(More photos here.)

This year’s trip had a special send-off: in early October, many of our students were able to meet Betsy ’55 and Bill Leitch, who make this trip possible each year. It was a wonderful visit and we are all grateful for their support of research and travel at the Honors College.

UMaine Presentations:

Dean Charlie Slavin participated in a Developing in Honors Session where speakers shared ideas regarding Fundraising for Honors: A way to ease budgetary pain? Slavin also presented with Mark Haggerty, Rezendes Preceptor for Civic Engagement, and Mimi Killinger, Rezendes Preceptor for the Arts, on The Formation of Rubrics for Evaluation of Honors College Theses. Emily Cain ’02, Coordinator of Advancement, took part in a Developing in Honors panel focused on Protecting our Programs from External Demands. Barbara Ouellette, Coordinator of Student Academic Services and Budget, participated in another breakout session entitled Honors Housing: Living-Learning Communities, where she was able to highlight the new renovations in Colvin Hall!

For their project, Beyond College Avenue: Civic Engagement in the UMaine Honors Experience, Karin Baard ’12 (English and Spanish), Timothy Baker ’10 (mathematics) and Keri West ’12 (English and history) worked on strategies for incorporating volunteerism into the Honors College– a topic of interest to many of our students.Samantha L. Paradis ’12 (history and theatre) and Gregory Viens ’12 (ecology and environmental studies) presented Reading between the Lines: Newspaper-Generated Poetry and the Global Perspective, along with their Honors 111 preceptor, Melissa Ladenheim, and Honors Associate Stephani Nola ’07. They focused on using newspaper articles as a pedagogical tool for explaining themes raised in the curriculum.

Kristen Kuhns ’10 (anthropology) and Morgan Brockington ’11 (anthropology) presented Ethnogenesis: The Construction & Dynamics of the Honors Classroom Culture, along with Honors preceptors Ladenheim and Edith Elwood. They discussed the formation and negotiation of classroom culture, based on survey data and class observation. Killinger, François Amar, Honors preceptor, Katherine Brown ’11 (marine science), and Rachel Snell ’06, Honors Associate, discussed integrating cultural events into the Honors requirements, through Honors 180 (now Honors 188). Their presentation was entitled From Page to Stage: Performing Arts in the Honors Curriculum. Julie Herbert ’11 (history) & Brianna Monahan ’10 (food science & human nutrition) presented Decorum Delegates! Decorum! Integrating the Theoretical and Practical: A Comprehensive and Practical Study of United Nations Internal Proceedings in the 21st Century. They propose an Honors seminar focused on the history and operations of the UN, culminating with a trip to McGill University’s Model UN.

Two UMaine Honors presentations were placed at the same roundtable, arranged by theme. Carly Gaudette ’11 (chemistry), Erica Brown ’11 (molecular and cellular biology), and Honors preceptors Amar and Elwood presented Can Honors Bridge the Two Cultures? Integrating Science into the Core. Bradie Manion ’12 (biochemistry) also took part in the discussion, with a focus on Exploring Gray Matter: Science and Technology Expanded through Honors.

Across the room, more UMaine students were engaged in a lively discussion based on Currents & Contexts: Enhancing Student Awareness with Global Issues. This conversation was led by Haggerty and former Honors 170 student facilitators: Ankita Chowdhury ’10 (molecular and cellular biology), Michael Maberry ’10 (history), Nolan Southard ’10 (mechanical engineering), Kasey Spear ’10 (English and secondary education).

Presenting posters at the conference were: Amy Foley ’10 (biochemistry and molecular & cellular biology), The Effect of Artificial Sweeteners on E. Coli and Dictyostelium Discoideum; Chowdhury (molecular & cellular biology) Ovalbumin Expressing Candida albicans as a Model to Study the Role of the Innate Immune System in the Stimulation of an Effective Adaptive Immune Response to C. albicans; Matthew Ciampa ’10 (financial economics) & Derek Hardy ’10 (financial economics), Ability of Financial Futures to Predict Eventual Spot Prices.

National Archives, Washington, DC

Where to begin? This past summer has been one of the best I have ever had! My experience working at the National Archives as an archivist aide for the past three months proved to be more beneficial to my growth as a history major and an independent young woman than I could have ever imagined! Living down in Washington DC for the summer, far away from the rocky coasts and salty refreshing breezes of Maine and the slow paced world I am used to, was challenging, especially since I had not made such a leap of independence since my move to the University of Maine in the fall of 2007. This campus, it’s friendly people, and it’s relaxing, comfortable atmosphere, has been my home and such a great fit for me. I was surprised to find that by my second month, Washington felt like home, albeit different in every way imaginable to living in Maine.

