Welcome to UMF’s 24th Symposium Day
April 20, 2022
The annual Symposium on the University of Maine at Farmington campus is a wonderful spring tradition where students, faculty, and staff pause the regular academic day to spotlight the scholarly work of students and share it with the campus and the wider world.
First held in 1999, the UMF Symposium represents the richness of academic rigor, original student research, and dedicated faculty mentoring that is a Farmington hallmark and takes place all over campus throughout the year. Though this year may have presented its challenges, it has also empowered our students to think creatively, our campus to collaborate thoughtfully, and our faculty to support the highest level of learning.
While the UMF Symposium brings together students and faculty focused on original academic research and creative expression, symposia are also a common means of interaction in the modern day professional world. Along with seminars and workshops, they help play a vital role in the dissemination of knowledge and the gaining of skills.
Similar to these professional events, Farmington’s Symposium offers our students the opportunity to pursue their passion, develop a deep understanding of their work, build on their communication skills and share it with their colleagues. It is inspiring to see this wealth of student learning and how it will help prepare them for things to come.
Congratulations to all for your outstanding work, with a special thank you to the University Culture Committee and all faculty mentors and devoted staff who have committed themselves to the value of undergraduate research at Farmington.
Edward Serna, President
For more than two decades, UMF’s annual Symposium has provided a singular opportunity to experience the outstanding academic work of students from across the university. The range of scholarly and creative projects is dazzling in itself, and represents untold hours of study and preparation, in addition to guidance and mentoring by faculty sponsors. No less dazzling is the commitment our entire campus makes to attending these papers, posters, and presentations, along with the showcase of Arts Night, enlivening UMF like no other day on the calendar.
As a university invested in the liberal arts and committed to undergraduate research in all disciplines, UMF proudly supports its students in the public rendering of such work. In that most celebrated of symposia, Plato’s Symposium, the Greek philosopher Socrates speaks of a final “vision . . . revealed to him of a single science, which is the science of beauty everywhere.” Symposium Day is truly a heralding of the “science of beauty everywhere,” and a testament to the breadth and depth of all we do at this institution.
With special thanks to the University Culture Committee, to our magnanimous sponsors, and to the student presenters Congratulations to all those who contribute to this unique day on our campus!
Eric C. Brown, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
The Michael D. Wilson Symposium reminds us that research and creative activity are never solitary adventures. Rather, scholarship and the fine arts emerge out of our community and are shared with this very community. Symposium thus speaks to the very heart of who we are as artists and knowledge seekers. Every member of our academic community is called to participate in the generation of art and knowledge. As such, Symposium is a celebration of engaged citizenship and an affirmation of our collective responsibility to make meaningful contributions to our shared world.
Steve Quackenbush, Associate Provost
This symposium is organized by the University Culture Committee:
Ann Bartges
Stephen Grandchamp
Misty Krueger (Chair)
Amy Neswald
Theresa Overall
Douglas Reusch
UMF Indigenous Land and Water Acknowledgement
We would like to begin by recognizing that the University of Maine at Farmington occupies the traditional homelands of the Abenaki people of Anmessokkanti, whose communities lived and sustained themselves along what we call the “Sandy River” for millennia until very recent times. We would like to honor them by sharing a short summary of this region’s significance to Abenaki people.
The Sandy River is a vital part of the food and kinship network extending throughout Abenaki or Wabanaki homelands. The river’s original name, Anmessokkanti, loosely translates to “land of the small fish,” being home to shad and alewives, and providing critical spawning habitat for Wild Atlantic Salmon. The plentiful fish populations here were a major food source for the Anmessokkanti and used as fertilizer for corn, beans, and squash cultivation. These crops, but corn in particular, were then shared with Wabanaki communities to the northeast whose soils and climates were less amenable to cultivation. This network was disrupted by colonialism and the industry, pollution, and river damming that accompanied it.
We acknowledge that UMF inherited its campus at the expense of the Abenaki community, after centuries of war, scalp bounty policies, and other tactics designed to extinguish the Abenaki from their own land. These events forced most Anmessokkanti to relocate to two Abenaki reservations in Quebec in 1704, called Wôlinak and Odanak. Many families descending from the Farmington area remain there today. We recognize that the dispossession and expulsion of the Abenaki from their homeland is an ongoing injustice upheld by settler colonialism. We pledge to bravely confront this painful reality.
We acknowledge that the Abenaki people of Odanak and Wôlinak descend from the original care-takers of this area, and maintain a sacred connection with it. We pledge to honor them by educating ourselves about their history and current struggles, and accepting our responsibility to correct ongoing injustice. We wish to also extend this acknowledgement to the Maliseet, Miꞌkmaq, Penobscot and Passamaquoddy nations who, with the Abenaki, make up the Wabanaki people.
We recognize and affirm the sovereignty of the Native nations in this territory and beyond. We recognize that sovereignty means the ability to self-govern, and to govern over one’s homelands. We understand that this statement has real implications, and that decolonization is not a metaphor.
We pledge to continue our collaboration with Wabanaki people to further decolonize spaces and to transform UMF into a place that honors Wabanaki and other Indigenous peoples. We acknowledge that this is an ongoing process in which the University of Maine at Farmington promises to partake, in partnership the many Indigenous individuals who have contributed to this important cause.
(The Indigenous Land and Water Acknowledgement statement was authored by Mali Obomsawin [Odanak Abenaki First Nation, Bomazeen Land Trust] with input from Darren Ranco [Penobscot Nation, University of Maine].)
UMF Trustee Professorship
Symposium is a day to honor the value of scholarly and creative endeavor at UMF. Toward that end, we have chosen Symposium as an opportunity, not only to showcase the work of our students, but also to bestow the university’s most prestigious award for scholarship to a faculty member. The Trustee Professorship is given each year to one UMF faculty member in recognition of her/his distinguished record of scholarly or creative work. The Trustee Professor receives a cash stipend, a professional development allowance, and a half-time reassignment for an academic year in order to focus on a scholarly or creative project.
