The effort, led by Penobscot Valley Senior College (PVSC) and the University of Maine Center on Aging, seeks to understand what adults in the region would like to learn, how they prefer to participate and where classes and programs would be most convenient.

“We are thankful for the support of our members and the staff of the 91���� Center on Aging, which has been a partner since the college’s inception 25 years ago,” said Suzanne Gordon, president of the PVSC Board of Directors. “Through public feedback we aim to serve older adults in new ways as they seek to expand their knowledge, skills and hobbies.”

Adults 50 and older who live in the Penobscot Valley region and are not active PVSC members are invited to participate. The survey is available online at until November 20. Respondents who would like help completing the survey may contact the 91���� Center on Aging at jennifer.crittenden@maine.edu. 

Eligible participants who complete the survey can also enter a drawing for a gift card. To help keep responses confidential, raffle entry information will be collected separately from survey responses.

The volunteer-run PVSC offers noncredit courses, lectures and social field trips designed for adults who want to explore a new subject, pursue an interest or connect with others, without tests, grades or academic pressure. 

The Center on Aging promotes and facilitates research, education and community service activities to maximize the quality of life of older citizens and their families in Maine and beyond.

Organizers hope the survey will help identify interests and perspectives from people who are not currently part of the college’s community.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature a short recording of remarks by longtime federal attorney and best-selling author Andrew Weissmann, followed by an in-depth conversation with four panelists and an audience Q&A. 

With two decades of experience at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Weissmann has held several high-profile roles, including lead prosecutor for Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation, chief of the DOJ’s Fraud Section and General Counsel for the FBI. He’s the author of “Liar’s Kingdom,” co-hosts the popular podcast “Main Justice” and frequently contributes to various news outlets, such as MS NOW, The New York Times, The Atlantic and The Washington Post. 

Panelists for the Q&A discussion include

• Justice Donald G. Alexander, retired from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, after more than 21 years of service.
• William Harwood, retired lawyer who served as Maine Public Advocate from 2022 to 2025.
• James Munch, lawyer in private practice in Bangor at Vafiades, Brountas & Kominsky.
• Mark D. Brewer, Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Maine.

Sponsors for the event include Maine Lawyers for the Rule of Law; Vafiades, Brountas and Kominsky; the 91���� Department of Political Science; the 91���� College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the 91���� Honors College.

Call volumes across the state have increased by 78% in the last decade, with some individual fire departments saying they doubled, if not tripled.

The strain extends beyond fighting fires. Maine firefighters also respond to floods and storms, provide emergency medical services and serve as planners, educators and communicators for emergency management. 

One volunteer fire chief from Washington County interviewed for the study called the number of calls “too much to be a volunteer,” while another from York County called it “too demanding.” 

The findings highlight a vulnerability in a fire service heavily dependent on volunteers: During working hours, many firefighters are unavailable to respond. 

Financial pressures, inflexible work schedules and family obligations prevent many Mainers from volunteering and leave others at risk of burnout, said study co-author Alexander Rezk, a Ph.D. student and research associate with 91����’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center.

“Exploring pathways to sustainable volunteerism will be essential not only to the fire service, but all community resilience-building,” Rezk said.

The research team received survey responses from 219 of Maine’s estimated 398 fire departments and gathered information from code enforcement officers and municipal administrators. 91���� researchers interviewed 25 fire chiefs across 14 counties to examine the challenges and their effects on local communities.

“This work will help lawmakers make informed decisions affecting Maine’s fire service for years to come,” said State Fire Marshal Shawn Esler. “It documents the challenges our firefighters face and gives us a clearer understanding of the support they need to continue protecting their communities.”

Lost wages, retirement, travel distances and competing work and family obligations are among the driving forces behind staff and volunteer turnover, as well as barriers to recruitment. The survey found that 94% of responding departments rely at least partly on volunteers and 60% are entirely volunteer. 

“Being a call company, most work a full-time job, thus no time for training,” an Oxford County fire chief said in the survey. “They offer very little training in Western Maine. You have to drive a long way to get it.” 

Departments increasingly turn to neighboring communities for help, but those communities often face the same staffing gaps, according to the study. For example, the Hermon Fire Department reported having 21 mutual aid relationships, and the Kennebunk Fire Department reported having 20. 

