Extension offers course for new vegetable gardeners
PRESQUE ISLE – In response to a sharp rise in requests for gardening information, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering From the Soil Up, a course for beginning vegetable gardeners. Participants will learn the basics of home vegetable gardening, from garden planning to pest management, harvest and storage.
The course comprises three two-hour sessions scheduled to coincide with their seasonal topics: Part I, Garden Planning, will be held in the spring before planting time; Part II, Garden Maintenance and Ecological Pest Management, will be held in early summer; and Part III, Harvest and Storage of the Season’s Bounty, will be held later in the summer. This schedule will allow participants to ask questions of experts and share information about their garden as the season progresses.
Participants will also have the opportunity, if they wish, to take part in an online community with From the Soil Up participants from across Maine. They’ll be able to submit questions online, share experiences, solve problems, find new garden-related resources and take advantage of supplemental information.
In Presque Isle, From the Soil Up sessions are scheduled April 22 (Part I), June 23 (Part II) and Aug. 4 (Part III). All sessions will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the UMaine Extension office in Presque Isle. For more information, call 800-287-1469 (in Maine) or 532-6548. The total cost of the course is $15 and pre-registration is required. Enrollment is limited to 20 participants.
UMaine Extension programs are open and accessible to all, in accordance with program goals. If you are a person with a disability and will need any accommodations to participate in this program, please call to discuss your needs. Please contact us at least 14 days prior to this event to assure fullest possible attention to your needs.
For more than 90 years, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine’s land-grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county.
Student research featured at 8th annual University Day
PRESQUE ISLE – From neural prosthetics to political cartoons to international service learning opportunities, students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle will be showcasing their academic research, scholarly work and community service on Wednesday, April 8, during the 8th Annual University Day. The theme of this year’s event is Connecting Learning, Life and Community.
University Day is an event that heightens students’ awareness of the work being done by peers in all of the disciplines represented on campus. The event allows students to better understand how disciplines interrelate and how the academic work they do applies to the local and global community. It is also an opportunity for students to experience a professional conference format. No regular classes are held during University Day, but in their stead, students are encouraged to attend student-led presentations and talks held during five sessions throughout the day.
More than 220 students will offer more than 30 talks and presentations, covering areas of study as wide-ranging as recreation, criminal justice, social work, education, special education, psychology, mathematics, history, biology, literature, foreign language and political science.
Many of the presentations address the event’s theme of the connections between learning and the community. The International Students Club also will host its Culturefest 2009 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Pullen 210, offering presentations on the theme A Peek at our Global Communities. Throughout the day, there will also be poster sessions in Pullen 111, 212 and 214 and displays from student clubs and organizations along the halls of Pullen/Folsom.
To add to the community spirit of the day, the University will open its doors to the public. The University Day Committee has invited honors students from local high schools and community members are welcome to attend all sessions. The Admissions Office is holding an open house during University Day, from 10 a.m. to noon, in the Campus Center. Prospective students and their parents are invited to attend and encouraged to sit in on afternoon University Day sessions as part of their campus experience. Topics of the open house will include the academic, athletic and student life experiences. The open house also will feature a panel of current students, and financial aid and application information.
During lunch, Neal Labrie will be presented with the Young Alumni Award. Labrie graduated from the University in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in recreation and leisure services. Labrie now serves as a chief ranger for the United States Department of the Interior’s National Park Service. He works at the Katmai National Park and Preserve in King Salmon, Alaska, where his duties include overseeing all emergency, law enforcement and resource protection operations for more than five million acres of National Park Service lands.
In the evening, the University’s Distinguished Lecturer Series will present the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow Robert Wiener, the founder and executive director of the California Coalition for Rural Housing Project, which has been the leading voice in California for the production and preservation of affordable rural housing since 1981. Wiener will speak at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center on Preserving Rural Life in Tough Times: Strategies to Combat Shelter Poverty and Stabilize Communities.
A complete schedule of University Day activities can be found at www.umpi.maine.edu/uday.
