The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine General University of Maine Publications University of Maine Publications 2016 2016, UMaine News Press Releases Division of Marketing and Communications Margaret Nagle University of Maine Beth Staples University of Maine Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/univ_publications Part of the Higher Education Commons, and the History Commons Repository Citation Division of Marketing and Communications; Nagle, Margaret; and Staples, Beth, "2016, UMaine News Press Releases" (2016). General University of Maine Publications. 1100. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/univ_publications/1100 This Monograph is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in General University of Maine Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UMaine News Press Releases from Word Press XML export 2016 WVII reports on UMMA New Year’s Eve crown-making event 04 Jan 2016 WVII (Channel 7) reported on a crown-making event held at the University of Maine Museum of Art (UMMA) in downtown Bangor on New Year’s Eve. The free event was open to anyone who wanted to use art supplies to decorate a crown or tiara for the holiday, according to the report. Silka contributes to BDN series on how to improve Maine’s economy 04 Jan 2016 Linda Silka, a senior fellow at the University of Maine’s Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, wrote the article, “What Maine can learn from how Lowell, Mass. welcomed immigrants, rebuilt its city,” for a Bangor Daily News series on how to improve Maine’s economy. In the article, Silka cited UMaine research that has found that when Mainers see something as a part of the state’s traditions, they welcome what otherwise might be seen as a scary new prospect. Dill quoted in Press Herald Maine Gardener column 04 Jan 2016 Jim Dill, a pest management specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, spoke with the Portland Press Herald for the latest column in the Maine Gardener series, titled “Pesticides may get rid of ticks, but at what cost?” Bifenthrin, used to spray yards; and permethrin, used mostly to treat clothing to repel ticks, are man-made versions of a material found in chrysanthemums, and they work by attacking the nervous system of insects, according to the article. An official with Beyond Pesticides, an anti-pesticide group based in Washington, D.C., said the pesticides also can attack the nervous system of other species including people, pets and fish, the article states. However, Dill said if label directions are followed carefully, the risk of danger to humans and other creatures in using bifenthrin is low, and that it is the best option for killing ticks. Black Bear Exchange mentioned in BDN article on fight against food insecurity 04 Jan 2016 Black Bear Exchange, the University of Maine’s food pantry and clothing swap, was mentioned in a Bangor Daily News article about students and organizations working to end food insecurity on college campuses. In 2009, UMaine created the Black Bear Exchange, which is supported by local student and staff food drives, according to the article. The exchange is open to students and their families, as well as faculty and staff. It dispensed 5,600 food items in the last year, the article states. MPBN series to focus on aging, latest Maine Policy Review 04 Jan 2016 Throughout January, the Maine Public Broadcasting Network’s “Morning Edition” will feature a series of interviews focused on the challenges faced by Maine’s increasing population of older adults and how public policy is addressing them. Guests will be authors who contributed to the Maine Policy Review’s “Special Issue on Aging.” The publication is produced by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine. Julie Fralich, who recently retired as director of the Program on Disability and Aging within the Cutler Institute of the Muskie School at the University of Southern Maine, was the first guest in the series. Fralich wrote the essay, “Shaping the Health and Long-Term-Care Infrastructure Serving Older Adults: Historical Trends and Future Directions.” Research Administrators’ Network roundtable Jan. 12 05 Jan 2016 The University of Maine’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs invites staff who support research activities at UMaine to attend the launch of the Research Administrators’ Network (RAN) from 2–4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12 in Wells Conference Center. RAN aims to promote networking; share information, expertise and best practices; identify and develop tools and resources to support research administrators; and enhance communication between ORSP and research administrative support personnel. RSVP to [email protected] by Jan. 6. More information is online. Brewer quoted in MPBN report on rumor that Sen. Collins will run for governor 05 Jan 2016 Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine, spoke with the Maine Public Broadcasting Network for a report on a rumor that Republican Sen. Susan Collins is considering to run for governor of Maine. For months, politicians have speculated that Collins may have eyes on the Blaine House three years from now, when Gov. Paul LePage’s second term comes to an end, according to the report. “I don’t know where this rumor started but I can tell you that it did not start with me, it did not come from me I am not the source of it,” she said. “I am not ruling anything in or out.” Brewer said Collins could have the nomination if she wanted it, citing her high popularity rating in the polls. He also praised her answer to the speculation. “I think that’s, in many ways, the perfect response to that type of question,” Brewer said. “She makes it clear that she knows these rumors are out there, she is not sure where they are coming from. They are not coming from her, but as any good politician she doesn’t completely shut the door on any possibility.” He said any definitive indications of a Blaine House run would likely not emerge for another two years, the report states. DMC scientists to discuss water quality in estuaries 06 Jan 2016 University of Maine marine scientists will participate in a presentation about water quality trends in local estuaries 5:30–6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14 at Damariscotta River Association’s Round Top Farm, 3 Round Top Lane, Damariscotta. Darling Marine Center oceanographer Larry Mayer and researcher Kathleen Thornton will show how water is sampled and tested as well as discuss and interpret data at the presentation titled “Ocean Acidification in Midcoast Maine Estuaries.” Salt and fresh water meet and mix in estuaries, which can be strongly affected by land- based activities. The health of estuaries is critical to wildlife that lives in and migrates through the region, as well as people and a variety of marine-based businesses. The presentation is the result of a partnership between DMC and an alliance of water monitoring organizations called the Maine Coastal Observing Alliance (MCOA). The program is free; registration is recommended. Friday, Jan. 15 is the snow date. For more information and to register, contact 563.1393 or [email protected]. Rebar speaks at American Agri-Women Convention, St. John Valley Times reports 06 Jan 2016 St. John Valley Times reported the 40th annual American Agri-Women Convention recently was held in Portland with 147 in attendance. Maine Agri-Women hosted the event with the theme “Harvesting for the Future,” according to the article. John Rebar, executive director of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, was among the event’s speakers who discussed issues concerning many aspects of agriculture and its future in Maine, the article states. CCI, Mayewski cited in Harvard Gazette article on ice core data related to Black Death 06 Jan 2016 Harvard Gazette reported new research using a unique combination of ice core data and written historical records indicates that the cool, wet weather blamed for one of the deadliest disease outbreaks in human history affected a much wider area over a much longer period. The preliminary work suggests a deep, prolonged food shortage occurred in the years leading to the Black Death that swept through Europe in 1347, according to the article. The ice core data is part of a program linking traditional historical research with scientific data-collecting techniques. The program, called the Initiative for the Science of the Human Past at Harvard (SoHP), is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute and researchers at Heidelberg University. The project’s UMaine researchers, led by CCI director Paul Mayewski, have developed a laser-based method of ice analysis that allows much higher resolution analysis of very thin ice layers and can go back farther than previous techniques, the article states. The research also was the focus of the Harvard Magazine article, "The Science of History." Grad student speaks with media about Follow a Researcher program 06 Jan 2016 Kit Hamley, a graduate student at the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute, recently spoke with WABI (Channel 5) and WLBZ (Channel 2) about the Follow a Researcher program. For a second year, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H is offering the program that aims to connect K–12 students in Maine and around the country to UMaine researchers in the field. From Jan. 14 through Feb. 13, participants will watch as Hamley, who is pursuing a master’s degree in quaternary and climate studies, travels to the Falkland Islands to research an extinct species of fox called the warrah.