Black Bears Gratitude Project
2025-03-06 00:00 - 2025-03-21 23:59 (America/New_York)
The Black Bears Gratitude Project provides an opportunity for faculty, staff and students to express appreciation to mentors, colleagues and others who make their time at UMaine better. Please submit your notes of gratitude online by March 21, 2025.
Gratitude note authors and recipients will be invited to a reception in their honor during Maine Impact Week. To ensure a positive experience, notes will be screened before delivery.
The Black Bears Gratitude Project is part of Maine Impact Week, an annual showcase of UMaine’s impact on the state and beyond, and hosted by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School.

Grant Writing Essentials
2025-03-07 09:00 - 2025-04-04 12:00 | Online
You have a lot on your plate. Between annual appeals, communications, virtual event planning and fundraising, you’re overwhelmed. And now you’ve been tasked with writing a grant and you don’t know where to start. Our online grant writing program can help!
This interactive online professional development program will teach you the basics of seeing a grant through a full cycle—from inception to completion. You’ll learn how to get your organization ready to apply for grants, where to find funders and funding opportunities, how to write the components of a grant and how to submit a successful application that has all the information funders want to see.
Using case studies, this program will focus on real-world grant applications. Comprehensive checklists and worksheets will guide you through every step of planning, researching, applying to and managing a grant—without missing a thing! You’ll also develop language specific to your organization that answers common grant questions.
The only thing you won’t learn in this program is how to celebrate securing a grant proposal. We figure you’ve got that one covered.

Eastern Maine Regional Opportunities for Ocean, Timber and Soil (ROOTS) Conference
2025-03-22 08:30 - 16:00 | University of Maine at Machias, 116 O'Brien Avenue, Machias, ME, 04654, United States
Eastern Maine Regional Opportunities for Ocean, Timber and Soil (ROOTS) Conference will take place on Saturday, March 22, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the University of Maine at Machias, Reynold’s Center, 116 O’Brien Avenue. A snow date is set for Saturday, March 29. This event is being hosted by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Washington County Food Council.
The 2025 Eastern Maine ROOTS Conference brings together specialists in agriculture, food, forestry management, fisheries and aquaculture. This year’s conference centers on value-based approaches to connecting with the land and natural resources, highlighting sustainable and community-driven strategies. Presenters and service providers from UMaine, local agencies, and nonprofit organizations will share information and resources with eastern Maine farmers, fisherfolk, growers, woodland owners and interested community members.
Highlights of the conference include a keynote address by Rowen Luuring, titled Our Role in the Interdependence of All Living Things; a morning panel titled Wood and Food Banks: Inspiration from Eastern Maine for Heat and Food Security Efforts; and six afternoon sessions with industry-specific talks and workshops.
“We are excited to create this opportunity for farmers and resource providers to learn, network, and share ideas with one another. Formerly the Downeast Agriculture and Forestry conference, we have changed the format to highlight cross-sector and industry-specific speaker panels that include producers with novel approaches, educators, regional service providers, conservationists and more,” says Rachel White, Assistant Professor at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Registration is required. The conference fee is on a sliding scale of $10-60 and includes a catered lunch featuring local products. For more details and to register, visit the program webpage. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Tara Wood at 207.255.3345 or tara.a.wood@maine.edu.

Classes resume
2025-03-24
Click here to view the full 2024–25 Academic Year Calendar.

Making the News: The Mid-century Black Freedom Struggle and the Development of Network Television News
2025-03-24 12:00 - 13:00 | Dunn Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
Many point to the network era as a “golden age” of broadcast journalism when Americans could trust neutral reporters who told them the news the way it was. Except a lot of Americans did not. Television entered US homes in the mid-twentieth century, swiftly becoming the nation’s primary source of news just as the fight for Black freedom initiated a war of ideas about the meaning of American equality. Segregationists and civil rights activists alike fought to shape how the networks determined what constituted responsible coverage, who reported the news, and which narratives reporters told about race in America. This talk by Dr. Sage Goodwin (The Charles Warren Center, Harvard University) tells the story of how the pioneers of television news responded, uncovering how racial politics forged the modern television newsroom.
Dr. Sage Goodwin’s presentation is part of the spring, 2025 Department of Communication and Journalism Colloquium. The event is co-sponsored by the McGillicuddy Humanities Center as part of the 2024-2025 Annual Symposium: “From Talkies to TikTok: 100 Years of Audiovisual Storytelling.”