My first week was filled with all the nervousness and anxiety of adjusting to a new environment at a new job and navigating a fast paced city. Thankfully I lived within walking distance of the National Archives in a townhouse on Maryland Avenue with other female interns and student temporaries who were just as clueless as I was. All my housemates, except for one, a fellow UMaine Honors student and my roommate, where not from Maine, in fact, many of them were from states and schools from Washington to North Carolina to Indiana.  It was so nice to come home from an awesome day at work to a bunch of girls who would grow to be to me more like sisters than just nine other college students with which I shared a house. We were able to help each other tackle the day-to-day struggles of acclimating ourselves to our new surroundings and had some exciting adventures exploring the city.

Julie on the job in her blue smock!

I also had the good fortune of having wonderful, friendly, helpful coworkers at the National Archives. What did I do exactly? Well, besides getting to touch and handle documents and records from as far back and even predating the birth of our nation, I was also able to have one-on-one interaction with the many researchers, historians, and genealogists who visit the Archives on a regular basis. From finding and touching Abraham Lincoln’s signature, to being able to handle, hold, and photocopy Joshua Chamberlain’s pension, to viewing the Louisiana Purchase and Napoleon Bonaparte’s signature in the Treasure Room, this summer has been a non-stop joy ride of exciting historical findings.

My daily duties consisted of pulling and furnishing the records requested by researchers to the holding room and refilling them, responding to emails or written requests for information concerning military pensions, enlistments, assignments, and general service records, as well as helping the Textual Archives Services Division with general organization. I worked under the archivists in the Old Civil and Military Records Division who were ever patient with me as I attempted to not get lost in the stacks and always available to help me when I was not able to find a record or reference for a researcher. More than anything, I enjoyed my special project, responding to researchers written requests, which allowed me to search through the stacks for relevant information concerning their subjects. It was like being given one clue and then being sent on a scavenger hunt, in which most times, you would find an “almost match” or hit a dead end. Though it could get frustrating sometimes, mostly because I always wanted to be able to answer the researchers questions or find record of their ancestor’s service for them, it helped me to realize just how much patience historians have when conducting their research. It can take months for them to go through the records they request to find the facts or information they need.

The most rewarding aspect of my experience was being surrounded by such wonderful history-enthused people, and getting to feel like I was a part of an organization that really cares about making our nation’s history something everyone can appreciate and have access to. It’s my hope to return to NARA next summer and continue to help them organize and digitize records. I am deeply grateful for the extraordinary opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a historian and archivist in Washington DC.

Julie and her roommate, fellow UMaine Honors student Meredith Cherry, enjoy the Red Sox's in DC

Our nation’s Capitol is an extremely upbeat and exciting place to live, especially in the summer. With its professional atmosphere and clean, well kept public places, free museums, outside weekend markets, and its endless calendar of bands, plays, and shows that come through, made for a most eventful summer. A few extracurricular highlights included being able to go to two Washington Nationals games (including one against the Boston Red Sox), watch the National Memorial Day Celebration Concert put on by PBS at the Capitol, and of course spend the 4^th of July with my family watching the parade and the enjoying the spectacular fireworks presentation!

I’m a Maine girl, born and bred, and although it has always been my home, and will be my place of residency for my next two years, I know Washington DC holds a big piece of my heart and a prominent role in my future. Thank you all so much for believing in me and providing wisdom and guidance as I study and grow here. I can only hope to make you proud. Who knows, maybe I could be the next Head Archivist of the United States?

Excerpt from my Travel Journal.  Day One in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Upon arrival in Dhaka, hotel transportation ushered me out of the airport.  The gentleman with the placard kindly offered to have me wait in the air-conditioned hall while he located the van from outdoors in the sweltering heat.  I asked, “Wouldn’t it be easier for you if I came outside, too?”  At first he adamantly refused.  “I don’t mind if it is easier for you”, I assured him.  He then sheepishly admitted this would be much easier.  (Much to the chagrin of the other Grameen intern with us, we headed out into the heat to wait with the porter).  He clearly preferred to have this man wait on us while we sat by making his job harder.  Too bad.