Maine fire departments also face an aging fleet and an aging workforce — challenges that complicate their ability to protect local communities. 

Nearly half of the departments surveyed reported having fleets that were more than 20 years old. Survey respondents reported that the average cost of a fire engine doubled between 2020 and 2026, and new engines can take three to four years to build. 

“These are incredibly resilient organizations. They are coming up with creative solutions to meet their communities’ needs and often with very limited resources,” said Dominic Piacentini, also a research associate with 91����’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center. “In many cases, these local solutions are working, but they just need more support.”

The project’s recommendations focus on three areas:

• Maintaining reliable statewide information about the firefighter workforce.
• Improving access to training by addressing distance, time and cost barriers.
• Strengthening employer support so volunteer firefighters can attend training and respond to emergencies.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal has from the multiyear project on its website. A comprehensive report is expected in early 2027.

The project grew out of a 2019 pilot study in Hancock County. Statewide planning and grant applications began in 2022, followed by statewide surveys in 2025. Contributors included former state fire marshals Joe Thomas and Rich McCarthy and Richard Taylor, a senior research and planning analyst for the state.

The project received funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program.

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu

Legionnaires’ disease, which affects in the United States, is caused by a pathogenic bacterium known as Legionella pneumophila, which Dauphinais, a University of Maine junior and Honors College student, researched during an internship.��

When the team Dauphinais worked with discovered a pathway that was critical to the bacterium’s survival, she investigated whether it could be exploited to develop treatments. 

“I was isolating the pathway’s rate-limiting enzyme, HMG-CoA reductase, encoded by L. pneumophila,” said Dauphinais, who’s majoring in microbiology and biochemistry. “I then conducted bioinformatic and biochemical enzymatic studies, as well as drug screens using statins and small acids, to target this enzyme in hopes of developing narrow-spectrum antibiotics.”

Dauphinais is one of several 91���� students who spent the summer conducting biomedical research at institutions across the country. Their work reflects 91����’s commitment to learner-centered R1 education, which gives undergraduates hands-on research opportunities that prepare them for competitive internships and fellowships. 

91���� faculty and staff help students secure these opportunities.

Throughout the internship, Dauphinais found herself applying the same skills she learned working as a research assistant for Sally Molloy, 91���� associate professor of genomics. 

In that role, she said she studied the effect of prophage, genetic material from viruses that infect bacteria, on pathogenic Mycobacterium abscessus-chelonae, which can cause . Dauphinais also served as a teaching assistant for the Phage Genome Discovery course, which strengthened her science communication and leadership skills.��

“My time at the University of Maine gave me an essential foundation in research techniques and leadership experience necessary to participate in this summer experience,” said Dauphinais, who spent her summer at Stanford University as a member of the SSRP-Amgen Summer Scholars Program.

91���� senior Autumn Perley, from Carmel, Maine, has worked in multiple research labs since her first year, when she began working with Robert Wheeler, professor of microbiology.

Years working with Wheeler, who allowed her to lead projects driven by her interests, and in other labs prepared Perley to intern in a Cornell University lab over the summer and investigate the genes responsible for metabolizing polyunsaturated fatty acids. 

Her fellowship through the Cech Fellows Program with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute matched her with one of their affiliate labs at Cornell University.’

“Through writing proposals for Center for Undergraduate Research and Radke grants and presenting my work at the 91���� Student Symposium and beyond, I gained essential practice in science communication that built my confidence to apply for and present at external opportunities, including this fellowship,” said Perley, who is majoring in microbiology and molecular and biomedical sciences. 

At a Mayo Clinic lab in Minnesota, 91���� senior Jason Hart of New Gloucester, Maine, spent the summer researching how interactions between certain genes increase genome replication and repair in herpesvirus. He was a Mayo Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow. 

Hart, a senior in the Honors College majoring in biochemistry and microbiology, credits his work with Benjamin King, 91���� associate professor of bioinformatics, and research projects he presented at both the 91���� Student Symposium and the Maine Biomedical and Medical Sciences Symposium with preparing him for his internship.

“I have been fortunate enough to have been prepared for the Mayo Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship through a diversity of research experiences at 91����,” he said.  