Panel Discussion - The Tekαkαpimək Contact Station at Katahdin Woods & Waters
2025-03-24 15:00 - 16:00 | Norman Smith Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
The talk will be held virtually via Zoom and in-person at 107 Norman Smith Hall, UMaine, Orono.

Virtual attendance: Complete the registration form for Zoom connection information

Moderator: Darren Ranco, Chair of Native American Programs; Professor, Anthropology and Mitchell Center, UMaine
Panelists:

Jennifer Neptune, Penobscot Nation
James Francis, Director of Cultural and Historic Preservation, Penobscot Nation
Gabe Frey, Passamaquoddy
Erin Hutton, Erin Hutton Projects

Tekαkαpimək Contact Station is a stunning 7,900 square-foot building and 23-acre site atop Lookout Mountain created to welcome the global public to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. The monument is located within the present and traditional homeland of the Penobscot Nation. The land and waters hold special significance to the Penobscot Nation and is inextricably linked with Penobscot culture, ceremonies, oral traditions, language, history, and Indigenous stewardship which continues the respectful relationship with the land and waterways that has gone back more than 11,000 years. Katahdin is a culturally significant place to the Wabanaki people where connecting watersheds provide important travel routes for Wabanaki people of Maine, comprised of Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot Nations.
Tekαkαpimək is a Penobscot language word for “as far as one can see”, pronounced deh gah-gah bee mook. Architectural, landscape and exhibition designs for Tekαkαpimək resulted from a process between Elliotsville Foundation, representatives of the Wabanaki Nations, Saunders Architecture, Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture, WeShouldDoItAll, Tuhura Communications, Erin Hutton Projects, and the National Park Service. The design process began in 2019 and construction was completed in 2024, with regular public hours to be announced after National Park Service assumes ownership and operations for the 2025 visitation season.
Tekαkαpimək’s waysides and exhibits orient visitors to the monument, inspiring them to experience Katahdin Woods and Waters from its peaks, trails, and rivers to its ever-changing foliage, brilliant night sky, and abundant wildlife. Interpretation is through a Wabanaki lens in a contemporary context, honoring the past and showing vibrant communities moving sustainably into the future. All Wabanaki Cultural Knowledge and Intellectual Property shared within this project is owned by the Wabanaki Nations – the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe, and Penobscot Nation.
Information on the Tekαkαpimək Contact Station provided by Friends of Katahdin Woods & Waters

Maine Vegetable and Fruit School
2025-03-25 08:30 - 16:00 | University of Southern Maine Lewiston Campus, 51 Westminster Street, Lewiston, ME, 04240
University of Maine Cooperative Extension and the Maine Vegetable and Small Fruit Growers Association are hosting a Maine Vegetable and Fruit School from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m on March 25 at the University of Southern Maine Lewiston Campus, 51 Westminster Street.
Topics include pest management for beans, lettuce and carrots; weather monitoring and pest management; potato disease identification; crop insurance; alternative berry crops; and food safety. Additionally, the event will feature a virtual visit to Tougas Farm in Northborough, MA, where owner Mo Tougas will share experiences and insights on diversifying growing practices. Presenters include experts from UMaine Extension as well as representatives from Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Pesticide applicator training credits and Certified Crop Advisor credits are available.
Cost is $45 and includes lunch. Register by March 22 on the program webpage. Walk-ins are welcome but lunch will not be guaranteed for those participants. In case of bad weather, check the University of Southern Maine weather hotline announcement at 207.780.4800. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Stephanie Wright, 207.933.2100; stephanie.wright@maine.edu.

IMRC Center Tour
2025-03-25 09:00 - 10:00 | Innovative Media Research and Commercialization Center (IMRC), Stewart Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
Join IMRC Center staff for a general tour of the facility’s event space, classrooms, common areas, audiovisual studios, and maker labs. The tour is anticipated to last approximately 45 minutes. Offered on the 4th Tuesday of each month.
Guests of any background, including UMaine students, faculty, and staff, community group representatives, business representatives, and members of the public may join a tour. Groups larger than 20, or individuals and small groups for whom the scheduled times are not convenient, please contact the IMRC Center to schedule an individualized visit. Register for a tour.

Baseball vs Husson University
2025-03-26 16:00 - 18:00 | Mahaney Diamond, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
For full schedule click here.

