COA THE COLLEGE.OF THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE Volume 11. . Number 1 . Spring 2015 UNCONVENTIONAL ANGLES COA The College of the Atlantic Magazine Unconventional Angles Letter from the President 3 News from Campus 4 Watson Report Anouk de Fontaine '14 6 UNCONVENTIONAL ANGLES: HUMAN ECOLOGY IN PRACTICE 10 A Classroom without Walls The Great West Course 12 Field, Story, & Studio: Classic COA Classes Scouring the Waters Chris Petersen 14 Nature of Narrative Karen Waldron 16 A Lasting Impact Ernie McMullen 17 To Samso and Beyond 19 The Community School of Mount Desert Island 22 Drawn Diaries Valerie Giles '88 24 Unconventional Angles Khristian Mendez '15 27 Leaders of the Track The Human Ecology of Blocking and Jamming 30 Seeking Light Paul Grabhorn ('81) 33 "The Water Cycle" Eloise Schultz '16 36 "Footsteps" Lea Bushman '15 41 Alumni Notes 42 Donor Profile Martie Samek 45 Community Notes 46 Plant Ecology and Evolution in Harsh Environments Book Excerpt 50 In Memoriam 51 The Bagel Hole Agnes Smit 52 Summer Events at COA 53 Sam Allen '16 walks through a solar array on Denmark's carbon-negative Samso Island during the European portion of the fall "monster course" on energy and islands. What is a monster course, you ask? It's one, focused-monster-class combining all three of a term's credits. See page 19. Photo by Paige Nygaard '17. COA indicates non-degree alumni by a parenthesis around their year. COA The College of the Atlantic Magazine From the Editor Volume 11 Number 1 Spring 2015 Unconventional Angles: Human ecology in practice Editorial Editor Donna Gold Often when I think of human ecology, it is in romantic terms. I imagine the Editorial Guidance Heather Albert-Knop Shlomit Auciello '17 all-encompassing sweep of an arm, the slow turning of an entire planet, the Rich Borden cycles of seasons or of water as rain flows into rivers and evaporates, the Dru Colbert Darron Collins '92 interdependency of creatures. Not long ago, I read this passage in the human Dave Feldman ecology essay of Caroline Powers '15 and thought, yes! this is it: Jennifer Hughes Kate Macko Lauren Rupp '05 It starts with a dance around the edge. All around and within, there are golden Eloise Schultz '16 Zach Soares '00 lights alive. They are beings or ideas or moments or spaces-with births and Josh Winer' existences and deaths. As they flicker and shine and fade, they are moving as well. At Editorial Consultant Bill Carpenter Alumni Consultants Jill Barlow-Kelley times they swim alone, swim together, swim by each other, or into each other. Dianne Clendaniel Design Meanwhile, I was also reading the piece Khristian Mendez '15 submitted to this Art Director Rebecca Hope Woods issue, exploring the challenging questions that community members so often experience from students, faculty, staff members, alumni-questions that COA Administration President Darron Collins'92 change us so that nothing again is precisely what it had seemed. Khristian titled Academic Dean Kenneth Hill his piece "Unconventional Angles" and (after speaking with him) I realized it Associate Academic Deans Catherine Clinger Stephen Ressel characterized this entire issue, and caused me to reexamine my own sense of Sean Todd human ecology. Maybe human ecology is not only about a flow of inclusion but Karen Waldron Administrative Dean Andrew Griffiths also a series of probing illuminations aimed at campus from all angles-flares of Dean of Admission Heather Albert-Knopp'99 lightening reaching into our minds. Dean of Institutional Lynn Boulger Advancement Dean of Student Life Sarah Luke Through human ecology, students learn to listen, to converse, and especially to COA Board of Trustees consider alternatives, but mostly, they learn to question. Becky Baker Suzanne Folds McCullagh Dylan Baker Linda McGillicuddy Timothy Bass Jay McNally 84 Even as the study of human ecology attempts Ronald E. Beard Stephen G. Milliken to fashion an entirety out of the cloth of our Leslie C. Brewer Philip S.J. Moriarty Alyne Cistone Phyllis Anina Moriarty universe, to reveal the connections, as Caroline's Nikhit D'Sa '06 Lili Pew essay implies, it also pierces our comfort with that LindsayDavies Hamilton Robinson, Jr. Beth Gardiner Nadia Rosenthal connectivity. This vision challenges us to come at Amy Yeager Geier Marthann Samek problems from various approaches, pushing some Elizabeth Hodder Henry L.P. Schmelzer H. Winston Holt IV Stephen Sullens of us into war zones with our cameras, others onto Philip B. Kunhardt III '77 William N. Thorndike, Jr. roller derby rinks using our bodies as battering Anthony Mazlish Cody van Heerden, MPhil '15 rams (don't miss that article-it's a great one!), our teachers into 24/7 classes for weeks at a time, and Life Trustees Trustee.Emeriti William'G. Foulke,J David Hackett Fischer our students to field questions from numerous-and Samuel M.Hamill, jr George B.E.Hambleton unconventional-angles. John N. Kelly Sherry F. Huber Susan Storey Lyman Helen Porter William V.P. Newlin Cathy Ramsdell'78 John Reeves John Wilmerding Henry Sharpe, Jr. Donna Gold, editor The faculty, students, trustees, staff, and alumni of College of the Atlantic envision a world where people value creativity, intellectual achievement, and diversity of nature and human cultures. With respect and compassion, individuals construct meaningful lives for themselves, gain appreciation o the relationships among all forms of life, and safeguard the heritage of Correction: In the Fall 2014 article on the work of Nancy Andrews, we omitted credit future generations. to Zach Soares '00. Zach co-composed much of the music in Nancy's first feature film, COA is published"biannually for the College of the The Strange Eyes of Dr. Myes. Atlantic community, Please send ideas, letters, and submissions (short stories, poetry, and revisits to human ecology essays) to: Cover: Untitled by Valerie Giles '88, graphite, colored pencil, and gouache on tinted paper, 9 X 12 inches, 2007 (see page 24). COA Magazine, College of the Atlantic 105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 dgold@coa.edu Back Cover: Somes Landing Dawn by Ernest McMullen, oil on board, 33 X 48 inches, 2014 (see page 17). WWW.COA.EDU MIX PRINTED WITH CERTIFIED Paper from responsible sources FSC WIND FSC® C021556 POWER