Sam Dorval and Max Burtis are among the undergraduates benefiting from the Foster Center for Student Innovation’s business incubator. The two sophomores are part owners of Ferda Farms, an aquaculture farm on the New Meadows River in Brunswick. Ferda Farms produces fresh oysters sustainably, and the owners have brought innovation and automation to the industry.…
Do you know an alumnus or alumna whose professional achievements, community service, or volunteer activity on behalf of UMaine deserves recognition? Nominations are being sought for the 2020 Alumni Achievement Awards. There are eight categories of awards, the purposes, criteria, and the nomination process for which can be found here. The deadline for nominations is…
Members of UMaine’s Class of 1969 joined alumni from preceding graduation years for Reunion 2019, held Sept 12-14 on campus. Celebrating the Class’s 50th reunion, class members attended a special reception in their honor hosted by UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy at the President’s House. They also attended special faculty and student presentations, class meetings, the…
A $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation will fund a five-year initiative that aims to revolutionize environmental monitoring, ecological understanding, and sustainability of coastal ecosystems. The University of Maine is partnering with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and other collaborators in education, government agencies, citizens’ groups and local industry statewide. “The Maine Environmental…
Stacey Gomm Harris ‘11 has been cited as one of 30 engineers in the U.S. who are “changing the construction industry,” according to the software company PlanGrid. Harris is a construction superintendent for Consigli, one of the largest general contractors in the Northeast. Simply put, a construction engineer oversees all operational aspects of a construction…
While working as a movie usher after grad school, Patrick Pittis ’13 wrote a movie script, Rubble, which Universal Pictures has purchased. The UMaine communications major wrote the sci-fi thriller after moving to California with his wife, classmate Meghan Ballard ’13. More about Pittis can be found here.
John May ’92G has been elected chief executive officer of one of the world’s largest corporations: Deere and Company, more commonly known by the brand name “John Deere.” A Maine native, May earned his M.B.A. from UMaine and his B.S. from UNH. May, who has been with Deere & Company since 1997, previously headed the…
The secret has been revealed: Skowhegan natives E. James “Jim” Ferland ‘64 and Eileen P. Ferland are the previously anonymous donors whose $10 million gift in March will help construct the Engineering Education and Design Center at the University of Maine. The announcement was made by University of Maine Foundation President/CEO Jeffery Mills at the…
The University of Maine and the Orono community will take part in the annual AORE Campus Challenge, a nationwide competition in which 100 campus communities compete to participate in the most outdoor activities from September 16th to October 13th. The purpose of the annual challenge is to inspire a passion for healthy outdoor lifestyles in…
The University of Maine will have a tent this year at the American Folk Festival, a large-scale, three-day event which brings a mix of cultures together each year for celebration. The UMaine tent will feature giveaways, yearbooks, photos, magazines, and information from a number of colleges, schools, and organizations on campus. The American Folk Festival, in…
Young alumni will receive discounted rates on season passes for all four of UMaine’s ticketed sports this year including football, men’s ice hockey, women’s basketball, and men’s baseball. University of Maine athletics, in an effort to keep young alumni engaged with Black Bear Sports after college and beyond, is offering a special 20% discount on…
Elizabeth “Liz” Downing ’77 and Craig Joncas ’09 have been elected to three-year terms on the UMaine Alumni Association Board of Directors. For Downing, president of the Class of 1977, it’s a return to the Board: She previously served for several years and was asked to rejoin given her professional role as a senior official…