May, 1983 College of the Atlantic Nonprofit Organiz. Bar Harbor, ME 04609 U.S. Postage Paid Bar Harbor, Me. Permit #47 COA News Thomas S. Gates 1906-1983 the firm of Drexel and Company in Philadelphia and later as president and chairman of the Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York. Taking a leave from his banking career in the 1950s, he held positions as Undersecretary of the Navy, Secretary of the Navy, Deputy Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Defense during the Eisenhower Administration. For his service he was awarded the Medal of Freedom. From 1976-77, he also served as chief of the United States Liaison Mission in China, an appointment that came a decade after he first proposed talks with Peking on renewing diplomatic relations. Tom became involved with College of the Atlantic shortly after its founding and, as former president Ed Kaelber recalls, played a critical role in the school's development. "I first met Tom Gates in the summer of 1970 at a party in Northeast Harbor. He came over, introduced himself and said he understood we were trying to start a college. I allowed as how that was the case. He said he thought it was a lousy idea, we didn't need any more colleges. I realized many years later that this was a typical Tom Gates opener. He really was testing us to see if we believed in what we were trying to do and if we could make a case for it. He came to believe in the case to the extent that in 1972 he joined the Board of Trustees and in 1978, after his return from China, agreed to chair the Board. Whatever the enterprise, Tom was very much concerned with high quality, and his tough-mindedness assured that the college would not willingly settle for second Thomas S. Gates best. There's no question in my mind that without Tom Gates' leadership, the college would not have made it." Thomas S. Gates, Jr., a longtime friend, supporter and Although Tom stepped down from his position as trustee of College of the Atlantic, died Friday, March 27, in chairman of the board in 1982, he remained its honorary Philadelphia following an extended illness. He was 76. chairman until his death. As a final gesture of support for the The son of a former president of the University of college, his family requested that in lieu of flowers at his Pennsylvania, Tom was a native of Philadelphia. From his funeral, contributions be sent to the college in his memory. boyhood, he summered in Northeast Harbor and enjoyed His leadership and loyalty will be greatly missed. sailing in the waters off Mt. Desert Island. He is survived by his wife, Millicent Anne, and three After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in daughters, Anne Ponce of Berwyn, Pa., Patricia Norris of 1928, he pursued a career in investment banking, first with Bedford, N.Y., and Katharine McCoy of Malvern, Pa. Internships: COA's Answer To when the stranded animals were released. Students have used their backgrounds in botany and Vocational Education horticulture in a variety of internship settings. Debbie Abransky is currently a horticulture assistant at the New York In a time of increasing student concern about acquiring Botanical Garden in New York City and Janis Miller worked vocational skills as well as liberal arts training, COA's last summer at the New England Wildflower Society's Garden internship program is one of the college's greatest assets. This in the Woods in Framingham, Ma. Helen McCain appren- year, 57 interns worked in 16 states, three Canadian ticed on an organic farm in Maine last fall; Rose Avenia provinces, the District of Columbia and Trinidad. Through worked at the Coolidge Center for the Advancement of their positions in a wide variety of public and private Agriculture, an experimental farm in Boxford, Ma.; and Ken organizations and businesses, they developed skills that will be Punnett is currently working on an organic farm in New York useful in both academic and career pursuits. state. Finally, Julie Erb spent last fall in Boulder, Co., as an In keeping with past COA internships, a large number of employee of Green Mountain Herbs. this year's interns found research positions in the natural In keeping with COA tradition, a number of students sciences, particularly the marine sciences. Lisa Baraff and found internships teaching or working in environmental Holly Devaul both worked last summer for the Whale education. Vickie Nichols, John Tapper and Charlotte Research Group of the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Faulstick all worked as teaching assistants in MDI schools; as Lisa studied entrapment of cetaceans in fishing gear and a second internship, Margie Blanding assisted Project Holly did an accoustical study of humpback whale sounds. Adventure in Gloucester High School; Bernie Alie is a Other COA interns made significant contributions to the teaching assistant in a private alternative school in Orono, accumulation of