UMF students cap off the academic year with showcase of original research and creative projects
FARMINGTON, ME (April 12, 2024)—The University of Maine at Farmington is celebrating student research and creative projects with its annual Arts Week and Symposium Day events. In culmination of their academic year, students will be presenting the results of their semester- or year-long research or creative focus throughout the week.
Arts Week events will feature a variety of art installations, performances, presentations and new media projects from April 15 – April 22. Symposium is a day-long series of campus wide events on Wednesday, April 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.., spotlighting individual and course-based research, creative projects and inquiry
Independent research and creative projects help students develop many important skills essential to academic and career success including creative thinking, problem solving, written and oral communication, self-confidence and perseverance. Events are free and open to the public.
Arts Week events include:
Thursday, April 11 – Saturday, May 4.
“By Any Means Necessary” – The 2024 Visual Art BA Seniors Ongoing Exhibition
Flex Space, Emery Community Arts Center
Monday, April 15, 7 p.m.
Pixel Hunter – All UMF, All Student Video & Animation Festival
Performance Space, Emery Community Arts Center
Tuesday, April 16, 5 p.m.
Senior Presentations and Performances – A showcase of senior performing arts student’s artistry and accomplishment
Performance Space, Emery Community Arts Center
Wednesday, April 17, 2 p.m.
“By Any Means Necessary” – The 2024 Visual Art BA Seniors artist talks
Flex Space, Emery Community Arts Center
Thursday, April 18, 7 p.m.
Advanced Acting Monologues and Edward Albee’s Zoo Story directed by A.P. Mulrooney
Performance Space, Emery Community Arts Center
Monday, April 22, 5 p.m.
“Lucid” an interactive installation and performance art piece by Kelly Gentilo
Alumni Theater
UMF Symposium presentations are a spring celebration of undergraduate research and student achievement that is supported throughout the year by dedicated faculty and staff mentors. Individual and course-based Symposium projects will be presented by students from diverse academic disciplines across campus. They will share their original research findings, analysis and creative work in lectures, demonstrations and interactive poster sessions.
“The annual Symposium Day on the University of Maine at Farmington campus is celebrating its 25th year of highlighting the best of a UMF education. At UMF, we do not measure an education by the credits amassed or the grades obtained, but by the work produced. Symposium day gives our students an opportunity to share their work and their passion – to present to other students their results and their importance. Congratulations to all our presenters for their academic and creative achievements and to their faculty mentors who prepared and guided them throughout the year in preparation for this event,” said Joseph McDonnell, UMF president.
Some of the interesting and compelling topics that will be explored include, “AI Past, Present & Future,” “The Art of Writing a Future Banned Book,” “The Great Count Out: A stolen election during the Gilded Age,” “Mathematical Modeling,” and “UMF Ghost Stories.”
In addition, students will explore the following contemporary science topics, “Effects of Climate Change in The Seeding Industry,” “Surveying for Invasive Smallmouth Bass Using eDNA,” “Climate Change Impacts on Ski Industries in Western Maine,” and “Regional Differences of Climate Change in Maine.”
This year’s UMF Trustee Professor is Timothy Breton, professor of biology and recipient of several significant National Science Foundation (NSF) grants to continue his groundbreaking work on hormone receptors. Breton will present his talk, “Shining lights on genes and making maps with a microscope,” on April 17, at 1 p.m., in Thomas Auditorium in UMF Preble / Ricker Hall. The UMS Trustee Professorship was created to recognize exemplary faculty members and promote excellence in academic programs.
The day’s events will also feature the awarding of the Walter Sargent Undergraduate Research Mentor Award. In 2013, the award was named to honor the late Walter Sargent, a UMF history professor, who built a culture of undergraduate research in his discipline. The award will be presented to a UMF faculty member who exemplifies Sargent’s dedication to inspiring and supporting his student’s undergraduate research.
For more information, go to https://www.umf.maine.edu/symposium/.
More on University of Maine at Farmington
A nationally recognized public liberal arts college known for its commitment to the creative arts, teacher preparation, the health arts and sciences, the environment, business and public service, UMF provides a challenging yet supportive environment to prepare students for both careers and further study. Located in the heart of Maine’s four-season outdoor recreational region, UMF is a welcoming, close-knit academic community that prepares students for enriching professional careers, engaged citizenship and an enduring love of learning.
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
Image: https://www.umf.maine.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/1/2024/04/RP234-053.jpg
Photo Caption: UMF Symposium logo
Photo Credit: UMF Image
