique, will be presented by UMFK faculty and community members beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium.

The symposium will include a panel discussion by Dr. Paul Mayeswski and Dr. Alice (Pips) Veazey on “Maine and the Arctic: Perspectives on the Connections and Solutions.”

Dr. Mayewski is Director and Professor of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine and Distinguished Professor in the Schools of Earth and Climate Sciences, Marine Sciences, Policy and International Affairs, the Business School, and Law School. He is an internationally acclaimed glaciologist, climate scientist, and polar explorer, leader of many expeditions.

Dr. Veazey is Director of the UMaine Portland Gateway. She has led numerous teams of students, educators, scientists, decision-makers, and community partners to increase research competitiveness, promote economic development efforts, and expand statewide workforce programs.

Question and answer sessions will follow presentations held in the auditorium and be monitored by the UMFK Scholar Symposium committee chairs.

The afternoon will highlight students’ research with poster sessions, presentations, and demonstrations, and the students will answer questions about their methodologies and findings. These will be held simultaneously from 1:30 pm to 3:30 p.m. around the campus.

Students can earn an Undergraduate Research Scholar micro-credential through their research and are eligible to earn awards and certificates.

The symposium is free, and the public is welcome. Please check umfk.edu for requirements related to Covid-19.