Closer to home, Lillian Campbell of Garnder, Kansas, spent her summer researching the molecular mechanisms behind cognitive decline at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor. Her work as a summer fellow involved analyzing motor movements in mice — — as well as examining neuronal activity and gene expression in their brains.��

“I would not be able to succeed in this position without my lab experience in professor Ben King’s lab on campus,” said Campbell, an Honors College student majoring in molecular and biomedical sciences. “The funding from the Radke fellowship and from our many National Institutes of Health grants has made it so I can develop skills and pursue multiple research avenues!” 

The 91���� Office of Major Scholarships helps students like Campbell, Hart, Perley and Dauphinais apply for these prestigious internships and fellowships. Anyone interested in applying for these fellowships and other funding can contact Nives Dal Bo-Wheeler at nives.dalbowheeler@maine.edu.

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu

The march will proceed around the Mall and end in the area near an information booth in the Memorial Union. Following the march, Renate Klein, 91���� associate professor of human development and family studies; and speakers representing Partners for Peace, the 91���� Counseling Center, Triota and other organizations will share insights on domestic violence and ways to detect it to improve safety.

A remembrance ceremony will also be held for lives lost to domestic violence recently. Community resources will be available for those who need them.

For more information about the event, contact Nory Jones at njones@maine.edu.

More one in three women nationwide have experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetime, according to the . 

At the same time, schools across the state continue to face , including a shortage of qualified special educators. In rural communities, smaller pools of potential teachers and transportation and housing challenges compound staffing difficulties.

91���� aims to address this shortfall by helping aspiring special educators in rural communities earn master’s degrees that lead to state certification, with tuition fully covered.

Project MAINEd (Maine Adaptive Intervention Network for Educators in Disabilities) is a new initiative launching this fall with support from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs. 

It will provide full-tuition scholarships and other financial assistance to help participants complete 91����’s fully online, 36-credit Master of Education in special education or its accelerated 4+1 program for undergraduate students. These programs prepare provisionally certified special education teachers, educational technicians and students for full certification in Maine.

“It’s challenging for schools everywhere to recruit and retain qualified special educators, but rural schools face distinct barriers,” said Sarah Howorth, associate professor of special education in 91����’s College of Education and Human Development and director of Project MAINEd.

“Our goal is to help people who are already living and working in rural Maine become fully certified special educators so they can stay in their communities and fill critical positions in local schools,” Howorth said.

Howorth and Project MAINEd co-director Krystle Merry are recruiting the first cohort. They aim to help at least 35 educators earn their master’s degrees and become certified over the next five years.

Ben Greenlaw, superintendent of Maine School Administrative District 1 in Presque Isle, said the rural northern Maine district has had success promoting educational technicians who live and work in the area to teaching positions.

“These are people who have proven themselves to be effective educators, and because they live here, and were likely raised and attended school here, they are more likely to stay here,” Greenlaw said.

He said MSAD 1 often works with University of Maine System campuses, where most of the state’s classroom-ready teachers earn their , to ensure educational technicians meet certification requirements.

Recruiting and retaining special education teachers remain significant challenges because of the demands of the positions, he said.

“Special education teachers are working directly with our highest-need learners, they have significant paperwork and legal compliance requirements, they are often managing the work of ed techs, and are in frequent communication with parents and families,” Greenlaw said. “I think rural Maine school districts will benefit from any program that invests in and supports ed techs who want to become certified special educators, especially where it gives them the knowledge and skill to help them address the demands of the job.”

91����’s special education master’s degree program is approved by the Maine Department of Education under Pathway 1, meaning graduates are automatically recommended for state certification as teachers of students with disabilities. 

Students can pursue certification in high-incidence disabilities, preparing them to support students with specific learning delays, emotional or behavioral needs, or executive functioning challenges. They also can choose low-incidence disabilities, preparing them to work with students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, severe intellectual disabilities or extensive support needs.

Merry, an assistant professor of special education, said the initiative allows rural educators to complete their degrees without leaving their jobs.

“Our master’s program is designed for working educators, with a mix of asynchronous online classes and virtual evening classes,” Merry said. “Students who are ed techs or provisional teachers can complete any required field experiences or internships in the buildings where they already work. We also provide access to one-on-one mentoring and coaching with experienced special education teachers across the state.” 

91����’s special education faculty also partner with state and national organizations, including the Council for Exceptional Children and the Maine Department of Education, that serve special educators and children with disabilities. 