The heat is intense.  It weighs on you like a heavy blanket.  There is a tug-tug-tug on my sleeve, like Jacob used to do when he wanted my attention.   Huh?   I look behind me, but there is no one.  Then I look down into the big, round eyes of a shoeless boy.  He is clutching an American dollar and silently pleading with me to add to his collection.  The gentleman, not unkindly, scolds the boy, “No, no, no.  You must go now.”  “It’s fine.  Wait.”  Here is a dollar.  He doesn’t look happy, or thankful, just resigned to his lot in life.  The boy with the sad eyes accepts the money and starts to walk on.  I want to hug him and tell him it’s ok.  But it’s not.  I tousle his hair and smile, he looks at me curiously and offers a small, shy smile in return before he walks away to continue his work.  He can’t be more than 5 years old.

A group of three fairly well dressed men with too-big smiles take my luggage and load it into the van.  OK.  I give a tip, one dollar.  “No, no, no tip one more dollar.  The porter with the placard shoos him away as I say, “No, that is all.”  Then we are off, away from the airport and into a land of confusion and utter chaos.  Dhaka.  It is surreal.  Babies – three, four, five years old, walking about aimlessly without a mother in sight.  Tired eyes, no shoes on their feet, walking, walking…  Emaciated infants slung pell-mell over their mother’s hip, or in a makeshift baby-bjorn style scarves.  Everyone looks tired, forsaken, just alive.  Even the cows and goats are stick thin with ribs jutting out, as they graze haplessly at the side of the road.

There is beauty to the landscape, it’s quite green and lush.  But this is overshadowed by the sluggish brown of the polluted, lethargic river.  Below the road that winds along the water, for miles and miles, stretches the slum housing.  Mile after mile of corrugated metal roofing.  A strong wind would scatter the hut structures to the four winds, it would seem.  The word shelter seems less than adequate.  It’s not fair. Among the endless rows mills a sea of slow moving people.  An animated little girl in a tattered dress and no shoes jumps rope next to a falling down hut.  It’s the closest thing I’ve seen to a happy scene since stepping off the airplane.

Rickshaws are everywhere.  Each is brightly painted, each tells a story.  I want to learn more.  I can’t wait to ask the drivers to tell me the story painted on their bike-taxi walls.  The scenes depicted are endless varied, beautifully colored, artfully (and often playfully) rendered.  Transportation as art – very cool.

Our van nearly runs over pedestrians, bicyclists, rickshaw drivers – indiscriminately.    Man, NYC taxi drivers have nothing on this traffic scene.  Ca-ra-zy.

Finally, we arrive.   The drive has been probably half an hour, but I already feel that I have seen enough suffering and extreme poverty to haunt me for the rest of my life.  I step out, and immediately helping hands take my suitcases.  I have to convince the staff to let me help them.  They are, true to Bengali form, kind and sweet.

“Lady, lady.  Please, lady. Appa, Appa (sister, sister),” A high pitched, pleading little voice.  I look down to see an angels’ face caked in dust and street grim.   I am glad that she is so stunning, with huge brown eyes.  This will help her as she is forced to beg in the streets.  I smile at her and she beams back.  It’s the smile that Jacob used to give me when I returned from a long day at work.  He’d smile and say, “Mummmm-meeee!” and run and jump into my arms.  The sincerity in that little girl’s smile was breaking my heart.  I gave her a quarter.  My fellow intern rolled his eyes.  I didn’t care.  Then another little girl is pleading with me, but I am out of change.  Later, I tell her.  You must wait, I am sorry.   I don’t know if she understands my words.  I hope that she will be around when I am done unpacking.  I want to give her a fruit snack.  I hope she’ll like it.  I’ve packed an entire suitcase full of vitamin infused fruit and yogurt snacks; bubble wands and bouncy balls filled with glitter (Jacob and I think they look like they are filled with golden magic powder).

Up to the room.  It’s tiny and sparsely furnished with threadbare accents.  I’m glad.  It would be too much to have luxurious surroundings when the world below has been thrown into total chaos.  Although, I would like to have some running water tomorrow.  That would be a nice change of pace.  J

After unpacking, I walked a few blocks around the hotel to get my bearings.  The lady at the front desk gave me directions – going as far as drawing a little map.  She was very kind and patient.  She wanted to hold my passport until I pay my hotel bill.  Thanks, but no thanks.  That passport is staying with me, thank you very much.  I had to explain this several times, but finally she relinquished the document.  Don’t misunderstand, she had very good intentions, and I very much appreciate that.

