Social Impact

October 10, 2019

Maine Professors Develop Walker for those with Mobility Impairments

UMaine professors Elizabeth DePoy, Stephen Gilson, and Vince Caccese are part of the team that developed Afari, a specially designed wheeled walker that assists people with their mobility. The Afari enables people with mobility impairments, who otherwise would be limited by standard walkers, to move in a variety of outdoor terrain. A recent Bangor Daily…

July 17, 2019

From Activist to Authority

ASK ANY COLLEGE or university administrator to list priorities, and you’ll likely hear some combination of these answers: Academic excellence. Access. Innovation. Ask Shontay Delalue ’00, ’03G? She has something important to add. “You can’t do any of that without equity and diversity,” says Delalue, who has served as Brown University’s vice president for institutional…

July 11, 2019

A Life-Saving Path

    ON A BRIGHT FEBRUARY MORNING, under a blue sky that seemed to hold the promise of spring, Aislinn Sarnacki ’10 strode through a white pine forest at the Stover Preserve in Belfast and down to the snowy banks of the Passagassawakeag River. Sarnacki, a Bangor Daily News re­port­er, is familiar to many outdoor…

June 17, 2019

Penobscot Language Signs Installed on Campus

New signs with place names in Penobscot language were recently installed on campus as part of a collaboration between the university and the Penobscot Nation. This collaboration follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding which focuses on creating positive, mutually beneficial relationships between the campus community and Native community members. “At its core [the…

May 17, 2019

Di Giovanni ’83 Receives Guggenheim Fellowship

Award-winning journalist and author Janine di Giovanni ’83, Jackson Senior Fellow and Professor of Practice at Yale, was recently named a 2019 Guggenheim Fellow. She is one of 168 scholars, artists, and writers selected this year. The award will allow Di Giovanni the opportunity to pursue research on minorities in the Middle East for a…

December 7, 2018

UMaine Alumni Association gives back to the community this holiday season

This month the  Alumni Association staff took part in two charitable activities to spread holiday cheer throughout the community. Staff and friends donated nonperishable food items and gently used clothing for the Black Bear Exchange, UMaine’s on-campus food pantry and clothing exchange. The mission of the Black Bear Exchange is to provide equitable resources to…

November 9, 2018

“Healing Our Democracy” the Theme of UMaine’s Annual Mitchell Lecture

Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell presented the annual Mitchell Lecture on Sustainability on Oct. 4 on campus. “Healing Our Democracy” addressed some of the economic, social, and political factors that contribute to the polarization in the U.S. today. Besides discussing the challenges that polarization presents, Senator Mitchell also addressed some of the ways that communities…

August 10, 2018

Nicole Maines ’19 to Star in TV Series

Nicole Maines ’19 has been chosen to co-star in The CW/Warner Bros.’ television show “Supergirl.” Her character, Nia Nal, a.k.a. Dreamer, is a transgender woman with a strong propensity to protect others. The role in “Supergirl” is a major career leap for Maines, who played Charlotta in the School of Performing Arts’ 2015 production of…