Schools

Hampden Academy

HAMPDEN – Education Commissioner Susan A. Gendron and the chairman of the state’s truancy advisory committee have recognized 10 people for significant contributions to meeting the needs of children and at-risk youth in their schools and communities.

One of those honored was Serena Morris, who has led Hampden Academy’s student assistance team, the Hampden Academy Response Team, for 11 years.

As chairwoman of the team, Morris has developed a model for at-risk factors in collecting quantitative data on students. HART meets weekly and puts in place interventions and supports for students at risk.

Morris has worked through HART to build capacity to improve the school’s success rate in dealing with at-risk students. The team collects data weekly and enters it into a database that prioritizes students based on risk factors – detention, failing grades, absences, suspensions and visits to the nurse.

For the past four years, Morris has been the schoolwide coordinator in the Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Grant. She has developed protocols and an interagency agreement with a local counseling agency and crisis intervention. The newest agreement involves the Back on Track Program with Penquis CAP, which helps suspended students get back on the path to success.

Colleges

Albany College of Pharmacy

ALBANY, N.Y. – Terri Underhill of Stetson was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Albany College of Pharmacy.

College of the Atlantic

BAR HARBOR – Sarah Spruce, a graduate of Bangor High School, received a bachelor’s degree in human ecology on June 2 from College of the Atlantic.

The degree required Spruce to create her own independent course of study within an interdisciplinary curriculum, and to spend at least one term completing a final project.

Spruce, the daughter of Suzanne Spruce of Bangor, spent two summers doing independent research on Great Duck Island, one of the college’s two offshore field stations. Her final project, “Portrait of a Sea Duck: Common Eiders in the Gulf of Maine,” is based on that research.

Spruce looked at common eiders from three perspectives: breeding biology and human disturbance, hunting pressures, and effects on mussel aqua culture. Each aspect of the study involved Spruce’s own research as well as her personal experience with the subject.

She said that the highlight of her college career was presenting her original research on the question of predation by gulls on common eider ducklings when there are no human researchers around to disturb either population.

She presented the research at three professional conferences, notably the IV North American Ornithological Conference in Veracruz, Mexico, in the fall of 2006, which had more than 2,000 attendees.

Come fall, Spruce plans graduate studies in environmental law at Vermont Law School.

Maine Maritime Academy

CASTINE – These local students were named to the dean’s list for the second semester at Maine Maritime Academy:

Bangor: James Proctor, Joseph Blier, Philip Achey, Jenna Algee, Ashley Hayden.

Eddington: Robert Canning, Richard Collenburg Jr.

Hampden: Zachary Growe, John Higgins.

Holden: Shawn Evans.

CASTINE – These area students graduated from the Maine Maritime Academy on May 5:

Bangor: Ashley Hayden, Joshua Heath, Ryan Salkaln.

Eddington: Richard Collenburg Jr.

Hampden: Michael Binekey, Joshua Coffin.

Dean College

FRANKLIN, Mass. – Melody Hammond of Hermon graduated recently from Dean College. She received an associate degree in dance.

Drew University

MADISON, N.J. – These area students were named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Drew University:

. Bonnie Lee Case, Bangor.

. Jordan Margaret-May Ecker, Brewer.

MADISON, N.J. – Jordan Margaret-May Ecker of Brewer received a bachelor’s degree cum laude from Drew University on May 19.

Montana State University

BOZEMAN – Elle Winchester was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Montana State University. Winchester is the daughter of Lon and Janet Winchester of Etna.

Simmons College

BOSTON – These local students were named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Simmons College:

Bangor: Rebecca Kolenik, Amanda Mooers.

Bucksport: Lawrie Fitzgerald.

Hampden: Aislinn Sarnacki, Sheila Sheedy.

Orono: Emily Sypher.

Winterport: Heather Leonard.

University of Connecticut

STORRS, Conn. – These area students were named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at the University of Connecticut:

Glenburn: Jessica Gale.

Hampden: Brooke Anderson.

Orono: Joseph Cheng, Nimesh Patel.

University of Maine

ORONO – David Dvorak, director of the University of Maine School of Engineering Technology and professor of mechanical engineering technology, has received a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture and conduct alternative energy research at the University of Akureyri in Iceland during the upcoming academic year.

An expert in alternative energy, specifically fuel cell technology, Dvorak intends to continue his work with researchers in Iceland and help develop a new graduate program in the recently opened School of Renewable Energy Resources, which focuses on developing new energy sources, including geothermal, hydro, wind, tides, solar, biomass, fuel cells and hydrogen.

“They’re really developing this school for more than just the students of Iceland,” he said. “This new graduate program will attract students from partnering universities throughout Europe.”

Iceland is among the leaders in the world in the development of alternative fuel sources and renewable energy. For the past 20 years, Iceland has been working on replacing imported fossil fuels with domestically produced hydrogen or hydrogen-based fuels like methanol, according to Dvorak.

His work in Iceland will be “a tremendous opportunity to participate in an educational program that’s just starting up, with many possibilities for future work and continuing collaboration,” he said. “An important aspect of this project is that the University of Maine is participating in renewable energy research and education at the international level, and it is my intent to develop partnerships that will benefit the people in the state of Maine.”

Dvorak serves as a member of the Maine Hydrogen Energy Fuel Cell Partnership created by Gov. John Baldacci, and the Hydrogen Energy Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the viability of New England businesses and communities through the development and adoption of renewable hydrogen technologies.

Dvorak has been on the UM faculty 19 years. The licensed professional engineer earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a doctorate in physics at UM in 1998.

Vassar College

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Margaret Adams graduated May 27 from Vassar College. She received a degree in Hispanic studies. Adams is the daughter of Bradford Adams and Marjorie Adams, both of Holden.