2021-2022 Trustee Professor
11:40 in Lincoln Auditorium
Bearing Witness: Women’s Stories of War, Survival, & Connection
Nicole Kellett, 2021-22 Trustee Professor
Life history or testimonial work has the power to bring stories for which we are intimately familiar or that are largely foreign, home. In this presentation, Nicole Coffey Kellett, draws from a long-term life history project with a war survivor from Peru, Graciela Orihuela Rocha and introduces an emerging testimonial project with a returning resident who has served a 25 to life year prison sentence, LaTasha Nicole Hopper.
Nicole will read excerpts from her forthcoming book, Graciela: One Woman’s Story of War, Survival and Perseverance (University of New Mexico Press, 2022) that chronicles the life of Graciela who heralds from the epicenter of violence during Peru’s war in the 1980s and 1990s. Graciela’s history embodies the horrors, injustices, promises, and challenges faced by countless individuals who endured and survived the war. Her story provides intimate insights into deep-seated divisions within Peruvian society that center around skin color, gender, language, and ties to the land. In addition, while in its infancy, Nicole will describe a preeminent project with LaTasha that also embodies trauma and dehumanization as well as resilience, strength, and perseverance.
By bearing witness to these women’s stories, we gain insight into the systemic challenges of determining truth, implementing justice, and envisioning reconciliation as well as a strength and beauty that is too often overshadowed, neglected, and silenced.
Past UMF Trustee Professors
Spring 1999: Mark McPherran
1999 – 2000: Ronald Butler
2000 – 2001: Jennifer Reid
2001 – 2002: Chris Magri
2002 – 2003: Dan Gunn
2003 – 2004: Ming-Ming Pu
2004 – 2005: David Daniel
2005 – 2006: Mike Muir
2006 – 2007: Tiane Donahue
2007 – 2008: Paul Outka
2008 – 2009: Drew Barton
2009 – 2010: David Gibson
2010 – 2011: Jeffrey Thompson
2011 – 2012: Eric Brown
2012 – 2013: Gretchen Legler
2014 – 2015: Allison Hepler
2016 – 2017: Nic Koban
2015 – 2016: Patricia O’Donnell
2017 – 2018: Jonathon Cohen
2018 – 2019: Michael Johnson
2019 – 2020: Steven Pane
2020 – 2021: Kristen Case
Michael D. Wilson Research Fellows and Scholars
The Michael D. Wilson Scholars and Fellows represent some of UMF’s brightest students from across all disciplines. The program recognizes UMF students’ tremendous creativity and expands UMF’s commitment to undergraduate research and faculty mentoring. Each student is awarded funding to help underwrite an original undergraduate research or creative project. The Program has been providing single-semester support for research, scholarship, and creative projects at UMF since the fall of 2006. It was expanded in the fall of 2007 to include full-year Wilson Research Fellow awards to support even more substantive research projects. In the years since its inception, the Wilson program has supported the investigative research and creative activities of more than 250 students at UMF. During this time UMF faculty members have developed strong mentoring relationships with individual scholars, providing guidance with proposal development, research methodology, and continuing pre-professional and post-graduate opportunities.
The awards honor UMF alumnus, Michael D. Wilson, class of 1976, an avid environmentalist, aspiring teacher, and dear friend whose untimely death in 1977 deeply saddened the UMF community. The students are nominated by a UMF faculty mentor and, after a competitive selection process, are chosen by the UMF Undergraduate Research Council.
2021-2022 Wilson Fellow
Chelsey Drake – The Role of Magmatic Processes in Concentrating Rare Earth Element Bearing Accessory Minerals: A Case Study Using the Mt. Waldo Pluton, Coastal Maine
Faculty Sponsors: David Gibson and Julia Daly
Fall 2021 Wilson Scholars
Gabby Beaudoin – Shame, Psychoeducation, and Service Use: Overcoming Caregiver Barriers to Child Mental Health Care
Faculty Sponsor: Jennifer Blossom
William Chinnock – Voisine v. United States (2016): An Analysis
Faculty Sponsor: James Melcher
Suzanna Dibden – The Impact of Civil Online Media Exchanges on Political Attitude Change: A Content Analysis of Reddit’s Change My View Discussions
Faculty Sponsor: Karol Maybury
Ali Hooper – Ekphrasis on the Smith-Waite Tarot Deck
Faculty Sponsor: Kristen Case
Tristan Huntoon – Metal Music and the Sublime
Faculty Sponsor: Kristen Case and Aaron Wyanski
Spring 2022 Wilson Scholars
Daniella Lilly Rodiles – Translation of the Poetry of Elise Cowen: The Eclipsed Poet of the Beat Generation
Faculty Sponsor: Kristen Case
Drew Monteith – WALDO: A Short Film
Faculty Sponsor: Dawn Nye
Emily Moore – Keim Time: Expression Through Music
Faculty Sponsor: Aaron Wyanski
Isabelle King – Chapbook on Anxiety
Faculty Sponsor: Kristen Case
Maxen Ryder – The Plague Runners
Faculty Sponsor: Lewis Robinson
Nik Shultz – To Build a Queer: Contemporary Monster Theory
Faculty Sponsor: Misty Krueger
Miles Stevens – Where Life and Language Meet: An Interdisciplinary Collection in Context of My Sámi Heritage
Faculty Sponsor: Stephen Grandchamp
Arts Week Events
Pixel Hunter Student Film & Animation Festival
April 18 at 7:00 p.m. in the Emery Community Arts Center
A collection of experimental short films and animations created by UMF students.
A Concert of Improvised Music (Arts Night)
April 19 at 4 p.m. in Nordica Auditorium
A selection of improvised music will be composed for you on the spot by UMF students.
Cirque du Surreal: Surrealist Fashion Show and Micro-Salon (Arts Night)
April 19 at 5:00 p.m. in the Emery Community Arts Center & UMF Art Gallery
A presentation of artwork and a live runway fashion show by the students of Elizabeth Olbert’s ART224A-Surrealism: The Permanent Revolution class.
Performing Arts Senior Project Presentations (Arts Night)
Eli Mowry, Mollie Smith, Charity Webster, Tristan Huntoon, Simoane Lowell, and Audrey Bradbury
April 19 at 6 p.m. in the Emery Community Arts Center
As a prelude to Symposium Day, Arts Night will highlight the Performing Arts Senior Projects. The day will feature back-to-back artistic, sound, cultural and theatrical presentations at the Emery Community Arts Center immediately following the announcement of the Grote Scholarship award at 6 p.m. and continuing into the evening. This event will feature: Eli Mowry discussing his directing project, Senior Prom by Robert Means;
Mollie Smith presenting her costume design project, Ever After; Charity Webster presenting a live music performance of the original composition, “My Children—Imagination to Life”; Tristan Huntoon presenting a live music performance of the original composition, “The Sublimity of Metal”; Simoane Lowell presenting a performance reading of original poems entitled “This Is a Title if You Want It to Be”; and Audrey Bradbury presenting an original performance, Have Felt.
Who We Are, What We Do: Senior Exhibition Artist Talks
Alan Baker, Abigail Cloutier, Theo Estêvão, Audrey Keith, Drew Monteith, Aaron Montell, Emma Pierce, Alexis Ramee, and Alexus Valeriani
April 20 at 1 p.m. in the Flex Space Gallery in the Emery Community Arts Center
Seniors in the Visual Arts Program will discuss their senior art show Who We Are, What We Do. This exhibit represents the culmination of their capstone research and features Alan Baker, Abigail Cloutier, Theo Estêvão, Audrey Keith, Drew Monteith, Aaron Montell, Emma Pierce, Alexis Ramee and Alexus Valeriani. Each student will discuss the concepts they have explored and topics that inform and shape their work which range from environmental activism, surrealism and horror to issues of identity, diversity, equality and personal growth. Please join us at the Flex Space Gallery in the Emery Community Arts Center.
A Reading by the Students in Advanced Fiction
Ava Anderson, Theo Cerami, Carrie Close, Josh Hoffman, Karly Jacklin, Anastasia Mertz, Elliot Morelli-Wolfe, Ally Pickarts, Em Platt, Terri Potvin, Jocelyn Royalty, Katie Sewell, Campbell Tankersley, Amy Wiggins, and Jared Wood
April 20 at 4 p.m. in the Emery Community Arts Center
The students in the current semester of ENG310-Advanced Fiction Writing will each read a three-minute excerpt from a work-in-progress. Throughout April, the students will facilitate their own “Portrait of the Artist” workshop in which they describe a source of inspiration (visual art, music, film, etc.) before presenting their fiction. For this Symposium event, each student will choose a projected image to accompany their reading. Participating students include: Ava Anderson, Theo Cerami, Carrie Close, Josh Hoffman, Karly Jacklin, Anastasia Mertz, Elliot Morelli-Wolfe, Ally Pickarts, Em Platt, Terri Potvin, Jocelyn Royalty, Katie Sewell, Campbell Tankersley, Amy Wiggins, and Jared Wood.
An Evening of Performance
April 21 and April 22 at 7 p.m. in the Emery Community Arts Center
Students from Advanced Acting Perform Monologues and Senior Prom, a one act play by Robert Mearns and directed by Eli Mowry in a project for Advanced Directing.
UMF Chorus Performance
April 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Nordica Auditorium
Come join the UMF chorus as they sing a cappella contemporary choral works from all over the world including England, NewFoundland, Brazil and the United States. The UMF Chorus will conclude the concert with a performance of Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway Musical, Sweeney Todd.
Wilson Scholars and Trustee Professor
9:20 – 9:40
The Effects of Civil and Uncivil Political Discourse on Observer’s Opinions of Political Opponents
Suzanna Dibden
In this study we examined the effect of civil and uncivil political discourse upon participants’ opinions of political outgroups. Our participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. One group read a vignette depicting civil discourse, one group read a vignette depicting uncivil discourse, and one group did not read a vignette. Participants then filled out a questionnaire evaluating their opinions toward members of the political opposition. We hypothesized that participants in the civil group would express more charitable opinions toward the opposition compared to the control group, while those in the uncivil group would express more negative opinions. (Faculty Sponsor: Karol Maybury)
9:40 – 10:00
The Constitution, the Supreme Court, and Maine: Voisine v. United States
William Chinnock
A 2016 Supreme Court decision casts both the Second and Fifth Amendment, along with much of the American legal system, in an entirely different light. The 1996 Lautenberg Amendment, enacted as a bold piece of legislation seeking to curb the dangers posed by domestic violence offenders, is thrown under legal scrutiny by failing to recognize the infamous nature of the crime which it seeks to prosecute. Are those convicted under the Lautenberg Amendment constitutionally entitled to indictment by a grand jury? And if so, has Congress subverted this entitlement by labeling domestic assault a misdemeanor as opposed to a felony? (Faculty Sponsor: James Melcher)
10:00 – 10:20
Shame, Psychoeducation, and Service Use: Overcoming Caregiver Barriers to Child Mental Health Care
Gabby Beaudoin
There is a critical need to better understand caregiver-level factors that impact youth engagement in mental health services. The current study examines associations between caregiver shame regarding mental health treatment and their child’s mental health service use, and whether this relationship is moderated by the caregiver’s level of mental health knowledge. If so, these results will allow for future research in the development and implementation of an engagement intervention targeting caregivers’ knowledge of children’s mental health and service opportunities. (Faculty Sponsor: Jennifer Blossom)
10:20 – 10:30
Break
10:30 – 10:50
Where Life and Language Meet: An Interdisciplinary Collection in Context of My Sámi Heritage
Miles Stevens
Where Life and Language Meet is a project exploring my Sámi heritage. Following a brief background on the Sámi, the presentation will consist of showing selected poems from an original poetry collection informed by multimedia (photographs, drawings, and documents alongside poetry) accompanied by an analysis of how these fit into a larger contemporary narrative. This is a unique opportunity to not only explore poetry as heritage work, but gain insight into a culture not heavily featured in contemporary Western scholarship. (Faculty Sponsor: Stephen Grandchamp)
10:50 – 11:10
To Build A Queer: Contemporary Monster Theory
Nik Shultz
Queerness and monstrosity have a long and complex interconnected history with which contemporary artists often must contend when creating images of queer people. This presentation will explain some of that history, offer a framework for the thoughtful and skillful creation of queer monster media, and unveil a chapbook of work following that framework. (Faculty Sponsor: Misty Krueger)
11:10 – 11:30
Keim Time: Expression Through Music
Emily Moore
I am writing a piece of music for a wind quintet plus cello to tell the story of my late grandfather. I want to be able to show who he was throughout his life and express emotions through my music. I will be using a computer program to write the music, and I will be using the same program for a playback of the recorded instruments to present the final piece. Throughout my presentation, I will talk about my grandfather’s story and the process I went through to write my composition. Faculty Sponsor: Aaron Wyanski)
11:35 – 11:40
The Presentation of the Walter Sargent Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
In 2012, the Undergraduate Research Council presented the first Undergraduate Research Mentor Award. In 2013, the award was named to honor the late Walter Sargent, a UMF history professor and URC member. Walter was not only a council member, but a mentor of many undergraduate research projects that built a culture of undergraduate research in his discipline. We will present the 2022 Walter Sargent Undergraduate Research Mentor Award to a faculty member with a similar record of mentoring and establishing a culture of undergraduate research within the discipline.
11:40 – 12:20
Bearing Witness: Women’s Stories of War, Survival, & Connection
Nicole Kellett, 2021 – 2022 Trustee Professor
Life history or testimonial work has the power to bring stories for which we are intimately familiar or that are largely foreign, home. In this presentation, Nicole Coffey Kellett, draws from a long-term life history project with a war survivor from Peru, Graciela Orihuela Rocha and introduces an emerging testimonial project with a returning resident who has served a 25 to life year prison sentence, LaTasha Nicole Hopper.
Nicole will read excerpts from her forthcoming book, Graciela: One Woman’s Story of War, Survival and Perseverance (University of New Mexico Press, 2022) that chronicles the life of Graciela who heralds from the epicenter of violence during Peru’s war in the 1980s and 1990s. Graciela’s history embodies the horrors, injustices, promises, and challenges faced by countless individuals who endured and survived the war. Her story provides intimate insights into deep-seated divisions within Peruvian society that center around skin color, gender, language, and ties to the land. In addition, while in its infancy, Nicole will describe a preeminent project with LaTasha that also embodies trauma and dehumanization as well as resilience, strength, and perseverance.
By bearing witness to these women’s stories, we gain insight into the systemic challenges of determining truth, implementing justice, and envisioning reconciliation as well as a strength and beauty that is too often overshadowed, neglected, and silenced.
12:20 – 1:10
Lunch
1:10 – 1:30
Translation of the Poetry of Elise Cowen: The Eclipsed Poet of the Beat Generation
Daniela Lilly Rodiles
“The female Beat Generation writer, Elise Cowen, has been overshadowed by the canonical figures of America’s 1950s literary era until very recent years, with the publication of her first poetry collection in 2014. This presentation will focus on the process of translating the never-before translated anthology titled “Elise Cowen, Poems and Fragments” to the Spanish language. Through the translation of the existing 93 poems, Daniela Lilly will position her Skopo’s amongst other translation theorists, facing and calling into question the struggles presented by the dichotomous translation strategies of Domestication and Foreignization. (Faculty Sponsor: Kristen Case)
1:30 – 1:50
Her Burning Namesake
Alison Hooper
“Her Burning Namesake (Please italicize) is a collection of ekphrastic poetry centered around the twenty-two Major Arcana cards in the Tarot Deck illustrated by Pamela C. Smith. The Tarot Deck inspires personal growth and insight as a tool for self reflection and is an unique artwork in its interactiveness; viewers are encouraged to seek themselves within the cards and make inferences about their meanings in a way that is inherently personal. By writing poetry about my deck, I hope to share some of the intimacy of my experience with others, while inviting readers to form their own connection with the cards. (Faculty Sponsor: Kristen Case)
1:50 – 2:10
The Plague Runners: A Novel
Maxen Ryder
The Plague Runners is a novel drafted over this semester. The story is about two brothers in a medieval village, one of whom contracts a deadly plague. The diseased man, Richard, is reluctantly willing to let himself die to protect the people. His brother, Damian, is a veteran returning from war whose long-standing issues with denial lead him to attempt a “rescue” of Richard that puts the entire realm at risk. The plot is unique as it explores mental health, community, death, and acceptance without judging the characters but rather exploring their psychology. (Faculty Sponsor: Lewis Robinson)
2:10 – 2:30
Making an Invisible Illness Visible: A Chapbook Exploring Anxiety
Isabelle King
During the spring semester of 2022 I researched and wrote a chapbook (a small publication of poetry containing between 10-40 poems) focused around the central theme of anxiety. I also incorporated a mix of digital and film photography to make this body of a work a mixed media piece. This mixed media project explores the intersection of the externally invisible nature of anxiety and its internal reality. It has allowed me to make an invisible illnesses visible. (Faculty Sponsor: Kristen Case)
Venue 2, C-23, Roberts Learning Center
Anthropology and Psychology
9:20 – 9:40
Helping Others: Culture, Language, and Time
Nick Raupach
As a social phenomena, giving and receiving help is a complex behavior. This presentation will highlight the specific language used in the context of providing social support, and how this language has changed over time, as well as the impact of age on the act of helping another individual. Other social factors such as different identity constructs, power, and motivation will also be covered in relation to how they govern prosocial behavior. A particular focus on the notion of “filial piety” and helping others in South Korea will also be given to provide a cross-cultural comparative to the American context. (Faculty Sponsor: Gaelyn Aguilar)
9:40 – 10:00
The Drivers of Human Violence: A Paleolithic Analysis
Jack Crockett
Are humans inherently violent or peaceful? The debate regarding human nature is centuries old. This research project serves as a comparative analysis of the different perspectives regarding the human predisposition for violence versus peace with a strong focus on the archaeological evidence available for Paleolithic peoples. Using additional concepts and evidence from various fields of study, this project aims to shine a light on the human capacity for both violent conflict and cooperation through an in-depth discussion of the biocultural and environmental factors that have prehistorically influenced human behavior. (Faculty Sponsor: Gaelyn Aguilar)
10:00 – 10:20
The Active Decolonization of Cultural Sharing Spaces
Whitney Durgin
This project looks at some of the ways that American colonialism is rooted in knowledge sharing spaces. Specifically, how spaces like museums, historical societies, and monuments contribute to rhetoric that erases culture and history. The methods in which these spaces share knowledge, such as through artifacts, and the ways in which experts are working to share knowledge in more respectful ways have been explored throughout this research. (Faculty Sponsor: Gaelyn Aguilar)
10:20 – 10:30
Break
10:30 – 10:50
Turbulence and Flow: A Study of UMF Students’ Mental Health Culture
Nolan Crandall
There is a growing concern about the culture of mental health on college campuses, including here at Farmington: rates of depression and anxiety are increasing rapidly in students, especially as we struggle with the isolation and unknowns of COVID-19. How are students adapting to meet their needs in a college setting? What are they doing to relieve stress? This ethnography seeks to present the current state of mental health culture at UMF through student voices. (Faculty Sponsor: Gaelyn Aguilar)
10:50 – 11:10
Mental Health Experience: Somali Bantu Refugees
Shukri Abdirahman
The journey of a refugee is one of many hardships and survival. To be a refugee is to simply survive and thrive. This research project looks at cross-cultural experiences of mental health within the Somali Bantu Refugees. Examining pre-migration and post-migration stressors, looking at how Somali Bantu refugees have shown resilience through many hardships, and also looking at cultural concepts that clash, different generational experiences, and the role religion has in the experience of mental health. (Faculty Sponsor: Gaeyln Aguilar)
12:20 – 1:10
Lunch
“Not Quite a Free Lunch,” South Dining Hall
1:10 – 3:40
PSY 400 Independent Research Projects
Aliza S. Adams, Lavonne Agyeman, Abbey Aho, Emelia Arnett, Alexandra Banks, Corbin Bouchard, Morgan Noonan, Jocelyn Royalty, Brenna Saucier, Christa Wilcox, and Sierra Zahares
Eleven Psychology and Business Psychology students will present their research on: correlations between undergraduates’ well-being and TikTok content; attachment style and preferred “love language”; undergraduates’ expectations of marriage as a function of their parents’ marital status; the impact of unexpected social media photographic memories on grieving; the impact of domestic upheaval on animal adoption; attitudes toward animal adoption source; the impact of professor creativity on student academic performance; perceptions of a defendant’s guilt after Psychological expert testimony; the impact of homeowner race on observers’ valuation of a home; how a short video impacts environmental attitudes; risk taking behaviors in college. (Faculty Sponsor: Karol Maybury)
Natural Sciences and Geography
10:20 – 10:25
Harvey Aft Award for Excellence in Chemistry
Mariella Passarelli, Terry Morocco, Michael Sherrod, and Chris Brinegar
Each year the chemistry faculty recognizes a student who has excelled in upper-level chemistry courses, has outstanding general scholarship, has demonstrated interest in chemistry, and projects a good attitude toward the field. Please join us when we announce the winner and present the award.
1:10 – 1:30
Moose Populations in Maine and Parelaphostrongylus Tenuis: Looking at the Possible Reasons P-Tenuis May Be Increasing in Maine
Dorene Jackman
Parelaphostrongylus tenuis is a parasitic worm that infects deer and moose populations throughout the Northeastern parts of the U.S. and Canada. Is food availability the cause of the increase of shared wintering areas between the moose and deer and may be affecting the increase of p-tenuis? If so, why? For this research, data obtained from Maine GIS Data Catalog, National Land Cover Dataset, US Fish & Wildlife Service GIS Data was used to determine areas where deer and moose habitat overlap, as well as past research to determine the possible causes of the increase in p-tenuis cases in Maine. (Faculty Sponsor: Brad Dearden)
1:30 – 1:50
The Effect of Slope Aspect on Tree Growth
Caeden R. Bross and Samuel C. Peterson
To observe how slope aspect affects tree growth patterns, cores were sampled from Mount Bigelow, Arizona. They were then studied for distance between rings with the maximum, minimum and mean distance recorded to test for seasonality. The mean distance will then be compared to records from previous years to test for differences in growth patterns. The slope aspect should show significant differences alongside climate, as slope affects the amount of precipitation and sunlight a tree receives. The data seem to show evidence of slope aspect having a significant influence on tree growth. (Faculty Sponsor: Jesse Minor)
1:50 – 2:10
Campus Carbon Study
Cassie Mccaslin, Jack Kane, Tess Gioia, Maya Deming, and Angel Brackett
Trees sequester large amounts of carbon through the process of photosynthesis, making them great for carbon sequestration. Due to rising CO₂ levels in the atmosphere from anthropogenic activities, carbon sequestration is an important factor in combating climate change. We assessed the amount of sequestered carbon on UMF’s campus by surveying the species, size, and structural type (overstory versus sapling) of trees within the campus or in UMF’s off-campus forests. This data was then converted to find the total carbon stored in each measured tree. Carbon stored in different areas of campus and from different tree types were measured and compared. (Faculty Sponsor: Jesse Minor)
2:10 – 2:30
Roles of Acidity and Iron Oxidation in Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
Luke Bliss, Emily Anne Eaton, and Colin Glencross
We are looking into the potential downsides of CDR, intended to lower the global CO2 level. One such CDR process involves the alteration of mantle rock and related formation of carbonate deposits at low temperature hydrothermal vents. First, we will explore the role of acidity in accelerating the CDR reaction. We also consider the consequences (e.g., methane production) of oxidizing ferrous iron in these rocks undergoing serpentinization (i.e., olivine hydration). (Faculty Sponsor: Douglas Reusch)
3:00 – 4:00
David Gibson Memorial Event
Please join us as we honor the career of Dr. David Gibson on Wednesday, April 20 during a special session at UMF’s Symposium Day. Given Dave’s passion for mentoring undergraduate research, it seems appropriate to honor his contributions on the day dedicated to student research at UMF. The session will include short presentations by a few of Dave’s colleagues and will be followed by an informal reception.
History, Political Science, and Environmental Policy and Planning
9:20 – 9:40
The Unconventional Dollar
Nolan Pakulski
The creation and demise of the United States Trade Dollar in the 19th century must be seen in three distinct contexts: the problematic history of the United States Mint and the circulation of silver currency; government corruption and the Comstock Lode silver bonanza of the mid to late nineteenth century; and the Coinage Act of 1873. I argue that this helped shape the US’s increased involvement in foreign markets during the Gilded Age. (Faculty Sponsor: Allison Hepler)
9:40 – 10:00
Wilted Rose: How Margaret Chase Smith Lost in 1972
David Ballard
Senator Margaret Chase Smith a political giant among an arena of men. Winning races by the largest margins. She was the first woman of the Senate, and first to serve in both Congressional Chambers. First to run for President for a major party and in 1972 she lost. Why? It is the working theory that she lost because of the young voters, but that needs to be explored. Join in and see how Margaret Chase Smith lost her 1972 reelection campaign. (Faculty Sponsor: Allison Hepler)
10:00 – 10:20
Presidential Privilege and the Supreme Court
Malcolm Langner
Executive privilege is defined as “the privilege, claimed by the president for the executive branch of the US government, of withholding information in the public interest.” Indeed, the president doesn’t need to distribute all of the information within the white-house. However, if the president is partaking in suspicious activity, there must be a line deciphering whether it is in the public’s best interest to have knowledge of these activities. In the landmark case United States v. Nixon, the Supreme Court ruled against Nixon, severely limiting executive privilege. This study looks at similar cases and dissects the essence of executive privilege. (Faculty Sponsor: James Melcher)
10:20 – 10:30
Break
10:30 – 10:50
2022 House Elections Predictive Model
Shea Justice
I have produced a model for the 2022 house elections. It involves data from all fifty states. Discussion of a 2022 House elections model, how the data was collected, how the results ought to be interpreted in light of the data, as well as the sociological and political currents which influenced the outcome of the data. A circumscription of american culture, as well as the character of current political discourse, will also be discussed and extrapolated from the data. (Faculty Sponsor: James Melcher)
10:50 – 11:10
The Right to Counsel: How Gideon v. Wainwright has Affected the Criminal Justice System
Brodie Morse
The Warren Era court handed down some of the most influential Supreme Court decisions surrounding a defendant’s civil rights during criminal trials in the history of the United States. One of the most important rulings during this era is Gideon v. Wainwright 372 U.S. 335 (1963) where the Supreme court established that a defendant has the right to court appointed counsel. We will be discussing how this decision impacted state courts all across the country, the U.S Justice system and more specifically, how Maines court system has dealt with the rippling effect of this decision. (Faculty Sponsor: James Melcher)
12:20 – 1:10
Lunch
“Not Quite a Free Lunch,” South Dining Hall
1:10 – 1:30
Maine Inland Fishing Regulations: A Digital Divide in Understanding?
Michael Levesque
Many governmental resources are being made available on the web. In Maine, inland fishing laws are no exception. A transition is actively taking place from printed, magazine-sized law books, to digital webpages. This study will examine how people, who currently fish Maine’s inland fishing waters, stay informed about fishing regulations. A self administered survey will be distributed that examines where participants fish, their age, where they live and their current preferences when looking up fishing laws. Results of this survey will determine if geographic location, age or attitudes towards technology might affect how people are informed on fishing regulations. (Faculty Sponsor: Brad Dearden)
1:30 – 1:50
The Impacts of Climate Change on Deer Ticks in Maine
Tommy Hainsworth
Warming winters and changing climates have affected many different species throughout Maine causing habitats to expand, shrink or change location entirely. The focus of this research was on the population of Deer Ticks throughout the state of Maine and how changing climate patterns may have caused a change in the scale of their habitat. This research was conducted through secondary sources by reviewing previously published and peer-reviewed literature. It was predicted that Deer tick habitat would be seen expanding northward with warming winters. (Faculty Sponsor: Brad Dearden)
1:50 – 2:10
The Environmental Variables of Invasive Green Crabs
Anna Flannagan, Ellie Hatt, Eve Fischer, Maria West, Riley Samson, and Simon Spear
We conducted environmental site assessments at three coastal locations used by the conservation nonprofit Manomet to monitor invasive green crab populations. Using tools and methods common to physical geography, we measured physical characteristics of the sites, including the slope, rugosity, tidal range, and wave exposure. We used Excel and ArcPro to create maps and slope profiles of the monitoring sites. The site assessments will allow Manomet to correlate trends in crab demography and population with environmental variables. We also collected pre-season green crab monitoring data, which contributes to Manomet’s long-term dataset. (Faculty Sponsor: Jesse Minor)
2:30 – 2:40
Break
2:40 – 3:00
Are Warming Winters Due to Climate Change in the United States, Benefiting Certain Species of Animals?
