This year, the center hosted a record 10 IPTI student teams in collaboration with students and faculty from Chicago’s Rosalind Franklin University. In addition, 79 students from 11 professional programs were announced as recipients of CECE Interprofessional Education Honors, which will be bestowed upon their graduation this spring. To earn the IPE Honors distinction, students must attend three or more CECE events and write reflections about them, participate in an interprofessional project and presentation, and complete a portfolio documenting their experiences. In remarks, UNE President James D. Herbert, Ph.D., emphasized the importance of relationships made across disciplines and programs, some of which will prove to be lifelong and serve to benefit future patients. Herbert read aloud the words of one alum, who stated: “Opportunities at UNE made more of a difference than I realized. My colleagues from other institutions envied my experience; it set me apart.” Karen Pardue, Ph.D., M.S., RN, CNE, ANEF, interim provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs, also greeted session attendees, commenting on how learning together prepares graduates to be emerging leaders and health care advocates. “No one discipline can tackle the challenges and opportunities inherent Karen Pardue, PhD in health care,” she said. “Instead, this complexity requires that all of us gather and listen, learn, and respond together in a well-coordinated way to achieve the best possible outcomes for our patients, their families, and our communities.” At the event, Shelley Cohen Konrad, Ph.D., LCSW, FNAP, CECE director, presented Emily Dornblaser, Pharm.D., M.S., BCPS, with the Lisa Pagnucco Interprofessional Faculty Award, which recognizes outstanding collaborative service. Student presentations may be viewed at DigitalUNE (DUNE).
HIGHLIGHT FROM CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN COLLABORATIVE EDUCATION: UNE AT THE NEXUS! This past year has taught us important lessons about the positive impact of teamwork during uniquely challenging times. The Center for Excellence in Collaborative Education (CECE) has made it a priority to learn how interprofessional and interdisciplinary education can make a difference in UNE students’ experience of addressing problem-solving, critical thinking, advocating health equity, building teams, and engaging patients, families, and communities in defining their priorities for health. During this year we’ve also learned that proficiency in collaborative teamwork opens up career options and leadership opportunities for our health professions graduates. It’s with these factors in mind that we are pleased to announce that UNE students, professional staff, and faculty will be well represented at the 2021 Nexus Summit https://summit2021.nexusipe.org/, an annual conference sponsored by the National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. The Summit will once again be virtual and take place over a span of five (5) days across September and October. Nexus themes include the following: Innovations in Interprofessional Clinical and Academic Learning; Innovations in Interprofessional Collaborative Practice; Patient-Engaged and Co-created Practice and Education, and The Nexus of Health Equity. At the Summit, the UNE community will showcase interprofessional education, research, and practice. Three (3) presentations, including two cross-institutional projects, will describe ongoing IPE impact research. Dr. Elizabeth Crampsey1, OT, leads the team for the Office of Research and Scholarship (ORS) funded 5-year Analysis of Interprofessional Education Impact on Workplace Practice that looked at how UNE alumni are implementing IPE competencies in their unique healthcare settings. This research effort has included students from Occupational Therapy and the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Drs. Leslie Ochs School of Pharmacy (SOP), colleagues, and students2 offer insights into the unexpected shift from in-person to virtual IPE. Adapting interprofessional student learning in response to COVID-19 is based on surveys conducted following an inter-institutional simulated team immersion with Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Sciences’ (RFUMS) DeWitt C. Baldwin Institute for Interprofessional Education. Leslie Ochs, PhD Another collaboration led by Baldwin Institute Research Specialist Tamzin Batteson3, Critical Discourse Analysis: An Innovative Approach to Assessing Student IPE Competencies During Simulated Telehealth Encounters, assessed skills and attitudes for cross-disciplinary communication. This research effort has included a three person student team of future pharmacists from both UNE and RFUMS. Medical students’ collaborative clerkships will be highlighted in the presentation by COM faculty Jenifer Van Deusen, M.Ed. Designing Unique IPE Clinical Learning Experiences for Medical Students and Other Trainees, which details COM’s initiative to ensure that all COM students are exposed to shared teamwork practices in their clinical Jenifer Van Deusen, MEd rotations. These activities are actively informing the latest re-write of the national IPEC Competencies, tentatively due to be released in early 2023.