Master’s students can connect with these organizations for additional learning opportunities in evidence-based special education practices, modified literacy and mathematics instruction, digital accessibility and assistive technology. Other topics include rural educator recruitment and retention, licensure and workforce development, family and disability engagement, artificial intelligence literacy, and remote observation and instructional coaching. 

People interested in Project MAINEd can receive application announcements and other updates by completing the .

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu

The Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is a unique entity on the 91���� campus with federally employed scientists serving as full faculty. Current unit faculty — professor Joseph Zydlewski and recently-promoted associate professor Christina Murphy — are in 91����’s Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation Biology.  Their research programs focus on a wide range of topics, including fish movement ecology, dam removals and PFAS contamination. 

This national award recognized the Maine unit for its members’ scientific excellence and important research collaborations with state, federal and tribal partners.

“It is the high quality and hard work of our graduate students has made our science noteworthy,” said Zydlewski. “The unit’s collaborative structure continues to be an effective approach to leverage funds and to attract and support the best students in the field to the University of Maine”.  

The Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit was among the first to be established nationwide in 1935. It represents a formal partnership between 91����, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Wildlife Management Institute, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey.

MEOC, a federal TRIO program that provides college access services to Mainers statewide, has served between 1,700 and a little more than 2,200 participants annually during the past five years. The renewed grant will support Maine residents seeking to enter, re-enter or continue postsecondary education.

As part of the expansion, MEOC will add two advisors, bringing its statewide advising team to eight. MEOC advisors assist participants with assessing their skills and interests, completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), applying to college and navigating the enrollment process. They also support students after enrollment with study skills, time management, financial literacy and other areas.

The expanded services come as the state, the University of Maine System and other public and private entities pursue a goal of having 70% of Maine’s working-age population hold a college degree or other credential of value by 2035.

MEOC, housed in the 91���� College of Education and Human Development, has been continuously funded since 1991. The program is designed primarily to support first-generation and income-eligible Maine residents. 

As long as two-thirds of program participants meet those designations, any Maine resident who is at least 19 years old and does not already have a bachelor’s degree can qualify for services.

The College of Education and Human Development also administers federal TRIO program grants for the Maine Educational Talent Search, Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math-Science. 

That work eventually connected him with University of Maine professor of higher education Elizabeth Allan, whose research has helped shape the national conversation about hazing and its prevention.

Catullo’s latest film, “,” was inspired in part by Allan’s research. 91���� will host two screenings of the film at 6 p.m. Sept. 22 and 23 at the Donald P. Corbett Business Building.

The screenings will be held during National Hazing Awareness Week, Sept. 21-25.

“Dr. Allan and the University of Maine have set the standard for research into hazing and hazing culture,” Catullo said. “Her work has become an essential resource for so many of us working in this space, myself included.”

The feature-length documentary tells the stories of three families who lost sons to hazing as they turned their personal tragedies into a push for reform that ultimately led Congress to pass the 2024 Stop Campus Hazing Act. The bipartisan act requires colleges and universities to implement comprehensive hazing prevention programs and to increase transparency by publicly reporting hazing incidents in annual campus security reports, known as Clery Reports.

The film debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival over the summer and has since been shown at other festivals.

Allan, who directs 91����’s Hazing Prevention Research Lab and is principal and founder of the research group, was consulted by members of Congress and their staff while the Stop Campus Hazing Act was being written.

She co-authored the landmark 2008 study still the most comprehensive examination of hazing in higher education. She’s currently working with a team of researchers at 91���� and across the country on an updated national study.

Catullo said having the support of an expert like Allan helps validate a project like “4000 Days.”

“We hope that this partnership between our film and Dr. Allan’s groundbreaking work will help bring the issue to a much larger stage, raise awareness of how widespread and serious the problem of hazing is, and ultimately help drive meaningful change,” he said.

Allan has seen “4000 Days” a few times, including when it premiered at Tribeca, and says it adds to the national conversation about hazing prevention.

“Research can help us understand the scope, causes and the strategies that can be effective in the prevention of hazing, but stories help us understand the issue in human terms,” Allan said. “‘4000 Days’ is about the lived experiences of families whose lives have been changed forever by hazing. It has the power to deepen public understanding, strengthen the movement for prevention, and inspire the kind of collective action needed to prevent more senseless deaths.”

