The Bangor Daily News, WABI (Channel 5 in Bangor), WFVX (Fox 22 in Bangor) and WMTW (ABC 8 in Portland) highlighted the formalization of the Black Bear Advantage program by the University of Maine, the University of Maine at Machias and the Maine Community College System on Thursday, April 18. The new co-enrollment program will benefit community college students statewide and ultimately grow the size and skill of Maine’s workforce by creating a seamless pathway for students to transfer from community college to UMaine or UMaine Machias ..read more

A story from Courthouse News Service on Maine’s mud season featured an interview with University of Maine associate professor of geotechnical engineering Aaron Gallant. Mud season, known in Maine to last from mid-March through April, is notorious for rutty roads and muddy shoes, but Gallant explains the scientific reasons behind why the season is prevalent in Maine: melting snowpack, spring rains and the silt and fine-sand soils. “What’s happening more often in recent years is we’re having more freeze-thaw cycles,” said Gallant, which “further weakens the soil and results in more mud, as well ..read more

The Windham Eagle highlighted the kick off for the growing season for Raymond Community Garden, an effort that started about 10 years ago with federal stimulus funding and is maintained through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine Hunger Project. The community garden contains both rental plots and a large common plot, where the produce grown is donated to a food pantry for families in need ..read more

Susan Smith, associate research professor in art at the University of Maine, will be featured in the Local Color Gallery in Belfast. The Penobscot Bay Pilot highlighted Smith, also graduate coordinator of Intermedia Programs at UMaine, as one of three artists who will have work featured year-round in the gallery starting Tuesday, April 23. A welcoming reception for the three will be held from 4-7 p.m. Friday, April 26. Smith’s work reflects stewardship of land and water, and she uses foraged materials to color or texturize her art ..read more

Four students from the University of Maine Animal and Veterinary Sciences Program competed in the North American Intercollegiate Dairy Challenge held from April 4-6 in Visalia, California. They joined 212 students from 37 colleges and universities from across the U.S. and Canada.  Students visited one of the three hosting dairy farms in California. The Dairy Challenge provides a unique opportunity for students to engage in dairy industry management and communication, while networking with other students and exploring industry careers. The Dairy Challenge provides a platform for students t ..read more

The Mount Desert Islander featured the 2024 Acadia Science Fellows, who are both graduate students at the University of Maine. Peter Howe is pursuing his degree through the UMaine School of Forest Resources and Marisa Monroa is a research assistant in the UMaine Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation Biology. The fellowships support research to inform the management of forests and wildlife in Acadia National Park and other national parks as they experience rapid environmental changes ..read more

The Versant Power Astronomy Center at the University of Maine is accepting used eclipse glasses to give to others for future events, particularly to children who live outside of the U.S. and may lack access to these resources.  The drop off for undamaged glasses is located inside the center, which is open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 6-8 p.m. on Fridays and from 1-5 p.m. on Sundays. The center is accepting glasses until Sunday, May 5. The effort is part of the center’s participation in the Eclipse Glasses USA donation program, which aims to help as many people as possibl ..read more

With its abundant natural resources, Maine’s K-12 schools have long embraced outdoor education and place-based learning. As the flagship campus of the state’s public university system, the University of Maine also has a long tradition of outdoor leadership and adventure learning.  UMaine’s College of Education and Human Development, the largest teacher preparation and training program in the state, recently launched a new outdoor leadership and education graduate certificate. The program is intended for practicing teachers and other professionals who want to incorporate more outdoor and e ..read more

The Wall Street Journal interviewed University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center Director Habib Dagher for a podcast on how the speed and affordability of 3D printing could make it vital to the future of manufacturing. The podcast mentions the bio-based home, a boat, offshore windmill blades and floor systems for high-rise buildings that have been 3D printed at the ASCC. During a tour of the facility with WSJ, Dagher explained how the printer works and where the center is looking ahead for the future of 3D printing. He said UMaine has raised $81.5 million to construct the Gree ..read more

Mainebiz noted the planned renovations and upgrades to the University of Maine Harold Alfond Sports Arena and Shawn Walsh Hockey Center in an article about statewide construction projects that will have impact on tourism and other state industries ..read more