Social work students, NASW to co-sponsor talk on anorexia
PRESQUE ISLE – Dr. Momen El Nesr will present a lecture titled “Anorexia Nervosa: A Hidden Disease” on the University of Maine at Presque Isle campus, Monday, April 6, from 6 – 7:30 p.m. in the Campus Center. El Nesr, a staff psychiatrist at Aroostook Mental Health Center, is board-certified in general psychiatry, addiction psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine. His presentation is co-sponsored by the UMPI Student Organization of Social Work and the National Association of Social Work Branch D. Allied health providers are encouraged to attend this free lecture. For information, call 768-9427 or e-mail Shirley.rush@umpi.edu.
UMPI Belle of Amherst performance April 7
PRESQUE ISLE – Pam Chabora will perform the Belle of Amherst, a one-woman play which explores the life and poetry of Emily Dickinson, on Tuesday, April 7, at 7 p.m. in Wieden Auditorium at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Chadora, a professor of theatre at North Dakota State University, portrays Dickinson at the various stages of her life in this Tony Award-winning one-woman play by William Luce. Tickets are $5 at the door; UMPI, NMCC and SAGE students with ID admitted free. FMI call 768-9462.
UMPI hosts open house for prospective students
PRESQUE ISLE – The University of Maine at Presque Isle will host an open house during University Day on Wednesday, April 8, in the Campus Center, beginning at 10 a.m. Topics covered will include the academic, athletic and student life experiences; a panel with current students; and financial aid and application information. After lunch, students can opt for a tour and/or attend University Day sessions. To register call 768-9532, e-mail admissions@umpi.edu or go to the University Web site www.umpi.edu.
Economic forecaster to speak at Business Breakfast
PRESQUE ISLE – A Business Breakfast and presentation about the state of Maine’s economy will be held at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Thursday, April 9, at 7:30 a.m. The event is co-sponsored by the University, LEAD (Leaders Encouraging Aroostook Development) and the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce. Charles Colgan, professor of public policy and management in the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service, will deliver a talk titled The Maine and U.S. Economies: How Far Down? How Long Back? The cost of the breakfast is $10 per person, payable at the door. Interested individuals should RSVP by Friday, April 3, to Liza Maynard at 768-9755 or liza.maynard@umpi.edu.
Spring Runoff 5K Road Race scheduled for April 11
PRESQUE ISLE – As winter gives way to spring, runners will be hitting the pavement for the 29th annual Spring Runoff 5K Road Race on Saturday, April 11. The race originates from the University of Maine at Presque Isle and is a fund-raising event for the UMPI men’s and women’s cross country programs.
According to race coordinator, UMPI Cross Country Coach Chris Smith, runners and walkers of all ages look forward to this 5 kilometer early spring outdoor run. Nearly 80 took part in last year’s race, in spite of the record snowfall and lingering snow. Smith would like to see as many as 100 this time around.
The day’s events begin with registration at Wieden Gymnasium at 8 a.m. and conclude with an awards presentation and pizza lunch. For information or to register a team contact Smith at 768.9472 or email christopher.smith@umpi.edu.
NMCC Septic system courses PRESQUE ISLE – The Central Aroostook County Soil and Water Conservation District planned two septic system trainings for contractors, code enforcement officers, licensed plumbing inspectors and site evaluators, the second of which takes place April 14.
A Basic On-Site Wastewater System Installation Course will be held at the Edmunds Conference Center at the Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle on April 14 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Topics will include installation, documentation, plumbing code changes, erosion control law and best management practices. Attendees who submit HHE-200 Forms for two successfully completed system installations will be granted a certification number. The details of the voluntary Certification Program for System Installers will be covered during this session.
Six and one-half training contact hours will be awarded for each workshop attended and will apply towards recertification for L.P.I.s and C.E.O.s, as well as Maine Department of Human Services and Department of Environmental Protection Voluntary Certification Programs for Septic System Installers and Contractors.
The cost is $75 (includes training materials, lunch, and breaks). For registration information please contact Central Aroostook County Soil and Water Conservation District at 764-4153 x130 or the Joint Environmental Training Coordinating Committee (JETCC) at 253-8020