Gardening Webinar Series: Becoming a Resilient Vegetable Gardener
2025-03-26 18:00 - 19:15 | https://calendar.umtraining.lv-o-wpc-dev.its.maine.edu/event/gardening-webinar-series-becoming-a-resilient-vegetable-gardener/
University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer a webinar for home gardeners titled “Becoming a Resilient Vegetable Gardener” from 6 – 7:15 p.m on Wednesday, March 26.
As gardeners in Maine deal with more periods of intense heat, prolonged drought, dramatic rain, and a slew of pests and diseases, they need new techniques and strategies to be successful. Carrick Gambell, urban agriculture professional for USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and UMaine Extension, will discuss crop succession planning, season extension, techniques to protect your vegetables from the elements, and ideas for pest and disease management. This webinar is the third in the 5-part series, Gardening for the Future.
Registration is required; sliding scale fee options are available. Register on the event webpage to attend live or receive the recording link. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Rebecca Gray at 207.356.1348 or extension.gardening@maine.edu.

Rabbit Health Care for Producers Webinar
2025-03-26 19:00 - 20:30 | https://calendar.umtraining.lv-o-wpc-dev.its.maine.edu/event/rabbit-health-care-for-producers/
University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Conservation are offering a Rabbit Health Care for Producers webinar on Wednesday, March 26 at 7 p.m.
This webinar is for breeders and raisers seeking information on rabbit health care. Veterinarian Matt Ford of Southern Maine Hospital for Small Mammals will share information on the detection, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases for domesticated rabbits including coccidia, E. cuniculi, and rabbit hemorrhagic disease. Also covered are approved drugs and withdrawal times to help inform meat producers. Come with questions for a discussion period at the end of the webinar.
The event is free, however registration is required to receive the webinar link. For more information and to register, visit the event webpage. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Sue Baez at 207.667.8212 or sue.baez@maine.edu.

Growing & Marketing Specialty Potato Varieties
2025-03-27 11:00 - 13:00 | https://calendar.umtraining.lv-o-wpc-dev.its.maine.edu/event/growing-marketing-specialty-potato-varieties-2/
University of Maine Cooperative Extension will host a virtual presentation covering growing and marketing practices for specialty potato varieties in Maine from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on March 27.
Consumer interest and demand for fresh-market potato varieties with unique size, shape, color and taste profiles has been on the rise. The trend presents new market opportunities for specialty crop producers. Brett Johnson, UMaine Extension sustainable agriculture and farm business management educator, will give an overview of practices involved in growing and marketing specialty potato products in Maine. Results of the 2024 Organic Specialty Potato Variety Trial conducted at Rogers Farm Forage and Crop Research Facility in Old Town will also be presented.
Register on the event webpage or by phone at 207.342.5971. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Billiejo Pendleton at billiejo.pendleton@maine.edu.

(Hybrid) Tea with the Dean and Open Access Publishing Resources Showcase
2025-03-27 15:00 - 16:00
UMaine Libraries’ Hybrid Tea with the Dean and Open Access Publishing Resources Showcase with Head of Collection Services Deb Rollins and Open Scholarship Librarian Casey Koons will take place on Thursday, March 27, at 3 p.m.
Deborah Rollins will talk about open access collections and costs, as well as library support of University of Maine authors through open access publishing fee waivers.
Casey Koons will discuss key aspects of his role in advancing open access publication. He will outline the introduction of a new DOI-minting service, designed to provide persistent identifiers that enhance the accessibility and discoverability of scholarly and creative work. Koons will also highlight the role of institutional repositories in supporting Open Access initiatives, ensuring broader dissemination and long-term preservation of research outputs. Additionally, he will share updates on efforts to improve the functionality and usability of repository platforms, focusing on transitioning to more automated, modern systems that are intuitive and easy to navigate for both researchers and administrators.
Click here to attend via Zoom.

Fermentation Friday: Bokashi, a Composting method using fermentation
2025-03-28 12:00 - 14:00 | UMaine Food Lab, Hitchner Hall Room 160
Fermentation Friday takes place at the University of Maine in Orono. During Fermentation Friday, held at the UMaine Food Lab in Hitchner Hall, participants cook, create, share, and connect. Using recipes as starting points, we explore fermentation, ​storytelling, food rescue, and local food systems. This session will focus on fermenting cheese – we will work together to make cheese, try different fermented cheeses, and everyone will go home with something to keep.
For more information and to RSVP, click the website link below.