Outside, the heat beats down.  102 degrees and around 95% humidity.  Whew.  As I walk along, everyone stares.  I am clearly foreign.  Children smile and wave and shout hey lady.  They are so excited to see something out of the ordinary.  These kids are so adorable!  And they are everywhere.

Blind, deformed beggars stumble through the streets.  A woman with a hunchback latches on to me and begs loudly for money.  “Please lady, money for operation”.  I say I am sorry, but I don’t have any money for her.  I want to help desperately, but I would literally be out of funding within a one block walk if I gave a handout to every poor person I encountered.  I want to help them all and feel completely helpless because I can’t.   I give the woman two snack packs and walk away.  She is angry.  No, she wants money…operation, lady, need money.  Then she tucks the snacks inside her outfit as if afraid I will take them back.  No, I can’t give you money, I am sorry.  I cross the street.  She follows, clutching my arm.  People in the street reprimand her.  They are angry with this poor, physically deformed woman for harassing me.  This just makes me feel worse.  “It’s ok”.  She is clinging to me still. I walk faster, and she continues to grip me.  I stop, look into her eyes and take her hand, “No, I am sorry.  I cannot give you money.  No.”  Firmly, but gently.  Now she is behind me, wailing. “Deaf, [the] lady deaf.  Operation, money, operation.”  She is too small and weak to hurt me, but her words are painful.  A big part of me wants to get away from this relentless woman, but a bigger part of me is more determined than ever to find a way to help the destitute find a better way.  I cannot image being in her position.  Stunted growth, deformities, starvation and a plea for help that is not being answered.  I understand that the best way to help is by helping people to help themselves, not by delivering handouts, but it was still very difficult for me to see this woman’s suffering and be unable to help her.  Even if I had given in to her demands, I wouldn’t be able to offer her enough money to help.  Or perhaps the growth on her back was not real, or was grossly exaggerated.  As she started walking faster to keep up, she was less hunched over and seemed stronger.  I don’t know – I will never know.  But in any case, this doesn’t diminish the fact that she needs help that she is not getting.  And it’s not ok.  I just need to figure out the most effective way to extend a helping hand.  There is strain and toil all around and I hope to figure out a way to make a significant contribution against the social inequities that surround me here in Dhaka.

Before my experience abroad in Ireland, I pictured a beautiful landscape of green fields stretching for miles, checkered with dry stone walls and spotted with sheep and thatched-roof cottages. I suspected the Irish to be very sociable people with charming personalities who love their tea, beer and potatoes. I imagined myself in a small town wearing lamb wool sweaters and spending my evenings in the local pub enjoying a pint of Guinness and traditional Irish music.

Almost everything I envisioned was correct. Upon my arrival, I was delighted by the serene rural setting that consists of lush green grass, stone walls, sheep, ruins, and small cottages on the way to my study abroad destination, Galway. The taste of rural Ireland was short-lived as the bus ride was just over an hour. Galway is a college town popular with students, writers and artists. In fact, the National University of Ireland, Galway is the most popular study abroad destination for American students. With that said, immersing myself into the Irish culture was not as easy as I thought it would be. Every night, the waterfront or downtown area is populated with tourists and American students. In my efforts to avoid that scene, I spent most of my evenings in the more local pubs outside the city center. The atmosphere in the pub was what I expected, a quiet pint of Guinness with the company of a few friends exchanging ideas and stories with the friendly locals, and admiring the local musicians pouring their heart out through their instruments.

I didn’t experience a culture shock until a month after I arrived. By then, I had become friends with a few Irish students, joined several clubs and societies on campus, and stayed with a couple Irish families. I was surprised by how our generation of Irish students is strongly influenced by the American culture. They idolize the same celebrities, listen to the same music, and watch the same television shows. In my first family stay weekend, I spent most of my time with the kids of the family watching their favorite shows The Simpsons, Big Brother and The Hills. Living with Irish college students, I noticed that they seemed to enjoy the same shows, in particular the American reality TV shows. I was a bit disturbed by this since none of those shows are either a positive influence or an accurate representation of the American culture. It disturbs me that they believe the characters in these shows portray the American people and I would find myself educating them about the true realities of American culture. Nevertheless, our generation of Irish students idolizes these reality TV icons. I was hoping to experience a unique Irish pop culture, but to my disappointment, it was strongly influenced by the American pop culture.