Drs. Chris Hunt, Hwyda Arafat (COM), and Shelley Cohen Konrad’s (CECE) talk Exploring power and unspoken biases in interprofessional education and practice will delve into power dynamics in the field. The team will facilitate conversations about unacknowledged exclusionary and hierarchical practices in health curriculum. Dr. Cohen Konrad is also partnering with colleague Dr. Barbara Maxwell from A. T. Still University to pose the question should we be considering Patients in the care team or the patient’s care team? From left:Chris Hunt, Hwyda Arafat, Shelley Cohen Konrad The interprofessional student team of Michaela Myerson (SOP ‘22), Elisabelle Bocal (MSW ‘24), William Rinaldi (COM ‘24), Sean Callagy (COM ‘24), & Katie Santanello (COM ‘24) had two (2) posters accepted by Summit reviewers: Hindsight is 2020: Plan, Perform, Evaluate (P.P.E.) – An Interprofessional Review and Pandemic Playbook highlights a multi-disciplinary framework that offers recommendations for addressing future pandemics; and Interprofessional Approach to Learning: A Mixed-Method Study of Student Involvement in Interprofessional Work and Perceived Impact on Effectiveness as a Healthcare Professional, investigates the benefits of collaborative learning and practice. In addition to accepted abstracts, UNE will have presence in plenary and invited programming. Dr. Cohen Konrad, Director of CECE, will host a plenary session, What Matters Most – Practical Models for Designing and Delivering Interprofessional Practice and Education Programs with Individuals, Families, and Communities. Professor Arabella Perez from UNE’s School of Social Work is a guest panelist along with Dr. Nethra Ankam (Thomas Jefferson), Maritza Gomez (Camden Coalition), and a yet to be named community member. Dr. Cohen Konrad will follow the plenary with a Conversation Café on this same topic co-facilitated with Dr. Kelley Harmon (MaineGeneral Health) and Susan Dudley Gold (Vet-to-Vet Maine). Arabella Perez The 2021 Nexus Summit offers remarkable opportunities for cross- professional learning and national networking. Registration is open and we urge those interested in advancing knowledge of IPE and collaborative practice innovations to take a look at the schedule and register to attend https://summit2021.nexusipe.org/register. 1 Co-authors include: Drs. Shelley Cohen Konrad (CECE), Emily Dornblaser (SOP), Stephanie Nichols (SOP); Kira Rodriguez (CEPH), Kris Hall (CECE), and students Dakota Rogers (OT), Caroline Jaeger (COM), and Stephanie DeCarvalho (COM). 2Co-authors include: Drs. Danielle Candelario (RFUMS), Emily Dornblaser (SOP) and Sarah Garber (RFUMS), Kris Hall (CECE), Tamzin Batteson (RFUMS), Kira Rodriguez (CEPH) and students Kaleia Collins (RFUMS), Sandra Schipelliti (SOP), and Rayan Smith (RFUMS). 3Co-authors include: Drs Leslie Ochs (SOP), Emily Dornblaser (SOP), Liz Crampsey (OT), and Danielle Candelario (RFUMS)and Professor Lambdin-Parravina (OT), Sarah Garber (RFUMS), Kira Rodriguez (CEPH), and Kris Hall (CECE).
THE MAINE AREA HEALTH EDUCATION CENTER (AHEC) NETWORK HOUSED WITHIN THE CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN PUBLIC HEALTH (CEPH) REPRESENTED UNE AT THE 2021 NATIONAL AHEC ORGANIZATION’S (NAO) ANNUAL MEETING BIENNIAL CONFERENCE AHEC is a federally funded program that focuses on health profession workforce development with a focus on rural and underserved populations. The Maine AHEC Network includes the Program Office at CEPH and three regional centers located in eastern (Northern Light), western (Franklin Healthcare), and northern (Northern Maine Community College) A presentation and virtual Q&A session on Maine AHEC’s Rural Health Immersions, a program where UNE graduate health professions students are hosted in rural and underserved communities throughout Maine, was well attended. CEPH staff also presented on cross-state collaborative data collection efforts to spotlight the impact AHECs make nationally. From left: Ian Imbert, Jennifer Gunderman, Kira Rodriguez Ian Imbert, AHEC CUP Scholar Program Manager, led a team of AHEC Program and Center staff in a presentation and discussion titled “Creating Immersive Rural Health Experiences for Future Health Providers.\" Maine AHEC Network Director Jennifer Gunderman, AHEC Evaluator Kira Rodriguez, and Northern Maine AHEC Center Director Leah Buck also shared their experiences planning, implementing and evaluating these unique immersive, rural experiences for health professions students. To address the unique healthcare workforce needs of Maine, University of New England (UNE) faculty and staff developed the Rural Health Immersion (RHI) in 2016. The program was first piloted in Spring of 2016 in Aroostook County, Maine’s northernmost County. The RHI was created to increase student interest in rural health and expand clinical learning opportunities in rural communities with healthcare provider shortages. Since inception, over 200 students from UNE’s Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, Pharmacy, Dental Medicine, and other Health Professions have participated in the RHI program, including over 100 AHEC Scholars. This presentation provided an opportunity for Maine AHEC Staff to share more about this unique program, how it is implemented, and what students have told us about how their experiences will influence future practice. Additionally, adaptations made during the COVID-19 pandemic were shared. Kira Rodriguez, Senior Research Associate at CEPH, led a presentation and panel discussion titled “Showing our Impact with One Voice: NAO CORE Annual Data Collection & Reporting” with colleagues from Colorado, Wisconsin, Michigan and Massachusetts AHECs. This presentation was a collaborative effort from members of the NAO Committee on Outcome, Research and Evaluation (CORE). Committee members presented information on the background, content and methodology used to create the 2020 NAO National Data Flyer and used interactive technology to gather participant feedback on the Flyer. Examples of how Programs and Centers around the country have used the NAO data flyer template to create their own flyers will be shared, as well as suggestions for sharing your Center/Program/State’s Scholars evaluation tool results and reporting to HRSA. This session will provide information relevant for your evaluation report due to HRSA on Aug. 31, 2021 and will illustrate the importance of local, regional and national data collection efforts.
