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University of Maine at Fort Kent

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Enrollment & Advancement Center • University of Maine at Fort Kent • 23 University Drive, Fort Kent, ME 04743

UMFK Showcases Students' Achievements at Scholars' Symposium

April 9, 2014

Note: this is an archived news release. As such, the information provided may no longer apply.

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The University of Maine at Fort Kent's fifth annual Scholars' Symposium will take place on Thursday, April 24 and Friday, April 25 on the UMFK campus. The theme of this year's event is “The Language of Learning.”

The two-day showcase of students academic achievements begin Thursday, April 24 from 6:55 to 8 p.m. in the Nadeau Hall Teleconference Room with a panel discussion on the importance of a secondary language in today's work force.

On Friday, April 25, the day will kick-off with a welcome from UMFK President Wilson G. Hess at 8:45 a.m. in Fox Auditorium. That will be followed by keynote speakers' address by Dr. Katharine Harrington, associate professor of French at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire at 9 a.m., and by Dr. Michael Schiano, associate professor of Music Theory at the Hartt School, University of Hartford in Connecticut at 10 a.m.

Dr. Harrington's research interests include contemporary French and Francophone literature; French and Québécois film; and Francophone communities of New England. She is author of “Writing the Nomadic Experience in Contemporary Francophone Literature” (Lexington Books, 2012), as well as co-editor of “Recipes for Success in Foreign Language Teaching: Ready Made Activities for the L2 Classroom” (Lincom Europa, 2007). Dr. Harrington has worked to raise the visibility for French in central New Hampshire. She has been working with local Chambers of Commerce and state agencies to assist local businesses and tourist attractions with French language services, in order to help attract and welcome Québécois visitors to the region.

Dr. Schiano's areas of interest are musical analysis, including the analysis of popular music; music of the classical period; and the history of music theory. His publications include articles in “The New Grove” and “College Music Symposium.”

Various students' presentations will be made simultaneously in Fox Auditorium and in the Nadeau Hall Teleconference Room, from 11 a.m. to 12 noon.

Following lunch in Nowland Hall, the Symposium will move to the UMFK Sports Center from 12:15 to 2:15 p.m. for the hugely popular poster and project session, where students display poster presentations of their research or projects, and answer questions about their methodologies and findings.

UMFK Scholars' Symposium fosters a community of engaged educators, researchers, and life-long learners who value academic excellence, scholarship, and intellectual curiosity. The two days of stimulating presentations and discourse focuses on issues relevant to the region and to the institution's mission, which commits to experiential learning, responsible citizenship, and environmental stewardship in its Franco-American, rural setting.

For further information on the Symposium, please contact Jeff Dubis, Symposium coordinator, at jdubis@maine.edu