Zachary Berliner
Climate change in the US has seen less snowpack during the winter with each passing year. Resulting in many animals having seen their habitats and population ranges move northward. Species of animals that rarely interacted before may be seen sharing similar habitats as these species start to adapt to warming winters however, it is predicted that many species will struggle to adapt to warming temperatures. The research conducted will be looking at a set of species that are predicted to actually be benefiting from warming winters which will be reported on by a series of maps to show how they are benefiting. (Faculty Sponsor: Brad Dearden)
3:00 – 3:20
The Impacts of Climate Change on Atlantic Puffins
Olivia Bucknam
Atlantic Puffins are just one example of a species being directly impacted by climate change. Select Islands off the coast of Maine and Eastern Canada are examples of some of the limited places Puffins live and breed; These places also happen to be disproportionately affected by climate change. This has been and will continue to pose threats to the delicate ecosystem balance that Puffins depend on to survive. This research project will outline and inform readers of the challenges Puffins face as the effects of climate change continue to worsen in the Gulf of Maine. (Faculty Sponsor: Brad Dearden)
Venue 5, CR 123, Student Center
English and Honors
10:10 – 11:10
Creatively Writing the Truth: An Interactive Workshop/Reading
Aaron Beckett, Kaiden Clark, Cooper Davis, Em Remington, Maureen Lorello, Natalie Roy, Ashley Ward, and Niko Wilson
What does it feel like to write the truth, creatively? Writers from the spring 2022 Beginning Creative Nonfiction Workshop will share the challenges of writing about their “real” lives, and lead participants in an informal group creative nonfiction writing workshop. (Faculty Sponsor: Gretchen Legler)
12:20 – 1:10
Lunch
1:10 – 1:50
Making Monsters
Lindsey Boylan, Megan Cates, Isabelle Couture, Mullein Francis, Gabbi Fultz, Sylvie Haslam, Rachel Hatfield, Emma Hixon, Valentina Levesque, Anna MacDonald, Elliot Morelli-Wolfe, and Madeline Pumphrey
Students from Honors 277H: Monsters will present their plans for and progress on a collaborative project on monsters. (Faculty Sponsor: Misty Krueger)
2:10 – 3:30
English Capstone Presentations
Isabelle King, BrookLyn Miller, Ebony Hyatt, Ally Pickarts, Daniela Lilly Rodiles, and Miles Stevens
Upper-level English present a fascinating array of independent scholarly and creative capstone projects. Projects include a feminist reading of a video game franchise (Miller), an exploration through fiction of the Victorian language of flowers (Hyatt), a mixed-media investigation of anxiety (King), a discussion of the relationship between music and literary prose, a chapbook of poetry on Sámi identity (Stevens), and an English-Spanish translation of previously little known Beat poet Elise Cowen (Lilly Rodiles). (Faculty Sponsor: Kristen Case)
Venue 6, Art Gallery, Emery Flex Space
Creative Writing
4:00 – 5:30
A Reading by the Students in Advanced Fiction
Ava Anderson, Theo Cerami, Carrie Close, Josh Hoffman, Karly Jacklin, Anastasia Mertz, Elliot Morelli-Wolfe, Ally Pickarts, Em Platt, Terri Potvin, Jocelyn Royalty, Katie Sewell, Campbell Tankersley, Amy Wiggins, and Jared Wood
The students in the current semester of Advanced Fiction Writing will each read a three-minute excerpt from a work-in-progress. Throughout April, the students will facilitate their own “Portrait of the Artist” workshop in which they describe a source of inspiration (visual art, music, film, etc) before presenting their fiction. For this Symposium event, each student will choose a projected image to accompany their reading. (Faculty Sponsor: Lewis Robinson)
Venue 7, Education Center Lobby
Education
9:20 – 9:50
Exploring Middle Grade and Young Adult Literature with a Vision of Our Future Students
Hannah Armstrong, Emma Brown, Sharon Buker, Emma Campbell, Tiffany Chadbourne, Haylee Gagnon, Noah Grindstaff, Katie Hammer, Haylee Janosco, Kristen Ladner, Jayme Loisel, River Lusky, Neal Bradley, Sierra Pennington, Bailee Sabine, Belle Sawyer, Emily Stinson, Xavier Trask, Sean Whalen, Rosalie and White
How might we help our future students engage in literacy practices in meaningful ways? How will we know which books to recommend or choose for instruction? The Book Challenge was the means to develop our knowledge of children’s literature for the intermediate and middle school audience in order to explore these questions. Many of these were shared texts, texts recommended by our 4th grade Book Buddies in Wiscasset, or texts selected based on honors and awards, blog posts, or book lists. With each of the texts, we explored ways in which learning could be expanded or deepened while considering alignment to the English Language Arts Standards. In our session you will learn about the texts we read, structures for engagement, and extension activities we explored on our journey of the Book Challenge. (Faculty Sponsor: Kathryn Will)
Education
10:10 – 11:10
Preservice Teacher Research on Place-based Education
Alex Bessey, Vanessa Bisson, Hailee Macomber, Sam Martineau, Jade Petrie, Abby Pomerleau, Chenoa Savage, and Koley True
Student participants in a travel course to Reggio Emilia, Italy, this spring will present their perspectives about the Reggio Emilia Approach to early childhood education. They attended a Student/Professor Study Group where they learned about the history, principles, and essential elements of this approach. They visited infant toddler centers and preschools in the city. Each student focused on a specific topic (e.g. nature, science, or art) in order to understand how these topics are integrated into the local schools. This approach sees the child as capable and resilient. Curriculum is designed around children’s interests and features project-based activities and documentation. (Faculty Sponsor: Leigh Ann Fish)
Posters
Please note that all poster presenters are expected to be at their posters to address questions for at least one hour, either between 10:00 and 11:00 or between 1:10 and 2:10. Poster presenters must set up between 8:00 and 9:00 am. The poster session will be open from 9:00 am until 2:30. The poster presenters will remove their posters between 2:30 and 3:30.
Poster #1
Phoenixin-14 influences genes related to cell growth and reproduction in female pufferfish (Dichotomyctere nigroviridis)
Anyssa Phaneuf, Sierra Huff, and Bethany Tripp
Phoenixin (PNX) is a highly conserved vertebrate hormone that has diverse functions including reproduction and metabolism regulation, though these functions are not well understood in fish. This study assessed hypothalamus and ovary transcriptomes after PNX-14 treatment in female green-spotted puffer (Dichotomyctere nigroviridis) using RNA sequencing and qPCR, as well as steroid-related genes in liver. Puffers were injected with PNX-14 or saline and sampled 24 hours later. Numerous differentially expressed genes were identified in both PNX-treated ovary and hypothalamus, with many related to cell growth and metabolism, while livers were largely unaffected. Future directions should focus on higher PNX doses to induce stronger responses. (Faculty Sponsor: Timothy Breton)
Poster #2
Geospatial Analysis for Sustainable Use of Spent Grains
Zackary Laflamme
This project represents initial analysis from a semester-long collaboration with a spent grain and food waste management company founded by a former UMF graduate. Their mission is to feed local farm animals with waste products from breweries, distilleries, cideries, throughout Massachusetts and southern Maine. The study focuses on developing a geospatial analysis of sites of spent grains in the New England region, including locations of nearby farms to help Against the Grain identify market demand. This analysis considers transportation logistics, optimal routing, and operational efficiency. Even developing a life cycle assessment/environmental analysis of avoided carbon, emissions, and water savings. (Faculty Sponsor: Matt McCourt)
Poster #3
Assessing the Spatial Distribution of Surficial “Spider” Features at the Martian South Pole
Chelsey Drake
During the Martian winter, a layer of CO2 ice forms at the south polar region. In the spring, solar energy penetrates this ice layer and sublimes CO2 from underneath. The pressurized gas breaks through weak spots in the ice, causing a CO2 gas jet to erupt into the atmosphere. Repeated eruptions erode the underlying substrate, producing the Martian Araneiform terrain (referred to as Martian “spiders”). This project aims to assess the spatial distribution of spider features at the Martian south pole and investigates how topography, solar energy input, and time-dependent shadowing influence the distribution of these features. (Faculty sponsors: Luke Kellett and Julia Daly)
Poster #4
Fracturing Mantle “Antacid” for CO2 Uptake with Thermonuclear Devices
Will Robert, Brent Soucy, and Jeremy Pica
The objective of carbon dioxide removal (aka “Plan B”) is to offset the unprecedented level of CO2 located in the atmosphere by accelerating natural processes that are carbon sinks. One strategy to achieve this goal invokes large-scale fracturing of “antacid” deposits within the ocean to promote the acid-base reaction between mantle peridotite and CO2 (carbonic acid). We will explore surface area as a variable, which might be increased through the detonation of thermonuclear devices. (Faculty Sponsor: Douglas Reusch)
Poster #5
Melt-Driven Runoff in the Beaver Brook Watershed
Alexander Ingalls
The properties of winter weather in Maine are examined using several forms of analysis to illustrate changes in winter weather patterns over the past 40 years. While previous studies have determined several ways that climate change affects the entire state, this study seeks to better understand the impact of these changes in five specific regions. The resulting analyses shows how certain atmospheric variables such as precipitation, temperature, and snowfall vary in magnitude and location across the state and over time. The results suggest these changes have different consequences for different areas of the state. (Faculty Sponsor: Julia Daly)
Poster #6
Going Green with Olivine
Teraesa Gioia, Twilight Smart-Benson, and Chelsea Roy
Humans have altered the photosynthesis-respiration cycle, also known as the planetary fuel cell, through heavy usage of fossil fuels, deforestation, and other destructive anthropogenic activities. Humans have altered the photosynthesis-respiration cycle, also known as the planetary fuel cell, through heavy usage of fossil fuels, deforestation, and other CO2-emitting anthropogenic activities. To put the world back on track, in addition to cutting emissions, we must consider carbon dioxide removal (CDR)- Plan B (aka Staten Island project). The mineral olivine, which is abundant in Earth’s mantle exposed on oceanic fault scarps, can react with CO2 to form carbonate. We plan to explore the role of temperature in optimizing this reaction. (Faculty Sponsor: Douglas Reusch)
Poster #7
Assessing Risk and Awareness of Phishing in Maine College Students
Allen Cherkis
Cyber-attacks are a costly and expansive facet of crime. One of the most prevalent forms of cyber-attack in the US is phishing—a crime which involves the persuasion of target(s) to provide sensitive information via communication services such as email, text, and social media (Phishing.org, 2022). Increased screen time throughout the Covid-19 pandemic has left students as a particularly vulnerable group regarding phishing attacks. Using student surveys, phishing message classification tests and campus IT interviews, this research seeks to assess how academic background and cyber awareness might associate with phishing risk and test-scenario performance amongst college students. (Faculty Sponsor: Brad Dearden)
Posters #8 – #22
Sustainability, Climate Change and the Adventure Travel Sector
William Brenner, Ryan Brueninghaus, Mitchell Carey, Justin Castaldo, Ben DeMerchant, Spencer Dyer, Hunter Graham, Charlie Katz, Wyatt Lambert, Emily Larochelle, Eric McCallum, Kayo Nishimoto, Piper Redman, Ellah Smith, and Coleman Watson
The following issues for specific sub-sectors of adventure travel will be addressed: the impact of the sub-sector on climate change and the environment; the impact of climate change and environmental issues on the sub-sector; mitigation strategies; and adaptation strategies. (Faculty Sponsor: Frank Engert)
A Tribute to Michael D. Wilson
Michael D. Wilson graduated from UMF in 1976. He loved teaching, helping children grow and develop. He reached out to help people whenever he could. He also had a deep love for the beauty and serenity of the wilderness where he felt a deep sense of connection.
Michael chose to live his life in a manner that was true to his beliefs. Many people remember him as a special person and a good friend. He died in a tragic accident in 1977, just as he was preparing to begin a new teaching position in a small town in Aroostook County.