UNE PUBLIC HEALTH TOBACCO RESEARCH PUBLISHED IN LOCAL MEDICAL JOURNAL Faculty and staff from the Graduate Programs annually. In Maine, both cigarette and electronic in Public Health (GPPH) and Center for cigarette use among high school students are Excellence in Public Health (CEPH) recently higher than the national average. Health care published their research on youth tobacco providers are trusted sources of health prevention in the Journal of Maine Medical information, but to what extent Maine health Center, an open-access journal devoted to care providers are familiar with tobacco use supporting the academic mission through prevention is unknown. publication of high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarly work. The researchers found that health care providers with at least 10 years of experience felt more able to discuss the harms of using cigarettes and chewing tobacco with their patients but not the harms of using e-cigarettes. The study shows there are knowledge and practice gaps in From left: Toho Soma, Titilola Balogun, Liam O'Brien training tobacco prevention efforts and that health care providers and Titilola Balogun, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., Dr.P.H., implementing tobacco screening practices will assistant director for Public Health Practice in improve the quality of health services offered to GPPH, Toho Soma, M.P.H., senior research Maine youth at clinic visits. associate for CEPH, and Liam O’Brien, Ph.D., adjunct faculty in GPPH, investigated the This collaborative research between GPPH and knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Maine CEPH was facilitated by a UNE mini grant to health care providers regarding youth tobacco Balogun from the Office of Sponsored use.Tobacco use causes preventable morbidity Programs. and mortality and leads to high medical costs REBECCA IRELAND Rebecca Ireland joined the Maine Calling staff WAS INVITED PANELIST and fellow guests on July 26, 2021, to educate ON MAINE CALLING the audience about the issue and what can be RADIO SHOW done around prevention, treatment, and “STIMULANT DRUGS: recovery of substance misuse disorders. USE AND ADDICTION TO Rebecca (Becky) Ireland, MPH ’20, Certified STIMULANTS IS THE Prevention Specialist Senior Program OTHER DRUG CRISIS IN Coordinator, Maine Substance Use Prevention MAINE; WHAT IS BEING DONE ABOUT TO Services Center for Excellence in Public Health, CURB IT” University of New England. Maine Public Broadcasting’s Maine Rebecca brought her 20 years of substance use Calling radio show wanted to highlight stimulant prevention experience to the show to highlight misuse as an important public health issue some risk and protective factors for stimulant negatively impacting Maine and something that Read more… can be prevented and intervened wit to save lives.
NEW APPROACHES TO TEACHING AND LEARNING IN A POST-COVID WORLD Eight UNE faculty members and administrators joined together to document their experiences teaching during the pandemic. Their chapter, ‘Application of Trauma-Informed Teaching & Learning Principles in a Blended Learning Environment’ will be featured in a book, Academic Voices: A conversation on new approaches to teaching and learning in the post-COVID World, due to be published by Elsevier Ltd. in December. Marc Ebenfield Jennifer Mandel Glenn Stevenson Krysten Gorrivan Lane Clarke Gregory LaBonte Anuja Doshi Christina Leclerc Marc Ebenfield, Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) responded to the call for proposals in February when he recognized that participants in a faculty learning community on hybrid teaching were combining principles of trauma informed teaching and learning with principles of online learning to essentially create a new pedagogical framework. The chapter presents Carello’s principles of Trauma-Informed Teaching and Learning (https://traumainformedteachingblog.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/titl-general-principles- 3.20.pdf) through examples of teaching techniques used at UNE to engage, motivate and promote resilience in a variety of disciplines. Dr. Ebenfield served as the lead author. Dr. Jennifer Mandel, Associate Director of Assessment added essential background information concerning the experiences of students during the pandemic. Krysten Gorrivan, Assistant Teaching Professor of Education, who leads a working group at UNE on Trauma-Informed teaching and learning, provided details on the principles of TITL and how today’s students are affected by trauma. Dr. Glenn Stevenson, Professor of Psychology, added essential neurobiological aspects of trauma. All faculty members provided observations on operationalizing TITL principles. Gregory LaBonte, Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor, Biology established how safety and trust could be established using social media. Anuja Doshi, Assistant Clinical Professor of Dental Medicine, emphasized both social media and games as essential tools for motivating and engaging graduate students. Lane W. Clarke, Associate Professor of Education, and Christina Leclerc, Associate Teaching Professor, Psychology, extended principles to collaboration and student empowerment. Their work applied TITL principles to a new arena, blended learning, and highlights techniques that create a learning environment in which students can overcome obstacles, build resilience and succeed despite obstacles they may encounter because of external or internal stressors.
MIKE SHELDON, ASSOCIATE PROVOST ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, DISCUSSES FUTURE OF PHYSICAL THERAPIST EDUCATION AT NATIONAL SUMMIT SHELDON'S PRESENTATION PHYSICAL THERAPY AT UNE Mike Sheldon, PT, Ph.D., associate provost for Academic Affairs at the University of New England, recently spoke at a virtual summit on disruptive innovations in physical therapist (PT) education sponsored by the Physical Therapy Learning Institute (PTLI). This year’s summit, “Reimagining Physical Therapist Education,” was limited to 100 invited attendees representing a wide variety of PT education programs from across the country. The purpose of the summit was to “stimulate deep conversation and foster action among the invited attendees to address both anticipated and unexpected opportunities for change in physical therapist education,” according to the gathering's program. Sheldon spoke in support of the reduction of unwarranted variations in PT education. He explained that such variations can be present in admissions, for example, through a lack of standardized prerequisite courses or hours of clinical observation required for admissions. Variations can also be present through a lack standardized preparation for students who enter full-time clinical practice; and they can also include a lack of consistent outcomes, competencies, and entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for graduates of PT education programs as they enter practice. “I believe we need to focus our efforts on developing more standardized outcomes, competencies, and EPAs,” said Sheldon. “The curriculum content, learning activities, and sequencing of activities will follow, but you need this end-game clearly articulated from the start.” KASH DUTTA INVITED TO SPEAK AT NATIONAL SUMMIT ON ONLINE AND BLENDED LEARNING Kash Dutta, MS, professor in the Department of Biology, recently spoke at REMOTE: The Connected Faculty Summit hosted by Arizona State University. The summit provides a forum to identify and promote the best possible pedagogy, techniques, and tools by faculty for online and blended learning. It showcases best practices to help faculty design the most engaging experience for learners. Master practitioners from across higher education, including higher ed thought leaders, university presidents, and other organization leaders discussed how they lead their classes online and lessons they have learned from COVID-19 teaching. The remote summit featured more than 80 curated sessions over two days. Close to 700 participants attended Dutta’s talk titled “Pandemic Teaching & Beyond: Adapting and Transforming Pedagogy Through a Blended Model.” Read more… In 2017, Dutta accepted the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Digital Learning Innovation (DLI) Award on behalf of the University of New England.
