Prof. Senthil Vel states that time in the classroom is usually the highlight of his day. Vel, who is the Arthur O. Willey Professor of Mechanical Engineering, enjoys his day-to-day interaction with students, and his students consistently rank him as an outstanding professor. Vel is the January recipient of the Alumni Association’s monthly Faculty Excellence…
“UMaine is my home and always will be,” states Sam Lenson ’18, this month’s Dirigo Award winner. The Natick, MA, native notes that the university has become a very special place for him. He says that the most important contributing factor of this is the university’s welcoming community of supportive faculty and students. In fact,…
Nicholas LaJoie ’18, this month’s Dirigo Award recipient, grew up on a potato farm in Van Buren, Maine, and after graduation he wants to get back to his roots. The computer engineering major minoring in mathematics hopes to combine his love for his family’s farm and his passion for technology to someday develop new technologies…
“I can’t imagine a better place to be than the Darling Marine Center, as a scientist and as someone who’s passionate about doing what I can to make science more relevant and useful to people’s daily lives,” Heather Leslie told Aliya Uteuova ’18 in an interview last fall. Founded in 1965, the Darling Marine Center’s…
As a landscape historian, Dr. Richard Judd enjoys his daily walks across the UMaine campus, appreciating the integration of the buildings into the landscape. He can read the history of the natural and built environment, and on campus, the influence of legendary landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s plans remain clearly visible. Judd first arrived at…
This month’s Dirigo award recipient, Marie-France Georges, celebrates her heritage. In fact, she shares her culture with the community through an organization she helped found: the University of Maine’s Caribbean Club. Georges, a native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, currently serves as the club’s treasurer. She says that of all her campus involvement, the club is the…
Sandy Caron doesn’t shy away from topics that many people are reluctant to discuss. In fact, she regularly tackles intimate matters in lecture halls with hundreds of students. She knows that discomfort with discussions about human sexuality, along with a lack of knowledge, can lead to a range of problems. As a professor of family…
Katie Doyle ’16 was raised by a family of engineers who encouraged her to tinker and ask questions. “My grandfather gave me my first electronics kit when I was 5, and I made every project in the book,” she says. “Engineering was always kind of on my radar as being something I would enjoy.” Doyle’s…
Four alumni with diverse backgrounds in business, marketing, and communications have been elected to three-year terms on the UMaine Alumni Association Board of Directors. Robert D. “Bob” Fitta ’83 has spent the last 15 years as director of advertising at Harvard Magazine. In that role he is responsible for revenue…
Donald Holder ’80 was nominated this year for his 12th Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Play for Oslo, which on June 11th won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Play. Holder, a world-renowned theatrical and architectural lighting designer, created the dramatic lighting for Oslo. The play recounts the surprising behind-the-scenes events during…
Matt Ciampa ’10, ’12G (left) thanks Perry Clough ’63 for his many years of distinguished service to the UMaine Alumni Association. Perry served on the board from 2005-2009 and 2011-2017, including a term as vice chairperson.
Choosing the University of Maine came naturally for Oxford, ME, native Abby Bennett. “Of all the colleges I visited and toured, UMaine felt the most optimistic and homey,” Bennett said. “I loved that there were so many opportunities in a school that maintained a close community feel. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” Bennett,…