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Connecting Climate to Curriculum

BANGOR – The Maine Department of Education has awarded the Challenger Learning Center of Maine one of five mathematics and science partnership grants. The $99,988 grant will fund C’s to Shining C: Connecting Climate to Curriculum, a three-year project helping middle school teachers develop their understanding of the Earth’s climate system through interaction with University of Maine scientists. The project will give teachers tools needed to use climate change as an educational theme.

Annette Brickley, director of the Earth and Space Science Community Education Center housed at the Challenger Center in Bangor, will manage the project, a partnership of the Challenger Center, the UM School of Marine Science, the UM Climate Change Institute, the UM Center for Science and Math Education Research, four regional school districts and the United Technologies Center of Bangor.

“From recycling bins in kindergarten classrooms to environmental action clubs in the high school, students are becoming more engaged in ‘green’ and issues of climate change,” Brick said. “A school using Earth systems as an over-arching theme for the grade six through 12 curriculum can use questions about global climate change to address life and physical science topics in the middle grades and biology, chemistry, physics and environmental sciences in the higher grades.

“But most of today’s teachers did not study climate change in school; nor did many of them likely study science in an interdisciplinary way,” she said. “Providing teachers with in-depth content knowledge about scientists’ recent understandings about Earth-climate interactions is critical to making them effective educators about this important subject.”

Currently, middle school teachers from Hermon, Old Town, Hampden and Bangor are involved. Space is limited, but if additional district teams of teachers are interested in participating, they may call Brickley at 990-2900, ext. 2.

Audubon nature scholarships

HOLDEN – Do your children enjoy watching and searching for tadpoles, salamanders, dragonflies, caterpillars, birds, chipmunks, frogs or fish?

Treat them to a week at Fields Pond Audubon Center’s Nature Day Camp. There are still openings and partial scholarships available for children in grades three through six.

Each week, campers range far and wide exploring the natural world between field, forest and pond on the sanctuary’s 192 acres. Campers have fun playing games, making crafts and developing friendships. The camps run daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The fee is $200 a week. Camp sessions are:

. Week 1: July 14-18, grades three and four.

. Week 2: July 21-25, grades four and five.

. Week 3: July 28-Aug. 1, grades five and six.

Request a scholarship application along with registration form by calling Fields Pond Audubon Center at 989-2591.

Glad Tidings Church youth

BANGOR – Children in the Glad Tidings Church youth program sold more than $2,000 worth of Cabot cheese to raise funds for a trip to Boston June 26-27. Kris Everett was the top cheese seller.

And on April 27, the young people sold hoagie sandwiches to members of the church, raising $200. They also raised money by selling grilled cheese sandwiches and tulip bulbs to church members.

Children ages 6 to 12 who faithfully attended the youth program will go on the trip to Boston.

Walton Scholarships

Stephen LaFlamme, a recent graduate of Central High School in Corinth, and Douglas Reeves, a home-schooled student from Winterport, are winners of $1,000 Sam Walton Community Scholarships.

LaFlamme will attend the University of Maine, where he will major in athletic training. Reeves will attend Bob Jones University in South Carolina, where he will study chemistry.

The scholarship is named for the founder of Wal-Mart and is awarded annually to deserving college bound high school seniors or students who obtained a GED certificate between Aug. 1, 2007, and June 30 this year.

Dale McMindes, manager of the Bangor Wal-Mart, made the scholarship presentation to LaFlamme and Reeves.

“We are so excited to recognize these outstanding students and to help fund their college aspirations,” McMindes said.

The scholarship is one of three types of scholarships supported by the company to assist with college-related expenses. LaFlamme and Reeves are among 72,017 students across the United States who applied for a Sam Walton Community Scholarship. Winners were selected for financial need, academic record, ACT and SAT test scores, activities and participation in educational organizations.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has a long history of education initiatives and in 2007 contributed more than $67 million to local schools and universities, student scholarships, educational organizations and more.

Teen Parent graduation

BANGOR – A graduation ceremony was held on June 12 for students in the Good Samaritan Agency’s Teen Parent Education Program, an alternative education program for pregnant and parenting teens. Six young women graduated from the program. Cindi Leighton of Merrill Bank was the keynote speaker.

Colleges

Husson College

BANGOR – These area students were named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Husson College, earning a 3.4 or better GPA on a 4.0 scale.

Bangor: Christine Ames, majoring in occupational therapy; Ilyse Angst, elementary education; Lori Brown, elementary education; Paul Dosen, criminal justice; Kristina Duff, clinical psychology; Amanda Foss, criminal justice; Kathleen Hodsdon, business administration; Stacia Kingsbury, nursing; Jeremy Kuhn, criminal justice; Elliott Megquier, business administration; Alyssa Ogden, criminal justice; James Ouellette, nursing; Andrew Robichaud, business administration; Adam Sitarski, graduate student, kinesiology-human movement science; Ashley Smith, nursing; Deirdre Spekhardt, criminal justice; Chad Thomas, business administration; Jessica Tweedie, psychology; Ashley Winslow, clinical psychology; Kyla Vanchieri, health care studies.

Bradford: Melissa Glendhill, hospitality management; Matthew Harvey, business administration.