The biggest difference I found between the Irish and American culture is how they value and spend their leisure time. The Irish are known world wide to be social people because they treasure their leisure time. They live for the craic, which means fun or good times. The popular venue for craic is the pub to no surprise. Traditionally, the pub is an intimate setting where family and friends catch up on each other’s lives and enjoy the present, which is why pubs are found in every town in Ireland. The craic is much more formal in the family house setting where family members and guests gather and converse with little disturbance over a cup of tea.

As far as Irish students go, they seem to dedicate most of their time with clubs and organizations and friends instead of studying and preparing for class. In fact, a hefty third of the students stop attending class after the first couple of week of classes. In the evenings, the students gather in the bars and clubs of the lively downtown area until the late night hours. I was in awe by much these students socialize and party throughout the week, and I say this with utmost respect. It takes skill to balance a full course load that includes study time and extracurricular obligations with frequent social outings. To these students, college is the time of their life to party and be wild. They unleash themselves from a minimum of two years of grueling preparation for the Leaving Cert, a standardized exam that determines what schools they can attend and more importantly which fields of study they can pursue. The Leaving Cert is the most important exam an Irish student has to take. After they have taken the exam and been accepted into a college, a heavy weight is lifted from their shoulders and these students justify placing the craic as their first priority over academics with these early accomplishments.

As American college students, we have to decide what to do with our future, more or less. The Irish students have already chosen and prepared for their specialized study before they entered college in high school. Unlike them, we have to decide what we want to study on top of focusing on our courses. I believe that is one reason why our college lifestyle is different. Another reason why is our mentality on what it takes to become successful. I’ve been told too often by parents and advisors that I need to stand out to be successful. Throughout high school, I was involved in many clubs and sports, worked hard to receive A’s in all my classes, studied for SAT’s, took all AP courses, and applied to summer programs all so I can attend a good university. Once in college, I started applying for summer internships to build a strong resume. It is ingrained in my head to be efficient with my time by doing things that would better me as a student or job candidate. This is why my social life is not nearly as active as the Irish students’. I’ll spend time to chat with my close friends and go out on a few dinner dates with them, but adding three bar nights a week on top of that seems nearly impossible for me.

After looking back at my study abroad experience, I’m glad I chose Ireland as my study abroad destination. The difference between the Irish and American culture I mentioned above is the reason why Ireland is the perfect study abroad destination for me. I gained a new social outlook. No matter the situation, always have the craic with family and friends. Ever since my return to the U.S., I have been spending quality time with my friends and family, more so than I have ever done before. I take the time to celebrate my successes and worry less about my future. My study abroad experience will help me gain a more fulfilling college experience and adopt a healthier stress-free lifestyle.

Yin submitted this essay and these pictures to fulfill the requirements for a Tutorial Alternative, an opportunity for students to waive the third-year tutorial requirement if they study away from UMaine and fulfill certain requirements. More information is available here.

“Congratulations! Your honors newsletter won 1st place in this year’s Faculty, Administrator, Student Published NCHC Newsletter Contest, sponsored by the Publications Board! We want to invite you to speak at our session, “How To Put Together A Winning Newsletter,” on Saturday, October 31, from 1-2:15pm in Arlington..”

This award applies to our 2007 and 2008 editions;
We also won 1st place for 2005 and 2006.

Let’s hope the streak continues..

Read MINERVA to get caught up on Honors happenings!

Erin Brunk, Chris Demers, Ankita Chowdhury, Ryan Whipkey, Becca Dyer, Katie Nadeau

ORONO, Maine – Six University of Maine Honors College students recently were awarded the first round of Maine IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) fellowships to support their thesis research.

The students, all members of the class of 2010, will receive fellowships of $2,500, and their thesis advisors will receive $1,000 to support the students’ research.  All students who graduate from the Honors College write a thesis, and this support will enable these students to direct more of their energy toward this endeavor.

The goal of INBRE is to strengthen Maine’s capacity to conduct National Institutes of Health (NIH)-competitive biomedical research. Maine’s INBRE provides research support and core facilities to junior faculty, creates research and training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, and serves as a pipeline for students to pursue health research careers and enhance the scientific and technical knowledge of Maine’s workforce.

A faculty committee chaired by Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Keith Hutchison and including Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering Michael Mason, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Mary Rumpho-Kennedy, and Assistant Professor of Microbiology Robert Wheeler made the awards.

“The committee considered the strength of the students’ proposals and their fundamental relationship to the area of functional genomics” writes Hutchison.  “That we were able to fill all six slots in this inaugural year is a testament to both the wide spread interest in genomics and the quality of students within the Honors College.