UNE REPRESENTED AT MAINE GOVERNOR’S OPIOID RESPONSE SUMMIT Faculty and staff from the Center of Excellence in Public Health (CEPH) and the College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) recently made a presentation at the Maine Governor’s 3rd Annual From left: Toho Soma, Jenifer Van Deusen, Selma Holden Opioid Response Summit on the impact training has on students regarding the stigmatization of people with Opioid Use The poster presentation was based on training COM and Physician Assistant (PA) students Disorder (OUD). received on how stigma towards people with Toho Soma, M.P.H., M.S., senior research OUD negatively affects access to care and the associate in CEPH, Jenifer Van Deusen, M.Ed., misconception that OUD is a moral failure and principal investigator/project director of not a chronic relapsing brain disease. Maine Providers Clinical Support System – University (PCSS-U), Selma Holden, M.D., Results found that the students felt less stigma M.P.H., M.S., assistant clinical professor in toward people with OUD after going through the COM, and Cameron Samuelson, COM project training. Studies show training health coordinator, presented a poster, “Osteopathic professions students on issues around stigma early in their careers can create less Medical and Physician Assistant stigmatizing health care environments in the Student Trainings on Opioid Use Disorder and future. Read more… Their Impact on Stigma Toward People with OUD.” READ MORE ABOUT THE GOVERNOR’S 3RD ANNUAL OPIOID RESPONSE SUMMIT CEPH FACULTY TO REPRESENT MAINE WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION FELLOWSHIP Laurie Jevons, M.S., PS-C, PMP, program coordinator for Maine Substance Use Prevention Services within UNE’s Center for Excellence in Public Health, was recently selected to represent the state of Maine as part of the New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center Fellowship program. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Region I Fellowship was awarded to one representative from each state in New England to develop an innovative piece of research and accompanying tool for the benefit of the prevention workforce. The focus for the 2021 fellowship is diversity, equity, and inclusion in substance abuse prevention. Jevons was selected for her proposal to create culturally competent and translated resources for immigrants and international students regarding the use of cannabis — which is legal for retail sale in Maine but remains illegal federally — as possession of cannabis can impact immigration and visa statuses. Read more…
SUMMER SONGBIRD RESEARCH TAKES NOAH PERLUT AND STUDENTS TO NEW YORK While some students take a break to relax therefore which habitats are used and when,” during the summer months, Xander Vitarelli Perlut stated. “That information is foundational (Environmental Science, ’22) is busy conducting to understanding the past, present, and future of research on the all migratory species’ ecology and movements, evolution.” migration, and life- cycles of bobolinks at The research coincides with on- the Hudson Valley going work Perlut has been doing Farm Hub in Hurley, with bobolinks on a farm in New York. Shelburne, Vermont. Perlut and the students are simultaneously “Bobolinks actually comparing bobolink movement have an amazing patterns between a small, isolated migration pattern,” Xander Vitarelli with Noah Perlut in New York (Photo courtesy of Hudson Valley population at the Hudson Valley Vitarelli explained. Farm Hub) Farm Hub with the large, open “They will go from up population at the Shelburne site. in Vermont or New York all the way down to Argentina and back.” “If you look at a satellite image from New York, the Hudson Valley Farm Hub has only one area Recent advances in miniaturizing global of field, with a surrounding area of woodlands positional systems (GPS) have enabled and urban landscapes” Vitarelli said. “In scientists to track the movements of individual Vermont, the Shelburne farm and the organisms that migrate. These devices send the surrounding areas are all grassland.” position data to satellites, enabling There is no sleeping in for Vitarelli us to follow them in during this project. He was real time. For recently up at four a.m. to search songbirds, for Bobolinks in the field at the geolocators, which farm hub. take light readings rather than GPS “We found 12 individual birds,” he points, are also stated. “We try to capture and helping to fill in our band them. We wanted to get at knowledge gaps on least get four birds to put satellite migration. Birds wear tags on and we accomplished geolocators for a that.” year, where the Julia Mast holds a bobolink (Photo device stores the courtesy of Hudson Valley Farm Hub) The data will begin to unravel the data and is retrieved later for analysis. life-histories of the birds breeding at the farm hub. The purpose of the project is to help Vitarelli is working on the project with fellow landowners better understand the birds on their student Julia Mast (Marine Biology, ’22) and property so that they may co-exist, balancing Noah Perlut, Ph.D., professor and assistant farming practices and production with the needs academic director of the School of Marine and of grassland birds. Based on these stories, Environmental Programs. some landowners in Vermont have made changes to their operations to prevent harming “These results are critically important because the birds, including altering the schedules of they reveal where a species moves and when they mow their fields. Read more….
SCHOOL OF MARINE AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS FACULTY AND STUDENTS FEATURED ON OUR BEAUTIFUL PLANET Faculty and students from the School of Marine and Environmental Programs are featured in a new series of short films on climate change. “Our Beautiful Planet” is a series of compelling short science films highlighting cutting-edge research that climate scientists are doing to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues. The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), a vibrant community of 40,000 science educators and professionals committed to best practices Charles Tilburg PhD in teaching science and its impact on student learning, partnered with Kennebunkport Climate Initiative and Kikim Media to produce the films. In one film titled “The Future of Shellfish,” Markus Frederich, Ph.D., professor of marine sciences, and his students show how and why some sea creatures seem to be climate change losers, while others appear to be thriving. In another film titled “Sea Change,” Charles Tilburg discusses why the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the rest of the global ocean. The crew from Kikim Media spent a week this past fall in and around the Biddeford Campus, The Arthur G. Girard Marine Science Center, Freddy Beach, and Saco Bay filming the segments. Along with the films, “Our Beautiful Planet” includes a Markus Frederich, PhD collection of classroom-ready lesson plans that highlight the science and engineering practices scientists use to explain the phenomenon of climate change. VIEW THE FILMS ON OUR BEAUTIFUL PLANET
UNE GRANTED U.N. OBSERVER STATUS TO ATTEND GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE The University of New England has become the only institution in Maine to be granted non- governmental observer status to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and will attend state-level conversations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in late October. Having observer status will allow delegates from UNE to observe global policy decisions as they are made — “policy decisions that will impact our lives for generations,” said Holly Parker, Ph.D., director of UNE North: The Institute for North Atlantic Studies at UNE. “This is a tremendous opportunity for our students, faculty, and professional staff to be in the room when these global conversations are happening.” Parker added that observer status demonstrates UNE’s commitment to climate action. UNE adopted its first Climate Action Plan in 2010, calling for the University to become carbon neutral by 2040. In 2015, UNE became one of the few institutions in the Northeast to academically engage undergraduate students in climate change topics by offering an interdisciplinary minor in Climate Change Studies. “To be accepted into the global climate change conversation is a statement about UNE’s priorities and values,” Parker said. Parker will travel to Glasgow with Glenn Page, president of the consulting firm SustainaMetrix and advisor to UNE’s Institute for North Atlantic Studies, to attend present their joint research on global climate talks and Bioregioning is a field in are defined by ecological systems bioregional planning. boundaries. which geographical areas rather than political Holly Parker, PhD “Climate change does not respect political boundaries,” Parker said. “A bioregional approach allows us to see beyond these human constructs to better understand how biological and human systems interact and how we can, through governance, transform those systems for a more sustainable future.” Parker and Page will travel to Glasgow on Oct. 28 to attend state-level talks. The formal COP26 conference runs from Nov. 1 to Nov. 12.
JAKE PLANTE PUBLISHED UPDATED VERSION OF POPULAR ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY BOOK Jake Alexander Plante, Ed.D., adjunct teaching professor in the School of Marine and Environmental Programs at the University of New England, has recently published a new version of his popular book, “Uncle Sam and Mother Earth,” to reflect recent changes to administration and policy at the federal level. According to Plante, “Uncle Sam and Mother Earth” illuminates six decades of the environmental movement with intimate behind-the-scenes reporting. The book examines national environmental laws and their implementation, relying on Plante’s own 30-year federal environmental experience to illuminate how imperfect people and government agencies administer the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, and national park noise regulations. The story also incorporates firsthand accounts of local environmental activism surrounding renewable energy and opposition to nuclear power and tar sands production. Plante likened the new version of his book to a new car. “Some of the worn-out things in the car needed a tuning, such as bringing the story all the way up to the Biden Administration and its early steps to restore environmental standards,” he remarked. “We did a lot of editing and redesigning while keeping the length of the book the same as before.” Among the book’s new features, Plante said, is a chapter on endangered species and a discussion about U.S. diets and how the country’s agricultural system relates to greenhouse gas production and the environment — subjects Plante said his students enjoy discussing in class. The new book is also Plante’s first under Maine Authors Publishing, and it features a back cover write-up from Bill Ruckelshaus, the well-respected first administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. SUSAN MCHUG PUBLISHED “POSTHUMANISM IN ART AND SCIENCE: A READER” WITH COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS Posthumanism synthesizes philosophical, literary, and artistic responses to technological advancements, globalization, and mass extinction in the Anthropocene. It asks what it can mean to be human in an increasingly more-than-human world that has lost faith in the ideal of humanism, the autonomous, rational subject, and it models generative alternatives cognizant of the demands of social and ecological justice. Amid rising social justice movements, collapsing economic structures, and
the dwindling power of cultural institutions, posthumanism advances thinking on new and previously unenvisionable challenges. Science is an anthology of Posthumanism in Art and indispensable statements and artworks that provide an unprecedented mapping of this intellectual and aesthetic development in a global context. It features groundbreaking theorists including Donna Haraway, Rosi Braidotti, Mel Y. Chen, Michael Marder, Alexander Weheliye, Anna Tsing, Timothy Morton, N. Katherine Hayles, Bruno Latour, Francesca Ferrando, and Cary Wolfe, as well as innovative, influential artists and curators such as Yvonne Rainer, Skawennati, Chus Martínez, William Wegman, Nandipha Mntambo, Cassils, Pauline Oliveros, and Doo-sung Yoo. These provocative and compelling works, including previously unpublished interviews and essays, speak to the ongoing conceptual and political challenge of posthumanist thinking in a time of unprecedented cultural and environmental crises. An essential primer and reference for educators, students, artists, and art enthusiasts, this volume offers a powerful framework for rethinking anthropocentric certitudes and reenvisioning equitable and sustainable futures. DAVID LIVINGSTON SMITH’S FORTHCOMING BOOK, SINGLED OUT IN THE PORTLAND PRESS HERALD “MAKING MONSTERS: THE UNCANNY POWER OF DEHUMANIZATION” by HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS. ON SALE OCTOBER 12, 2021 In Making Monsters David Livingstone Smith offers a poignant meditation on the philosophical and psychological roots of dehumanization. Drawing on harrowing accounts of lynchings, Smith establishes what dehumanization is and what it isn’t. When we dehumanize our enemy, we hold two incongruous beliefs at the same time: we believe our enemy is at once subhuman and fully human. To call someone a monster, then, is not merely a resort to metaphor— dehumanization really does happen in our minds. Turning to an abundance of historical examples, Smith explores the relationship between dehumanization and racism, the psychology of hierarchy, what it means to regard others as human beings, and why dehumanizing others transforms them into something so terrifying that they must be destroyed. Meticulous but highly readable, Making Monsters suggests that the process of dehumanization is deeply seated in our psychology. It is precisely because we are all human that we are vulnerable to the manipulations of those trading in the politics of demonization and violence.