Catullo attended West Virginia University, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He later became a donor to the university and was inducted into WVU’s Greek Alumni Hall of Fame.

In 2014, WVU freshman Nolan Burch died from hazing as a fraternity pledge. Burch’s death led Catullo to begin directing documentaries and educational films about the harm caused by hazing. In 2019, he released his first hazing documentary, a 35-minute film about Burch’s death called

“Nolan’s death affected me deeply. It happened at my alma mater, and it was so senseless,” Catullo said. “My own fraternity experience in college had been such a positive and meaningful part of my life, so I struggled to comprehend how something that had meant so much to me could become so dangerous — and even deadly — for others. I couldn’t just stand by. I knew I had to do something.”

Joining Allan at the 91���� screenings will be Julie and Gary DeVercelly, who served as producers of the film and whose son, Gary Jr., died in a fraternity hazing incident at Rider University in New Jersey in 2007. The DeVercellys are longtime supporters of Allan’s work.

“After Gary Jr. was killed, the first National Study of Student Hazing, released in 2008, helped us understand that his death was part of a much larger national problem,” said Julie DeVercelly.

In 2014, they invited Allan to share her expertise in a short documentary — — produced in partnership with the, a national nonprofit dedicated to creating safer college campuses.

Julie DeVercelly serves on the Clery Center board of directors and says “We Don’t Haze” became an important part of their family’s journey from loss to education, advocacy and prevention.

“Research gave our loss a voice — and gave us a path forward,” she said. “Nearly 20 years later, a new national study is long overdue. The landscape has changed dramatically, and we need current data to understand hazing today so we can better protect students tomorrow.”

“The 2008 study helped inform We Don’t Haze, and our partnership with Dr. Allan and the Clery Center helped us take that message beyond education and onto Capitol Hill,” added Gary DeVercelly. “Together, we walked the halls of Congress, met with lawmakers, and advocated for the federal legislation that ultimately became the Stop Campus Hazing Act.”

Gary DeVercelly reiterates that there’s still much work to do to end hazing and that the federal legislation and the new national study of college student hazing provide an opportunity to build on the work that came before.

“Data drives everything. After nearly 20 years, we need to know what has changed, what hasn’t, and what we must do differently. This new study can help turn knowledge into meaningful prevention,” he said.

Audiences at both 91���� screenings will have opportunities to ask questions of Allan and the DeVercellys, who will be in person, and Catullo, who plans to join the Q&A’s virtually.

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu.

“We can all help save a life by listening and developing a connection with someone who is contemplating suicide,” said Stacey Cherry, a licensed therapist at 91���� Machias.” That connection is the bridge to needed resources. Anyone can help save a life.”

The month kicks off with a suicide prevention presentation/discussion hosted by Cherry, at 2 p.m. on Sept. 5 in Torrey Hall, room 234.  

During World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10, there will be a candlelight vigil on the mall in front of Merrill Library at 8 p.m. 

During the annual on Sept. 26, 91���� Machias will host its campuswide walk beginning at 2 p.m. in front of the Performing Arts Center. Participants are encouraged to wear T-shirts and/or make signs in support of suicide awareness and prevention.

91���� Machias will also have multiple memorials at the foot of College Hill throughout the month, including pinwheels representing each Maine life lost to suicide and the Suicide Memorial/Support Awareness and Prevention Tree. At the tree, students, faculty, staff and community members may use the provided materials at the tree to write supportive messages or to remember a loved one who died by suicide.

For more information about these events or to request reasonable accommodation, call 207.255.1343. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call Maine Crisis Services, 1.888.568.1112, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, or send a chat to .

The free, 20-hour program will give high school students in grades 9-12 hands-on experience with artificial intelligence. Participants will explore generative AI, ethics and real-world applications in fields including health care, business, computer science, sports, sustainability and the arts. Students will work with industry mentors, collaborate with peers and create a capstone project that addresses a real-world challenge.

No coding or computer science experience is required, and all necessary devices and materials will be provided. Students who are curious about technology, creativity, entrepreneurship or how AI is shaping future careers are encouraged to apply.

The bootcamp will be held over three Saturdays: Oct. 31, Nov. 7 and Nov. 14. Students must attend all three sessions.

Applications close Sept. 30. Learn more and apply at .