Baseball vs New Jersey Institute of Technology
2025-03-28 15:00 - 17:00, 2025-03-29 13:00 - 15:00, 2025-03-30 12:00 - 14:00 | Mahaney Diamond, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, United States

Apple Bench Grafting Workshop
2025-03-28 17:00 - 19:00 | University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Franklin County, 138 Pleasant Street, Suite 1, Farmington, ME, 04938, United States
University of Maine Cooperative Extension will offer a Bench Grafting Apple Trees workshop from 5 – 7 p.m. on Friday, March 28 at the Franklin County Extension Office, 138 Pleasant Street, Suite 1 in Farmington.
Bench grafting is a propagation technique used to join dormant scion and rootstock. Workshop instructors Nick Rowley, UMaine Extension sustainable agriculture professional and Renae Moran, Extension tree fruit specialist, will provide a hands-on demonstration of the technique. Participants will use specialized tools to graft young trees to take home. This workshop is perfect for homeowners and small hobby orchards but is open to all.
Registration for this workshop is $50 and is limited to 12 participants. Register online at the event webpage. Due to the use of sharp knives youth participants must have a parent or guardian present. All participants must sign an assumption of risk waiver prior to the start of class. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Nick at 207.778.4650 or nicholas.rowley@maine.edu.

Bring Your Own Brain Hackathon
2025-03-28 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-03-29 09:00 - 17:00 | Foster Center for Innovation, 123 Long Road, Orono, 04469, United States
Recruiting UMaine students for the Bring Your Own Brain Hackathon on March 28th and 29th! Win money, eat good food, and share your ideas!
On Friday, begin with ideation & team building! Saturday, the real work begins as you innovate, build, and pitch your ideas. A full agenda is listed below!
RSVP at: https://cglink.me/2sr/r399444
Friday 3/28:
6:00 p.m. – Networking & Snacks
6:30 p.m. – Welcome & Icebreaker
7:00 p.m. – Idea Pitches
7:30 p.m. – Team Formation & Brainstorming
9:00 p.m. – Wrap-up
Saturday 3/29:
9:00 a.m. – Breakfast
9:15 a.m. – Crash Course: Customer Validation & Prototyping
9:45 a.m. – Innovate & Build
12:30 p.m. – Lunch / Afternoon check-in / Call for help
2:30 p.m. – Pitch practice (optional)
3:30 p.m. – Team Pitches
4:40 p.m. – Judging & Prizes
5:00 p.m. – Wrap-up

Workshop: How to Prune Mature Apple Trees
2025-03-29 13:00 - 15:00 | 30 Hope Street, Rockport, Maine
University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Knox and Lincoln Counties will host a spring workshop for home gardeners and commercial producers on how to prune mature apple trees successfully. The workshop will be held at 30 Hope Street in Rockport on Saturday, March 29 from 1 – 3 p.m. Pre-registration is required.
UMaine Extension Tree Fruit Specialist Renae Moran will describe apple tree anatomy and demonstrate pruning techniques that preserve tree health and encourage fruitfulness in the years ahead. Participants will be trained on safety considerations when pruning home or commercial orchards and will have the opportunity for hands-on practice. Participants should bring gloves and be dressed for cold weather conditions, including snow/water-resistant footwear.
Register on the event webpage. Workshop fee is $25. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Pamela Doherty at pamela.doherty@maine.edu or 207-832-0343.

Lightwire Theatre: Moon Mouse – A Space Odyssey
2025-03-30 15:00 - 17:00 | Collins Center for the Arts, 2 Flagstaff Road, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
Lightwire Theatre returns to the Collins Center with this charming production for kids young and old. Join Marvin the Mouse on this cosmic adventure of a lifetime!

Enrollment for Fall 2025 begins
2025-03-31

Talk - Scallop Aquaculture in the Gulf of Maine: Challenges, Opportunities, and Lessons Learned
2025-03-31 15:00 - 16:00 | Norman Smith Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
The talk will be held virtually via Zoom and in-person at 107 Norman Smith Hall, UMaine, Orono.

Virtual attendance: Complete the registration form for Zoom connection information

Co-sponsors:

Ecology & Environmental Sciences, UMaine

Speaker: Damian Brady, Agatha B. Darling Professor of Oceanography in the School of Marine Sciences, UMaine

Making Stories in Maine
2025-03-31 16:00 - 17:00 | IMRC, Stewart Commons, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469-5785, United States
Caroline Losneck is a Maine-based documentarian, radio/podcast producer, filmmaker and experimental installation artist. She seeks out off-the-radar venues for her documentary work – from buildings slated for demolition, public parks, and flooded city streets, to empty campgrounds and film festivals.
For “Making Stories in Maine” Losneck will screen her short documentary film “Diving for Scallops” and share stories she produced for national radio and podcasts, including “Music as a Refuge” + “Riot Grrrl Energy on an Island Off Maine.”
This event is part of the McGillicuddy Humanities Center 2024-2025 Annual Symposium: “From Talkies to TikTok: 100 Years of Audiovisual Storytelling.”