Brewer: Sharon Anderson, nursing; Kate Armstrong, paralegal studies; Scott Bemis, nursing; Lindsay Cote, biology; Judith Gormely, English; Paul Harriman, business administration; Asa Honey, business administration; Megan Jacobs, business administration; Amanda Jewell, kinesiology-human movement science; Bradley Libby, kinesiology-human movement science; Natasha Pomroy, paralegal studies; Renee Reilly, elementary education.

Eddington: Andrew Dunoskovic, secondary education; Lisa Eldridge, business administration; Amy Flower, accounting; Scott Hatch, physical education.

Glenburn: Angela Nicknair, kinesiology-human movement science.

Greenbush: Sherwood Vaillancourt, computer information systems.

Hampden: Kyle Burbine, chemistry; Melissa Funari, elementary education; Carissa Harvey, criminal justice; Tiffany Harvey, criminal justice; Sarah Hessert, chemistry; Meagan Ortego, paralegal studies; Kathleen Nautel, nursing; Shiela Nevells, criminal justice; Jared Smith, kinesiology-human movement science; Kristel Springer, nursing; Megan Thibodeau, business administration.

Hermon: Frances Colavecchio, criminal justice; Samantha Correia, health care studies; Zachery Deabay, chemistry; Adam Duplisea, business administration; Monica Gallant, nursing; Joshua Giles, accounting; Erin Hatch, occupational therapy; Thomas McGowan, business administration; Nicole O’Clair, nursing; Jonathan Roy, chemistry.

Newburgh: William Shannon, business administration.

Orono: Lance Cowan, business administration; Ashlee Husson, undeclared major; Dustin Nevells, criminal justice.

Orrington: Kyle Bradford, business and technology; Kalyn Doten, paralegal studies; Jake Norsworthy, business administration; Jill Weeks, psychology.

Winterport: Blaine Meehan, business administration; Lisa Seymour, nursing; Brittany Snyder, psychology.

Maine Maritime Academy

CASTINE – Maine Maritime Academy welcomed a team of oceanographic researchers to campus recently as part of an educational cooperative with the University of New Hampshire. The research team made up of faculty and students from the university’s Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping and members of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Joint Hydrographic Center at UNH, which conducts seafloor mapping research projects in partnership with NOAA. This year, the group conducted a bathymetric survey of the Bagaduce River and Castine Harbor through June 21.

While in Castine, researchers were hosted by academy faculty, students and staff. The group staged its activities from the college’s waterfront facilities and worked with members of the MMA engineering department and Corning School of Ocean Studies to share data collections and interpretive analysis, and provide opportunities for faculty and student collaboration.

According to Dr. John Barlow, MMA vice president for academic affairs and academic dean, the research project was part of the regular instructional and research program of UNH and included participation by NOAA staff at UNH.

“As part summer course work, UNH provides valuable field support and offers hands-on student research opportunities in support of NOAA’s detailed hydrographic surveys,” he said. “They used the latest technology to map the river bottom from the mouth of the Bagaduce River, through the Narrows, and into Northern Bay.” The results of this year’s projects will be used to update NOAA nautical charts.

Barlow added that the Bagaduce River was last surveyed in the late 1800s and wasn’t scheduled for this kind of review by NOAA in the near future.

The research was directed to this area because of recent interest in the exploration of the Bagaduce River as a renewable power resource. Barlow said that survey information will provide updated data that will be available to local harbor masters and to the public.

Northeastern University

BREWER – Matthew Whalen was named to dean’s list for the spring semester at Northeastern University in Boston.

Whalen graduated from Northeastern on May 2 with a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in industrial engineering with Honors Course distinction, University Honors Program distinction and the College of Engineering Honors Project Distinction.

He has accepted a position with General Electric in its Operations Management Leadership Program with his first assignment in Dayton, Ohio. He is the son of Cheryl and Mike Whalen of Brewer.

Northern Illinois University

HAMPDEN – Joshua Marsh of Hampden was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill.

Norwich University

These area students were named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Norwich University in Norwich, Vt.:

. Max Corwin of Bucksport.

. Justin Hazlett of Levant.

University of New Hampshire

LEVANT – Kimberley Chisholm graduated recently from the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H.

She has been accepted into the professional veterinary medical program at Colorado State University for the fall term. She was among 134 students selected from 1,600 applicants for the program. Selection is based on academic achievement, familiarity with the many facets of veterinary medicine and extracurricular community activities.

Chisholm is the daughter of John Chisholm and veterinarian Wendy Shepard Chisholm of Levant.

Wentworth Institute of Technology

BANGOR – Jonathan Vance of Bangor was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston.

Wildlife leadership

ORONO – Angela Fuller, a post-doctoral research assistant and associate graduate faculty member in the University of Maine Department of Wildlife Ecology, has been chosen to attend The Wildlife Society’s 2008 Leadership Institute this summer and fall.

The Maryland-based institute, established in 2006, provides a select group of early career wildlife professionals with extensive training to help them to move into leadership positions in their workplaces and in society.

Fuller, who has conducted field-based research on Canada lynx, American martens, snowshoe hares and other mammals, is one of 10 people from the United States and Canada chosen for the program based on academic records, leadership abilities and excellence in their current positions.

With nearly 70 percent of the leaders in the profession due to retire in the next decade, the goal of the institute is to prepare those two or three years out of school for future challenges facing wildlife managers and conservationists.

The program runs through November and culminates with intensive mentoring activities and leadership workshops at the 2008 TWS annual conference in Miami.