Led by 91����’s Prabuddha Chakraborty, multidisciplinary teams across four states will advance smart and secure grid technologies. A smart grid uses sensors, software, communications technologies and AI to make real-time operating decisions, while a secure grid can continue operating during cyberattacks, poor-quality data, equipment failures or disrupted communications. 

Together, these technologies can improve the reliability, affordability and security of electric service while helping utilities operate more safely and efficiently.

Each jurisdiction brings unique expertise to the research team and will address a different cybersecurity barrier to adopting AI, including hardware security, anomaly detection and forecasting, self-healing systems and microgrid simulations. 

The 91���� team plays a central leadership role by connecting the research themes into a broader framework, rather than treating them as separate technical efforts. 

“No single field can solve this issue alone. The project combines power systems, AI, cybersecurity, hardware security, communications, sensing, economics, visualization and workforce training. If you leave out any one of those pieces, you may get an interesting technical result, but not a solution that works in the real world,” said Chakraborty, the Waldo Libbey Assistant Professor at the University of Maine. He holds appointments in 91����’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Advanced Structures and Composites Center.

The project is supported by a new two-year, $2.4 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DOE EPSCoR).

By combining advances in AI, cybersecurity and workforce development, the project aims to strengthen electric grid resilience while demonstrating how collaboration across DOE EPSCoR jurisdictions can help address some of the nation’s most pressing energy challenges.

The project includes researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the University of North Dakota and the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez. Together, they will develop smarter, more secure electric grid technologies for regions particularly vulnerable to extreme weather and unreliable power systems. 

“We hope that this project allows jurisdictions like Puerto Rico to improve their ability to provide reliable electricity to citizens, especially in areas without electricity after Hurricane Maria,” said project co-principal investigator Juan Patarroyo Montenegro, an assistant professor at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. This project is vital to modernize our grids so they can function properly while becoming stronger for future challenges and natural disasters.”

The project embeds workforce development throughout the research. Each team will train students, develop educational modules and build the long-term capacity needed to maintain smart, secure electric grids and respond to new challenges. 

“It is important to us that we help create a new generation of students who are passionate about cybersecurity and integrating secure sensing, learning and visualizations in electricity systems in a way that improves grid resilience and supports local communities to improve their lives,” said co-principal investigator Daisy Green, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at University of Hawaii Manoa.

Each jurisdiction is also collaborating with local utilities as part of the research process.

“Through our simulated microgrid testbeds, we are developing AI-driven, federated learning-based self-healing technologies to strengthen the cyber resilience of modern power systems,” said co-principal investigator Prakash Ranganathan, director of the Center for Cyber Security Research and associate professor at the University of North Dakota. “By working with utility partners, we aim to transition these innovations into real-world electric grids, enhancing their reliability, security, resilience and recovery from cyber and physical disruptions.”

Story by Heather Johnson, EPSCoR graduate assistant

Contact: Daniel Timmermann, daniel.timmermann@maine.edu

The partial solar eclipse will be visible throughout Maine around midday, weather permitting. The event is especially notable because another solar eclipse will not appear in Maine’s sky until 2045.

When can Mainers see the eclipse?

In the greater Bangor area, viewers will see the partial eclipse between 12:54 and 2:49 p.m., according to Shawn Laatsch of the University of Maine’s Versant Power Astronomy Center. As much as 23.6% of the sun will be blocked by the moon at the eclipse’s peak at 1:53 p.m., he said.  

“The timings for viewing the maximum across the state will be within a minute or two of each other,” Laatsch said. “Also, the farther north and east you are, the more coverage you’ll see. Caribou will have about 25% of coverage, while Portland will have about 21%.” 

Although Maine is not in the path of totality, residents across the state should still be able to see a noticeable portion of the sun covered by the moon. The path of totality, where the moon will completely block the sun, passes through parts of Greenland, Iceland and Spain, according to the .

Where can people watch it?

The Versant Power Astronomy Center will welcome members of the public  to view the eclipse for free from the Historic Clark Telescope Observatory from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 12. 

“Because the telescope gives you a magnified view, you’ll probably see some sun spots,” Laatsch said. “We have about 100 solar filter glasses we’ll be selling for $3 a set.” 

People do not need a telescope to experience the eclipse, but they must use eye protection or an indirect viewing method.

How can viewers watch safely?

Viewers should never look directly at the sun during a partial solar eclipse without proper protection, Laatsch said.