UNE SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE CHOSEN TO BE PORTLAND’S LATEST POET LAUREATE READ MORE IN THE PORTLAND PRESS HERALD Portland’s latest Poet Laureate is a 2018 graduate of the University of New England’s Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program, and their work is a shining example of how the arts, education, and social change can so often intertwine. Maya Williams, M.S.W. ’18, who is nonbinary, is the seventh person to be bestowed the distinction of Poet Laureate, an honorary position awarded every two to three years to a resident of the Greater Portland area who is both an accomplished poet and an excellent ambassador within the community. “I’m very excited about this opportunity,” said Williams, who also holds a certificate in Applied Arts and Social Justice (AASJ) from UNE. The AASJ program allows students to do coursework and academic and community projects related to the use of creative arts in social work practice. Williams’ interest in poetry grew several years ago, and they began seriously publishing their work in 2018. Their poems tackle hard-to-talk-about topics, including suicide, mental health issues, and Black racial identity. “A lot of my interactions with people tend to inspire my work, and I recognize that I become a better writer when I actually live my life,” Williams explained. “I don’t need to live in isolation to create. There are ways to write about hard stuff without hurting yourself, and there are ways to write about the hard stuff while also writing about the joy that comes after the hard stuff.” Williams tackles similar “hard stuff” in their professional work, as well. As the sexual assault program coordinator for MaineTranNet, the state’s only transgender-led and -focused community organization, Williams develops educational content about trauma-informed practice and coordinates peer support groups for transgender survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. “It is heavy work, but it’s very much worth it,” Williams remarked. Williams’ poetry has been published in several local and broader publications, including glitterMOB, Occulum, The Portland Press Herald, Littoral Books, FreezeRay, and more. They have received residencies from organizations such as Sundress Academy for the Arts (SAFTA), Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation, The For Us by Us Fund’s Words of Fire Retreat, and Hewnoaks Artist Colony. Williams is a Maine Writers and Publishers Association (MWPA) Chapbook finalist, a Best of the Net Nominee, and a winner of PortFringe’s Patron’s Choice Award for her spoken word performance “When Speaking to an Extraterrestrial.” Outside of writing and work, Williams also serves as co-host of the video series “Dying/Laughing,” which analyzes the representation of suicide and mental health in TV and film. Williams is currently enrolled in Randolph College's low-residency Master of Fine Arts program for creative writing and is focusing on poetry. Read more…
WITH FUNDING IN HAND, UNE’S PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION EXPANDS By Bob Keyes Staff Writer Since he began collecting photographs for the University of New England in the 1960s, Stephen K. Halpert has always depended on the generosity of photographers. Now, thanks to a 2016 gift from Judy Glickman Lauder and Leonard Lauder, Halpert has a budget to work with. In the past two years, using interest from the Glickman-Lauder gift, Halpert has purchased more than 70 photographs. Nearly all of them are on view through Oct. 8 at the Art Gallery at UNE in Portland. The formal title of the exhibition is “The Permanent Photography Collection: Recent Acquisitions in the Stephen K. Halpert Photography Collection at UNE,” reflecting the renaming of the collection in Halpert’s name – something the longtime Portland resident described as honor. “It’s very nice to have some recognition for having done something, but I don’t feel like taking all the credit,” he said. Fran Vita-Taylor’s “Day in Marseillan 2,” captured “We have never had a budget before this,” Halpert in Marseillan, France. UNE acquired the archival said delightedly. “Before this, our collection was digital print through a fund established by Judy probably 200 or a little more than 200 photographs, Glickman Lauder and Leonard Lauder. Courtesy and almost every one a gift from the photographers.” of UNE And up to this point, the collection has been built on Halpert has known many years. the strength of the many Maine-based photographers “I have been doing this a long time, so I go back to some of the same people,” he said. “But that’s not necessarily how it will continue. As I get a little more adventuresome, I am trying to spread a small amount of money over a lot of work. But maybe now I will try to acquire some things that are more expensive, but fewer of them. That might mean going beyond local photographers.” He said the money he has to spend each year The Art Gallery at UNE on Stevens Avenue in Portland changes with the value of the Glickman-Lauder is showing 70 recently acquired photographs, nearly all investment. He declined to be specific, but said from local photographers, through Oct. 8. Courtesy of it amounted to several thousand dollars UNE annually. Read more…
UPCOMING EVENTS
REP. RACHEL TALBOT ROSS AND PENOBSCOT AMBASSADOR MAULIAN DANA TO SPEAK AT UNE’S ANNUAL DONNA M. LORING LECTURE The Maine Women Writers Collection at the University of New England will welcome Maine State Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross, assistant house majority leader of the Maine House of Representatives, and Maulian Dana, Penobscot Nation tribal ambassador, as speakers for its annual Donna M. Loring Lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 6. The Donna M. Loring Lecture addresses current or historic Native American or aboriginal issues and indigenous rights, as well as women’s issues, civil rights, and issues of fairness and equality as they overlap with the concerns of tribal peoples. The event is named in honor of Donna Loring, an elder of the Penobscot Indian Nation who recently served as the senior advisor of Tribal Affairs to Maine Gov. Janet Mills Rachel Talbot Ross and Maulian Dana This year’s virtual event, “Racial Justice in Maine State Policy: Understanding the Permanent Commission on the Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations,” will feature a conversation between Loring, Talbot Ross, and Dana. Speakers will discuss the purpose of the Permanent Commission, what it has accomplished in its first two years, and what urgent matters it plans to take up this fall. Talbot Ross and Dana serve as co-chairs of the Permanent Commission, which was established in 2019 to examine systemic racial disparities in Maine and advise all three branches of Maine government on public policy changes that would make racial equity a central consideration in Maine lawmaking. “From health care to housing and issues of education to tribal sovereignty, our guest speakers' expertise and lived experience shed light on how structural racism impacts Maine's historically disadvantaged racial, Indigenous, and tribal populations in multiple, overlapping arenas — not only throughout Maine's past but, critically, to present day,” said Elizabeth DeWolfe, Ph.D., professor of history and acting director of the Maine Women Writers Collection. “This year's Donna M. Loring lecture is an opportunity to learn about, acknowledge, and move toward the needed work to redress racial disparities.” The Oct. 6 Donna M. Loring Lecture will be held from noon to 1 p.m. It is free and open to all, and a Q+A session with audience members will take place. Please RSVP to [email protected] to receive the webinar link. Throughout her career in public service, the Honorable Donna M. Loring has worked to raise public awareness and dismantle institutional discrimination against Wabanaki people. She holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Maine and has received the Alumni Career Recognition Award from the University of Maine Alumni Association. She was recently recognized with the annual Courage is Contagious Award from the University of Maine School of Law. Read more…
UNE RECOGNIZES ACHIEVEMENTS OF FOUR MAINE WOMEN WITH DEBORAH MORTON AWARDS Linda Cross Godfrey Nancy Grant Susan Hammond Janet Mills The University of New England is pleased to announce the four newest members of the Deborah Morton Society. The award recognizes Maine women distinguished by their careers and public service, or whose leadership in civic, cultural, or social causes has been exceptional. The 2020-2021 awardees are Linda Cross Godfrey, president of Atlantic Leadership Center; Nancy Grant, lifelong bicycle/pedestrian/trail advocate; Susan Hammond, executive director of Four Directions Development Corporation; and Janet Mills, governor of Maine. The award celebrates the memory of UNE’s own distinguished Deborah Morton of Round Pond, Maine, valedictorian of the Class of 1879 of Westbrook Seminary, the forerunner of Westbrook College, which merged with the University of New England in 1996. After graduating, Morton served as a longtime faculty member at the seminary as a teacher, lecturer, reformer, and advocate for equal rights on social, political and economic levels. In her honor, the Deborah Morton Society continues to promote education and the fostering of leadership for future generations of Maine women. It does so by providing this renowned annual award as well as annual scholarships for two female rising seniors in the Westbrook College of Health Professions who, like Morton, represent rich qualities of character, academia, and leadership. The 59th Deborah Morton Society Convocation and Awards Ceremony will take place on October 12, 2021 at 11 a.m., on the Portland Campus. MORE ABOUT THIS YEAR’S AWARDEES Gov. Janet Mills
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP and COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES PRESENT \"ZEBRAFISH Open House\" The Zebrafish Education and Research Facility (ZERF) provides faculty, staff, and students with opportunities for training and hands-on learning with cutting-edge techniques using zebrafish in both the classroom and in biomedical research. Join Erin Ducharme for tours of the facility and learn about the exciting opportunities for classes, research, and more! Thursday, October 21, 2021 | 1 – 4 PM ZEBRAFISH Education and Research Facility, Morgane 023
The School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences | College of Arts and Sciences | University of New England VIRTUAL SEMINAR SCHEDULE CHE 401 | FALL 2021 All Seminars: 12:30–1:20 p.m. VIRTUAL LINK tinyurl.com/UNEchemseminar SEMINAR 1:30–2:15 p.m. MEETING ID 968 6155 0191 CHAT PASSCODE une123 DATE SEMINAR DETAILS AREAS OF STUDY September 15 Stereoselective Borylation Reactions and Exercise Pill: organic and medicinal A Chemist Approach chemistry; chemical biology Webster Santos, Ph.D. (he/his) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University September 22 The Confluence of Kinetic Modeling and Data Science kinetics modeling, catalysis/biocatalysis, Linda Broadbelt, Ph.D. (she/her) polymerization and depolymerization Northwestern University September 29 Multivalent Particle Designs Which Selectively Target physical chemistry and Cell / Receptor Surfaces molecular simulation, molecular mechanics Nicholas B. Tito, Ph.D. (he/his) Electric Ant Lab, Amsterdam, Netherlands October 6 The Transpolar Drift as a Source of Riverine and Shelf-Derived marine chemistry and Trace Elements to the Central Arctic Ocean geochemistry Matthew Charette, Ph.D. (he/his) Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution October 27 Mass Spectrometry Tools to Solve Chemical and Bioanalytical chemistry; Biological Problems proteonomics; mass spectrometry Pieter Dorrenstein, Ph.D. (he/his) University of California – San Diego November 3 Molecular Engineering of Multifunctional Framework Materials organic, analytical and materials chemistry Katherine A. Mirica, Ph.D. (she/her) Dartmouth College November 10 Protein and Lipid Discovery Using Chemical organic synthesis; Proteomic Technologies bioanalytical and bioorganic chemistry Ku-Lung (Ken) Hsu, Ph.D. (he/his) University of Virginia November 17 Biomimetic Chemical Self-Assembly: The Nanoliter Aqueous biophysical, analytical, Microdroplet And Insights Into Lipid Bilayer Structure and surface chemistry Sunghee Lee, Ph.D. (she/her) Iona College FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact Amy Deveau: [email protected]
COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE RESEARCH & SCHOLARSHIP FORUM
UNE OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP and MAINE MEDICAL CENTER RESEARCH INTITUTE PRESENT \"OPIOID SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND ALTERNATIVE PAIN THERAPIES\" A Seminar Exploring Opportunities for Faculty and Students John Streicher, PhD, University of Arizona Associate Professor, Neuroscience – GIDP Associate Professor, Pharmacology Member of the Graduate Faculty “I have a strong interest in how signal transduction cascades downstream of the opioid receptors work. Using a variety of cell biology, molecular biology, and animal techniques, I find new signaling regulators of the opioid receptors, and determine how they work in living animals. I then use this knowledge to design novel strategies for drug discovery to create new analgesic drugs without the side effects and drawbacks of current opioid drugs like morphine.” Dr. John Streicher. Tuesday, November 9th, 2021 | 12:00 – 1:00 EST Way to watch:https://une.zoom.us/j/93270421774 The event will be recorded for those who are unable to attend.