Intro to Urban Gardening: Start Your Own Seeds
2025-03-31 17:00 - 19:00 | UMaine Cooperative Extension Cumberland County, 75 Clearwater Drive, Suite 104, Falmouth, ME, 04105, United States
The University of Maine Cooperative Extension is offering a seed starting workshop from 5–7 p.m. on Monday, March 31 at the Cumberland County Extension Office, 75 Clearwater Drive, Falmouth.
This interactive workshop will provide participants with the skills and knowledge to grow their own seedlings at home. Participants will learn about the equipment necessary for seed starting, the process of creating optimal growing conditions and the steps of seedling growth. All participants will have the opportunity to practice starting their own seeds in class and will take home a tray of starts for their garden.
The program is being offered in collaboration with Cultivating Community and will be led by experienced instructors from UMaine Extension. Space is limited to 20 participants. Registration is required at the event webpage. The program fee is being offered on a sliding scale, $10–$20, with all proceeds supporting the educational mission of UMaine Gardens at Tidewater Farm.
For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Carrick Gambell, carrick.gambell@maine.edu, 207.691.1238.

12th Annual Human Dimensions of Climate Change Film Series
2025-04-01 18:00 - 21:00, 2025-04-02 18:00 - 21:00 | Adaptive Presentation and Performance Environment, UMaine IMRC Center, Room 104, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
The University of Maine’s 12th Annual Human Dimensions of Climate Change Film Series will kick off in April with five films focused on Water Keepers’ efforts to protect water and the climate.
This year the film series will be part of a larger interactive program called “From Pollution to Protection: Water, History, & Indigenous Treaty Rights” which features an interactive exhibit, an opening keynote, and the film series. This program is generously funded by the Alton ’38 and Adelaide Hamm Campus Activity Fund.
All films will be screened in the Black Box Theatre and are FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
April 1, 6pm: The Penobscot: Ancestral River, Contested Territory
April 2, 6pm: Keepers of the Tundra
April 3, 6pm: This River is Our Relative
April 7th, 6pm: Necessity: Oil, Water, and Climate Resistance
April 14th, 6pm: Bad River: A Story of Defiance

Adaption in Action Series: Climate Smart Soil Management Workshop: Conserving Natural Resources through Accurate Fertility Management
2025-04-02 10:00 - 14:00 | Aldermere Farm Welcome Center, 20 Russell Avenue, Rockport, ME, 04841
Soil fertility is subject to change over the course of the growing season and requires active management. A good fertility management program helps to ensure that commercial crop and forage production is efficient, as well as economically and environmentally sustainable. In recent years, extreme weather events characterized by extended periods of wet, dry or drought conditions have necessitated a fertility management approach that anticipates the effects of Maine’s changing climate on plant available nutrients and nutrient loss. In this workshop, University of Maine Assistant Scientist, Bruce Hoskins, will discuss climate smart fertility management strategies for Maine followed by a demonstration of best practices in soil sampling with UMaine Cooperative Extension Sustainable Agriculture Educator, Brett Johnson.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension has partnered with Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Maine Farmland Trust, Knox-Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District and other local and national nonprofits to deliver a spring workshop series exploring climate resilient production practices, planning and design solutions for farms.
Adaptation in Action will take place at Aldermere Farm Welcome Center, 20 Russell Avenue in Rockport from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on March 5; 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. on March 19; and 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on April 2. The final workshop in the series is scheduled for April 30 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Brodis Blueberries, 87 Jones Hill Road in Hope.
The series will cover topics including climate adaptation planning with technical service providers from Maine Farmland Trust, American Farmland Trust and Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association (MOFGA); ecological design using Erickson Fields Preserve as a case study; climate-smart fertility management with educators from UMaine and UMaine Extension; and farm pond construction, health and maintenance at Brodis Blueberries with Knox-Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District.
Register on the event webpage or by phone at 207.342.5971. Workshop fee is $25 per session. Scholarships from American Farmland Trust and Maine Farmland Trust are available. For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Billiejo Pendleton at billiejo.pendleton@maine.edu or 207.342.5971.

Radical Care in Decolonial Art and Activism – Guest Lecture
2025-04-02 16:00 - 18:00 | Fernald Adaptive Presentation and Performance Environment, IMRC Center, Stewart Commons, 5 Hilltop Rd, Orono, ME, 04469, United States
Visiting Scholar Dr. Amber Hickey (they/them) will provide a lecture focusing on an interdisciplinary examination of the aesthetics of radical care.