Regular sunglasses are not safe. People should use eclipse glasses or filters specifically designed for viewing the sun with cameras, binoculars or telescopes.

Laatsch said people can also safely view the eclipse indirectly by turning their backs to the sun and holding up a collider or piece of paper pierced with a pin-sized hole. The shape of the partially covered sun will then be projected onto the ground or another surface.

“You should never look directly at the sun for more than a second or two without protection,” Laatsch said. “Solar eclipse glasses and solar filters block out 99% of the sun rays.”

What if I miss this solar eclipse?

The next partial solar eclipse in Maine will occur in 2045, Laatsch said. The next total solar eclipse visible in Maine will occur on May 1, 2079.

“People with any interest in astronomy will enjoy seeing this partial solar eclipse, especially if they can’t travel across the world to see the total solar eclipse,” Laatsch said. 

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu 

which has not yet been detected in Maine, is a microscopic parasite that can infect people when they consume food or water contaminated through human fecal matter. The parasite causes , an intestinal illness that can cause watery diarrhea, explosive bowel movements, fatigue, fever and .��

University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Gulsun Akdemir Evrendilek said the outbreak in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia “is an extreme case” of widespread foodborne illness. Evrendilek said the parasite has previously been found in lettuce, raspberries, cabbage, basil, parsley, broccoli, snow and sugar snap peas.

Despite the prevalence of the parasite and the disease it causes, Evrendilek said there are many steps people can take to simultaneously prevent cyclospora infections and other foodborne pathogens.

“Many of the fundamental food safety practices used to prevent contamination by Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria, including good hygiene, sanitation and prevention of cross-contamination, also help reduce the risk of other foodborne pathogens and parasites, including Cyclospora,” said Evrendilek, associate Extension professor and seafood technology and food safety specialist with 91���� Extension. 

Ignoring ‘prewash’ label and other tactics for home 

Just because some produce may have “prewash” labels on them doesn’t mean people can be complacent. Evrendilek said consumers should wash their products at home. 

“Don’t rely on the ‘prewash’ label right now,” she said. “Washing is the best practice, since cyclospora is tightly attached to the surface of leafy greens.” 

That includes using fruit and vegetable cleaning sprays that can be bought from grocery stores and also washing them with water. For leafy greens, dispose of the outer layer — the most likely home for cyclospora — and wash every leaf, Evrendilek said. 

When preparing meals, Evrendilek said consumers should also wash knives and cutting boards used for ingredients and utensils before re-using them for the next. 

“They should avoid cross contamination,” she said. “One product may be contaminated, and when you don’t wash knives or cutting boards before you use them for another product, you transfer this parasite from one environment to another.” 

One of the safest measures consumers can take is cooking their food. 

“Cooking is the only way to kill this parasite,” Evrendilek said. “If cooking products, for example, cabbage or peas, you want to cook them to 158 degrees Fahrenheit (70 degrees Celsius).” 

Tips for businesses 

In addition to following safe food handling practices at home, restaurants and other food service establishments should use potable water for washing fresh produce, maintain good employee hygiene and prevent cross-contamination throughout food preparation, Evrendilek said.

Employees with diarrhea or other symptoms consistent with cyclosporiasis should not handle food until they meet public health requirements for returning to work. Evrendilek said that because some infected individuals may have mild or no symptoms, proper handwashing before handling food remains essential.

“Cyclospora is spread through food or water contaminated with human feces,” she said. “Direct person-to-person transmission is considered unlikely because the parasite must mature in the environment before it becomes infectious. Preventing contamination and practicing good hygiene are therefore critical.”

On farms, Cyclospora can contaminate fresh produce through contaminated agricultural water or soil. Farmers, particularly those using private wells or surface water for irrigation or produce washing, should routinely monitor water quality through certified laboratories and follow applicable U.S. Food and Drug Administration Produce Safety Rule requirements and state guidance.

“Even though no cases have been reported in Maine, growers should remain vigilant,” Evrendilek said. “Regular monitoring of agricultural water, good sanitation practices and proper worker hygiene are important measures for reducing the risk of contamination.”

Farmers should also establish policies that encourage workers to report gastrointestinal illness and exclude symptomatic employees from handling fresh produce until they have recovered.

More food safety guidance for other situations is available at the . 

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu