President Kennedy's Go Blue Message
Dear
Colleagues,
When one year ends and another begins, most of us pause to
reflect and to look forward to the year ahead. That is perhaps
more true than ever as we transition to 2009 with the hope of
better things to come in terms of our national and state
economy, unrest and violence around the world, and the general
malaise that accompanies difficult times. While UMaine, like
every other public institution, faces its share of challenges, I
continue to be optimistic about our university and its future.
We have a committed, talented, hard-working faculty and staff
that are second to none and -- as the calendar turns to 2009 --
I am most grateful for the immense contributions of each member
of our community. Let me provide a few December highlights here,
along with a reminder that more UMaine achievements are
highlighted at
www.umaine.edu/insideumaine.
Congratulations to Lu Zeph, director of UMaine's Center for
Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and a member of
UMaine's education faculty, on a recent award from the
Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). That
organization recognized Lu for six years of outstanding service
on its board of directors, including a year as president. AUCD,
like UMaine, has benefited greatly from Lu's expertise and her
leadership.
Several other UMaine faculty members have also been noted for
their scholarly work in the past few weeks.
Sara Lindsay from UMaine's School of Marine Sciences faculty was
featured in a recent edition of Scientific American for her work
creating scientific images of tiny marine worms using confocal
microscopy. These images, which Sara uses to create
three-dimensional pictures, were recognized in competitions
sponsored by Nikon and Olympus.
Speaking of microscopes, professors Sam Hess and Julie Gosse,
along with research scientist Manasa Gudheti and graduate
students Travis Gould and Mudalige Gunewardene, have created a
new microscope system that allows for new ways of looking at the
molecular structures of cells. This system allows scientists to
gain new insights into the ways viruses interface with cells,
allowing infection to occur. This kind of innovation has
potentially significant ramifications for human health. This
research, which also involves colleagues in New York and
Maryland, was published in the journal Nature Methods.
Another scientific journal article, published in the Public
Library of Science's PLOS Pathogens, details research by UMaine
microbiology professor Robert Wheeler and colleagues at MIT's
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. They have made
significant progress in studies related to infections caused by
the fungus Candida albicans. This research has clinical
significance because those infections kill more than 30 percent
of those it infects.
Congratulations to University of Maine Press Director Michael
Alpert and all those involved with the recent publication of the
first-ever Passamaquoddy-Maliseet dictionary. UMaine hosted an
Honoring Ceremony in recognition of the release of the book on
Dec. 10. More than 30 years in the making, this invaluable
Native language source represents a wonderful achievement for
all involved in its development and creation.
Another scholarly effort, this one centered at UMaine's Canadian
American Center, has received a good deal of attention during
the past several days. Senior Cartographer Michael Hermann,
working with a colleague at Ohio University, has created a
40-inch by 60-inch bilingual map, "They Would Not Take Me There:
People, Places, and Stories from Champlain's Travels in Canada,
1603-1616." The map describes the 13 years, during the 1600s,
when Champlain traveled in the St. Lawrence River valley looking
for the Northwest Passage. Prof. Ray Pelletier also worked on
the project, providing translation.
Coordinated and hosted by UMaine's Hudson Museum, the annual
Maine Indian Basketmakers Sale and Demonstration was a great
success once again this year. This was the 15th year UMaine has
hosted this interesting event, which also features great
opportunities for participants to learn more about our state's
culture and history. For the second year, with the Maine Center
for the Arts under construction, the event was held in UMaine's
Student Recreation and Fitness Center.
That facility has been recognized with another award for its
design and functionality. The Rec Center is one of ten building
projects from throughout the U.S. and Canada to receive a 2008
Athletic Business Facility of Merit Award from Athletic Business
Magazine. This is the seventh, and most prestigious, design
award for this building since it opened in August 2007.
It was a genuine pleasure for me to participate in the recent
dedication of the Burt Hatlen Seminar Room in Neville Hall. This
wonderful facility will provide a real boost to the National
Poetry Foundation and the English Department. It provides a
fitting tribute to Burt, whose legacy is assured by the
excellent work of his many UMaine friends and colleagues, so
many of whom point to him as a role model and mentor.
The Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center's Distinguished Policy
Fellows program continues to provide wonderful opportunities for
UMaine to host political and policy leaders on campus. Rep.
Joshua Tardy, a UMaine graduate who serves as GOP leader in the
Maine House, visited in December and spent the day meeting with
students and others while learning first-hand about some of the
ways UMaine is working to help improve the state's economy. Mary
Cathcart does a wonderful job organizing this program and those
who visit always tell us how much they have benefited from the
experience.
Congratulations to Prof. Chip Farnham, his School of Performing
Arts colleagues and the UMaine Symphonic Band for a
well-received joint concert with the Bangor High School Band at
that school's Peakes Auditorium. The concert also provided the
opportunity to welcome back saxophonist Christopher Strange, a
University of Kentucky doctoral candidate who graduated from
UMaine in 2001. His presence, and the concert itself, presented
a nice way for UMaine faculty and students to demonstrate to
area young people the opportunities that come with studying in
the arts at UMaine.
My thanks go to all the student and faculty/staff organizations
that worked so hard during the holiday season to assist the many
community service agencies that do such wonderful work in the
local area. We are fortunate to be surrounded by so many kind
and caring people, and we can take great pride in the role
UMaine's people play in making life a little easier for our
friends and neighbors. One outstanding example was the work of
the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) in coordinating a
Toys for Tots effort, collecting gifts for area children at
several home games.
For the second consecutive year, bragging rights go to UMaine's
Navy ROTC cadets, who beat the Army ROTC in a flag football game
just days before the service academies squared off in their
traditional contest. The UMaine cadets play inside UMaine's
Mahaney Dome, at 6 a.m. on a Wednesday morning, but we're told
that spirits are high and the competition is fierce but friendly
-- despite the lack of national television coverage!
While we certainly have some challenges ahead as we work
together to deal with our budget realities, we can all be
encouraged by the fact that there is so much excellence in our
midst. As I prepare these messages each month, I take great
pride in our community's achievements and I appreciate that each
of you contributes in a meaningful way.
With best wishes for a Happy New Year,
Bob Kennedy
President
