Hello and how are you all surviving our new socially distant normal? I’d love to
hear how you are managing these most unusual of times. How are you staying in
touch with your loved ones? Are you working from home, and if so, do you miss
your co-workers? Do you have Zoom fatigue? I know I do!
Our classmate, Martha Shultz Poliquin, ran for the Maine State Senate from
District 22, which includes her hometown of Lisbon, as well as eight other
neighboring communities. Her main concerns include property tax relief,
affordable health care, and senior care. Her 98-year-old father lives with her,
which she says has given her a front row seat to the issues involved in providing
support for our aging population. Her other areas of focus include climate
change, the environment, renewable energy, and funding for public education.
“I’m very optimistic and really excited to knock on doors and hear what issues are
important in the other eight communities I haven’t met yet,“ she said in a pre-
election interview with the Times Record newspaper.
Bob Steneck was honored with the 2020 UMaine Presidential Research and
Creative Achievement Award for his work on ecosystem dynamics. An article
from the Boothbay Register describes Bob as an “internationally recognized
marine ecologist whose research expertise ranges from coral reefs and kelp
forests to fisheries and marine conservations and management.” His work has
contributed to our understanding of the ecological and socioeconomic
consequences of fishing, including the shift from ground fish to the crustacean-
dominated Gulf of Maine fishery — and this is just a small sample of his
research. In looking forward, Bob stressed, “never before have we needed
marine scientists more, in order to keep our fingers on the pulse of our rapidly
changing ocean. Nowhere is this more important than the Gulf of Maine, where
we see weather, climate change, and invasive species rapidly changing the
ecosystem and the economic landscape.” Congratulations, Bob, on the
recognition of your work.
Here’s my regular plea: if you don’t send it, I can’t include it. So come on, ‘78ers,
please let me know you’re out there!