“We have high hopes that this initiative will flourish during the five year term of the grant,” says Charlie Slavin, dean of UMaine’s Honors College.

The recipients are:

Erin Brunk of Carmel, Indiana
Zoology
Advised by Sharon Ashworth
The Role of Cfl1l in Zebrafish Embryonic Development and Kidney Function

Ankita Chowdhury of Haryana, India
Molecular & Cellular Biology
Advised by Rob Wheeler
Engineering Ovalbumin-expressing Candida albicans

Christopher Demers of South Berwick, Maine
Biological Engineering
Advised by Rosemary Smith
Combinatorial Cell Microenvironment Generator

Rebecca Dyer of Yarmouth, Maine
Biology
Advised by Harold “Dusty” Dowse
Identification of the Melatonin Receptor in Drosophila melanogaster

Katherine Nadeau of Glenburn, Maine
Biology
Advised by Clarissa Henry
Matrix Metalloproteinase Expression and Localization in the Model Organism Danio rerio

Ryan Whipkey of Milford, Maine
Chemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology, and Biochemistry
Advised by Touradj Solouki
Ovarian Cancer Biomarker Discovery: Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry Based Metabolomics/Proteomics Investigations of Exhaled Breath Condensate and Biofluids

Maine INBRE is an National Center for Research Resources/National Institutes of Health supported network of 13 Maine institutions including Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (lead institution), The Jackson Laboratory and The University of Maine (research institutions), Bates College, Bowdoin College, Colby College, College of the Atlantic, Southern Maine Community College, The University of Maine Honors College, The University of Maine at Farmington and The University of Maine at Machias. Maine INBRE outreach institutions include The University of Maine at Fort Kent and The University of Maine at Presque Isle.

Honors Program alumna Bettina Boxall’s thesis, written in 1974, is entit

On Fire

From UMaine Today– Alumni Today, Fall 2009

The 2009 Pulitzer Prize winners in explanatory reporting are UMaine alumna Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart of the Los Angeles Times for their five-part series, “Big Burn,” exploring the growth and cost of wildfires. Boxall, a Times reporter since 1987, covers natural resources and environmental issues in California and the West. She graduated from UMaine in 1974 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

When did you decide you wanted to become a journalist?
I was editor of my high school newspaper and majored in journalism at UMO, so I had an early interest in the field. When I graduated that seemed like a natural course to follow. But I did not grow up with a burning ambition to become a reporter.

Who were your mentors at UMaine and what advice did they give you that still resonates?
He was not a mentor in the classic sense. But my most influential teacher was geology professor Stephen Norton. I took introductory geology from him in a big lecture class. On both the exams and field trips, he demanded that his students think rather than regurgitate information. The facts were just the foundation for critical thinking. That was a valuable lesson to learn as a journalist.

Best scoop as a student reporter?
In college I was more interested in photojournalism than reporting. I worked for the yearbook rather than the student newspaper and earned enough money to buy my first car chronicling campus life with a Nikon.

In addition to “Big Burn,” what are the three most memorable stories you’ve written?
It is not so much individual stories as beats that stand out in my career. I covered criminal courts in Passaic County New Jersey for two years. The cases and court testimony offered a fascinating, at times disturbing study in human behavior. I often felt as though I was writing soap opera scripts. In the early 1990s, I covered gay rights in California, just as gay marriage and other issues were bubbling to the surface, signaling profound social shifts. More recently as a state and environmental reporter, I’ve traveled all over the West. I once spent a week rafting through the Grand Canyon — on assignment.

What did you learn about wildfires that you didn’t know before your 15-month investigation?
Fighting wildfires has become such big business that one Nevada rancher described it as the new cash cow for the rural West. A fire-industrial complex has developed, funneling taxpayer money to private businesses that provide federal firefighters with an astounding array of often very expensive services. My colleague and I were also struck by the degree to which politics plays a role in firefighting. We documented a number of instances in which commanders called in costly aircraft at the behest of politicians–when the commanders knew the tankers or helicopters would not be effective.

How important is investigative journalism and do you worry about its future?
The best investigative journalism is a check — on government, on business, on power. In an age of sound bites and endless spin, it is more vital than ever for journalists to probe beneath the surface and go beyond transcription. But the demands of the Internet and the crumbling economic model for newspapers are pushing reporters in the opposite direction. I think there will always be an appetite for investigative stories, but I do worry that journalists will not be given the time and resources to pursue them.

The way we receive our news has changed greatly. What are the pros and cons of such change?
With the Internet, stories can reach a worldwide audience in an instant. The print circulation of newspapers is crashing, but if you count the web audience, our readership is exploding and our reach is arguably broader than ever. At the same time, the Internet is fracturing the advertising market into a million pieces, destroying the newspaper industry’s revenue base. Without revenue, you can’t pay reporters and without reporters you don’t have real news. Most bloggers, indeed most radio and TV outlets, aren’t doing original reporting. They are repeating and reacting to what they read in newspapers.

How did you celebrate word of the Pulitzer?
With too much cheap champagne.

Who would you want to write your biography – and why?
I’m a typical reporter. I would rather do the writing than be written about.

Words of advice for aspiring journalists?
Don’t use college as a vocational school. Expose yourself as much as possible to different kinds of knowledge and experience. Don’t run with the pack.

ORONO — Benjamin Gordon Freedman of Caribou has been awarded a 2009-2010 graduate fellowship from Tau Beta Pi, the world’s largest engineering honor society.

Freedman, the son of Dale Gordon of Caribou and Jon Freedman of Bangor, will pursue a doctoral program in bioprocess engineering at Virginia Tech, focusing on the research and development of renewable fuels.

Tau Beta Pi Fellowships are awarded on the basis of scholarship, campus leadership and service, and the promise of future contributions to the engineering profession.

Freedman is a graduate of the Honors College at University of Maine, with dual degrees in biological and chemical engineering. He served as president of the Maine Alpha Chapter of Tau Beta Pi and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He also is a 2005 graduate of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics.

A Tau Beta Pi fellowship can result in a $10,000 academic scholarship if a fellow demonstrates financial need.

In addition to Freedman’s fellowship, Tau Beta Pi junior members Evan McLellan, an electrical and computer engineering major from Freeport, and David Hunter, an electrical engineering major from Unity, have been named 2009-2010 Tau Beta Pi Scholarship recipients and are receiving $2,000 scholarships.

UMaine News

More information about UMaine commencement, including the text of the commencement speech and details about the honorary degree recipients, the valedictorian and the salutatorian, is online at http://www.umaine.edu/commencement09/.

ORONO — Encouraging graduates to embrace America’s entrepreneurial spirit and to approach their careers with passion and enthusiasm, the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration told the University of Maine Class of 2009 that “this economy will not define you.”

Karen Gordon Mills of Brunswick, confirmed last month as the federal SBA administrator, addressed the approximately 1,871 graduates at two ceremonies inside UMaine’s Alfond Arena.

Mills, whose career is characterized by notable successes in managing various kinds of businesses and in raising capital to support entrepreneurs, had an upbeat message for graduates entering the job market during difficult economic times.

“You will succeed,” she said, “and your success will define you and the future of America.”

Mills pointed to passion as the defining characteristic of successful business owners, particularly in the context of small business operations.  She noted that small businesses are responsible for half of private sector jobs and that they have created 70 percent of new jobs in the past decade.

“Passion is the driver of America’s successful small businesses,” she said.  “It is the basis for our country’s entrepreneurial spirit.  And I strongly believe that this class has both an opportunity — and a responsibility — to discover and pursue your passion.”

UMaine President Robert Kennedy presided over the ceremonies, which were held at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.  An estimated total of 12,000 people attended the ceremonies.

“We hope your time at UMaine has inspired in you a lifelong passion for learning and a concern for the future of our state, our country, and our culture,” Kennedy said in addressing the graduates.  “Power and responsibility come with your education.  Use them to make the most of your life, to enrich those around you, and to return the gifts that have been bestowed on you to the society that bestowed them.”

Adrienne Sturgeon, an elementary education major from Bangor is the Class of 2009 valedictorian.  She earned her degree with concentrations in history and social studies, and a minor in sociology.  An honor society member who is active in university and community service activities, Sturgeon is planning to move to Germany where she hopes to teach at a Dept. of Defense school.  Eagle Lake native Alexandra Albert is the class salutatorian.  Also a member of UMaine honors societies and an Honors College graduate, Albert is a double major in biochemistry and molecular/cellular biology, with a minor in biochemistry.  She plans to enroll in a Ph.D./M.D. program where she will continue to work in scientific research, as she had done throughout her time at UMaine.

University of Maine faculty members also played a prominent role in today’s commencement ceremonies.  James Acheson, an anthropology and School of Marine sciences faculty member who is the 2009 UMaine Alumni Association Distinguished Maine Professor, delivered the traditional Celebration of Academia address.  The ceremony also featured recognition of three UMaine professors honored earlier this week with UMaine’s top annual faculty awards: Prof. Leonard Kass of the Dept. of Biology and Ecology (Presidential Outstanding Teaching Award); Prof. Owen Smith of the Dept. of New Media (Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award); and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Kathryn Olmstead, a Dept. of Communication and Journalism professor (Presidential Public Service Achievement Award).

The ceremony featured the conferral of honorary doctorates on two distinguished Maine residents. Retired U.S. Navy Admiral Gregory “Grog” Johnson, a 1968 UMaine graduate who grew up in the northern Maine town of Westmanland and now lives in Harpswell, was recognized at the morning ceremony  A member of the UMaine Board of Visitors, Johnson’s distinguished 36-year military career included service as Commander, U.S. Naval Forces in Europe and Africa, and Commander in Chief, Allied (NATO) Forces Southern Europe.  In the afternoon Passamaquoddy Tribe elder David Francis of Pleasant Point was similarly honored.  Francis has been active for decades in developing a written form of the Passamaquoddy language.  Francis was a lead collaborator in the creation of a Passamaquoddy-Maliseet dictionary, published last year by the University of Maine Press.

William Johnson of Saco brought greetings from the University of Maine System Board of Trustees at the morning ceremony, while Wayne Newell of Princeton filled that role at the afternoon event.  Suzanne Hart, chair of the University of Maine Alumni Association board of directors, welcomed the new graduates to the ranks of the nearly 95,000 UMaine alumni.

UMaine News

ORONO — Two University of Maine sophomores have received the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship.

Samantha Bond, a marine science major, zoology minor and honors student from Temple, N.H., and Jeremy Bender, a marine science major and honors student from Saint Paul, Minn., each will receive up to $8,000 per year for their junior and senior years. In addition, they will each have a summer internship at a NOAA facility.

“This has opened my eyes about what I want to do after I finish my undergraduate degree,” Bond says.

According to NOAA, the scholarship program is designed to: increase undergraduate training in oceanic and atmospheric science, research, technology, and education and foster multidisciplinary training opportunities; increase public understanding and support for stewardship of the ocean and atmosphere and improve environmental literacy; recruit and prepare students for public service careers with NOAA and other natural resource and science agencies at the federal, state and local levels of government; and recruit and prepare students for careers as teachers and educators in oceanic and atmospheric science and to improve scientific and environmental education in the United States.

Since her first year at UMaine, Bond has been involved with research on campus and at the Mount Desert Island Biological Lab. Working alongside Sharon Ashworth, an assistant professor of biochemistry, microbiology and molecular biology in the School of Biology and Ecology, Bond has studied genes that impact kidney function in zebrafish, a model organism used to study human diseases. This summer, Bond will study the impact of visible and invisible trash in the Pacific Ocean as she participates in Sea Semester at Woods Hole. The program combines study at the famed Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass., with a research-intensive sailing voyage in the Pacific Ocean. In her spare time, Bond is on the UMaine swimming team and actively volunteers with Rotaract.

“It’s a real honor to get this scholarship,” Ashworth says. “Samantha is one of those people who is a true leader. If you ask her to do anything, it’s done. She’s a very productive student and a pleasure to have in my laboratory.”

For Bender, the internship opportunity is the highlight of the Hollings Scholarship program. He says it will be invaluable in terms of getting into graduate school and eventually getting a job in marine science. Next year, he will study at James Cook University in Australia. Bender has also been heavily involved in undergraduate research, working with Sara Lindsay, an assistant professor of marine sciences, to study injury and regeneration in marine worms. Bender also is a member of the UMaine swimming team, and he serves on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

“He’s one of our best and brightest, and he’s also a Division I athlete,” says his adviser, Andrew Thomas, a professor of oceanography. “When you see a student who gets straight-A’s in the sciences and competes in a sport as demanding as swimming, you know that’s a student who is very focused and I can only guess this came through in his essays.”

In recent years, four University of Maine students have received Hollings Scholarships: Kyle Molton, now a senior; and James Spilsbury, Dominique Leclerc and Laura Wood, all juniors.

More information on the Hollings Scholarship is available at http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/Hollings_info.html