NEWLY FUNDED GRANTS
NEWLY FUNDED GRANTS March 4, 2021 | Carry Oostveen (CEPH) “ Evaluation of Bangor Region CCBHC” SAMHSA CHCS April 1, 2021 | Tamara King (COM) “ Evaluate the analgesic efficacy of an orally administered novel RAPT compound across multiple pain models” RAPT Therapeutics, Inc. May 12, 2021 | Pam Morgan (CAS) “Project Canopy: UNE Campus and Street Tree Inventory” State of Maine / USDA - Maine Forest Service. May 15, 2021 | Albert Abena (CDM) “Maine Veteran’s Dental Network” Maine Bureau of Veteran’s Services / Northeast Delta Dental. May 15, 2021 | Cheryl Nimmo (CHP) “Nurse Anesthesia Traineeship (NAT)” May 28, 2021 | Margaret Stanton (CAS) “Barriers to Diversity in Veterinary Health Fields” Covetrus. June 1, 2021 | Eileen Ricci (CHP) “The Family LEND Program” Health Resources and Services Administration. June 1, 2021 | Ian Meng (CEN) “Kahn Family Summer Research Fellowship” Khan Family Foundation June 1, 2021 | Jennifer Morton (CEPH) “Advanced Nursing Education -- Sexual Assault Nursing Examiners (ANE- SANE) Program” HRSA June 1, 2021 | Toho Soma (CEPH) “Improving Access to Quality Treatment” Center for Mental Health Services / Sweetser June 3, 2021 | Thomas Klak (CAS) “American chestnut restoration” The American Chestnut Foundation / The Cricket Foundation
NEWLY FUNDED GRANTS Jun 9, 2021 | Greg Zogg (CAS) “Expanding forest monitoring to included measures of plant genetic, microbial and fungal diversity” USDA/VT Department of Forests Parks Recreation/UVM June 9, 2021 | Toho Soma (CEPH) “Substance Use Prevention Services” Maine CDC - DHHS June 14, 2021 | Kathy Thompson (COM) “Using hands-on interprofessional culinary medicine education to increase the confidence and ability of medical and dietetic students to address lifestyle and nutrition related disease” AACOM June 15, 2021 | Tamara King (CEN) “Evaluate the analgesic efficacy of an orally administered novel RPT compound across multiple pain models” RAPT Therapeutics, Inc. June 21, 2021 | Karen Houseknecht (COM) “A novel cell- autonomous role for beta- adrenergic receptor signaling in osteoclast” NIH/MMCRI July 1, 2021 | Jennifer Gunderman (CEPH) “Northern New England Health Workforce Diversity Partnership” Northern VT AHEC/OMH July 23, 2021 | Takashi Komabayashi (CDM) “Micro-computed tomographic evaluation of NeoSEALER Flo and AH Plus in vitro” NuSmile, LTD August 10, 2021 | Karen Houseknecht (COM) “Development of Hsp90 Isoform- Selective Inhibitors as a Novel Opioid Dose-Reduction Therapy” NIH/University of Arizona August 13, 2021 | Michael Burman (CAS) “Epigenetic regulation of CRF expression following neonatal pain” NIH/MDIBL September 1, 2021 | Jennifer Gunderman (CEPH) “Maine AHEC Network FY21 Programming” Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) September x, 2021 | Michele Polacsek (CEPH) “Enhanced Ten Tips for Adults (e- TTA): A university-low-income- housing partnership to support food security, healthy shopping, eating, health and wellness among seniors in rural Maine” HHS ACL AOA
RESEARCH @UNE Karen L. Houseknecht, Ph.D. Associate Provost for Research and Scholarship Professor of Pharmacology, College of Osteopathic Medicine [email protected] The Office of Research and Scholarship provides leadership in institutional research strategy and operations, encompassing the Office of Sponsored Programs, the Officeof Research Integrity, the UNE HIPAA Office, and the Fulbright Scholar Program. These offices provide administrativeservices and compliance oversight to ensure the highest level of ethical standards. Nicholas D. Gere, MBA Director, Office of Sponsored Programs [email protected] The mission of the Office of Sponsored Programs is to facilitate the University’s goal of becoming a significant research institution by providing faculty with the highest quality research support services, while also protecting the University’s interests by reviewing all proposals to external funding agencies, and by initiating and implementing research- related policies and procedures, providing training and outreach, and serving as a liaisonbetween the University and its sponsors. Office of Research Integrity Ensuring compliance with applicable federal and state mandates in all research functions is a core responsibility of research administration at UNE. Promoting ethically responsible research is of utmost importance in facilitating a culture of protection of the rights and welfare of humans and animals in research conducted at UNE. Zeynep Arslan Office Manager [email protected] OFFICE OF RESEARCH ANS SCHOLARSHIP (207) 602 2080 | [email protected] 11 Hills Beach Road Road Biddeford, Maine
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