data on marine mammals in the Gulf of Me.; Tammis Coffin is teaching environmental sciences this Maine. Margi Blanding worked for the Cetacean Research spring at the Stone Environmental School in Ocean Park, Unit of the Gloucester Fisherman's Museum, Jeff Rothal for Me.; and Cindy Krum's position last summer as teaching the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies and Phil intern at Mast Landing Day Camp in Freeport, Me., has led Degolyer for Allied Whale in Bar Harbor. Matt Hare spent to a position as a regular staff member this summer. Louise the summer and early fall in Lubec, Me., studying Right Dodson's internship as museum assistant at the Marine whales under the direction of COA graduate Scott Kraus. Resource Center in North Carolina provided her with the Not everyone in the natural sciences focused on skills, knowledge and experience to return to COA and build cetaceans. Shan Burson was an ornithology intern at aquariums for the Natural History Museum. Manomet Bird Observatory in Manomet, Ma., and Jeff We had two additional students working for museums Rabjohn is participating in a spruce budworm project this last summer. Sara Wendt prepared a booklet entitled spring through the Forest Entomology Department of the Skeletons: A Comparative Approach to Bones. This University of Maine, Orono. Peter Thompson is currently booklet will be used by fifth and sixth-grade teachers in working with Atlantic Salmon at the Green Lake National conjunction with class visits to the Smithsonian's National Fish Hatchery in Ellsworth Falls, and Charmaine Kinton just Museum of Natural History. Skip Buyers-Basso worked with returned from Palos Verdes Estates, Ca., where she interned taxidermists at the New Brunswick Museum in St. John and at Marineland. Charmaine's internship was particularly well- at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Ottawa, timed: the severe rain storms on the west coast during the Ontario. winter caused the stranding of many sea lions and other Several students worked in the communications field. marine animals. One of her tasks was to care for these Peter Jeffrey and Beth Blugerman are both editorial interns animals and her work was acknowledged on national TV for Not Man Apart, a periodical published by Friends of the Earth in San Francisco, Ca. David Avery's internship with the Mendendhall spent the fall term in Atlanta researching wildlife Bar Harbor Times developed into a fill-time staff position refuge legislation for the Southeast Regional Office of the with the paper. And Katrin Hyman spent fall term in Omaha, Wilderness Society. Annette Drier worked as a park-manage- Neb., as an apprentice for the Omaha Magic Theatre. In ment intern in a State Park in Ohio and Joe Edes as an inter- addition to working as a stage technician, she performed in preter at Ocmulgee National Monument in Macon, Ga. Bob their production "Kegger," an educational play on youth and Giles coordinated the Maine Oil Recycling Program for the alcohol which ran for two months in Omaha, played at Department of Environmental Protection while Lauren several colleges in Nebraska and Iowa and traveled for two McKean worked as a research and graphics assistant for a weeks to high schools in rural Nebraska. solar resource planner in the Maine Office of Energy Re- sources. Benoni Outerbridge investigated divestment actions of U.S. labor unions for the American Committee on Africa, and Jill Cowie worked in the Youth and Justice Program of the American Friends Service Committee in Boston. Martin Hahn spent last summer renovating buildings, a project spon- sored by the Center for Community Technology in Provi- dence, R.I. To help finance grassroots community organizing efforts, Erik Wight raised funds for Mass. Fair Share. Some internships defy categorization. These include Emily Lanxner's position as a member of a steel drum band in Trinidad; James Cranston's position as First Mate on R/V Geranemo, a schooner owned and operated for educational purposes by the St. George's School in Newport, R.I.; Mica Jean Masey's job as indoor gardener at the Hippocrates Health Institute in Jamaica Plains; and Francis Owen's apprenticeship with a Canadian artist in Ontario. Despite the diversity in experience, this year's internships shared several things in common. Most averaged three to four David Avery at his desk at the Bar Harbor Times months in length (at least one ten-week internship is required for graduation) and they may give a competitive edge to one- Five students worked in environmental design. Johnathan fourth of the interns seeking jobs after graduation. Statistics Kohrman interned with Tulio Inglese at the NACUL Center recently compiled by the internship office indicate that an for Environmental Design in Amherst, Ma., while Heidi average of 25% of our graduates are hired by former Dexter spent the fall term drawing plans and participating in internship sponsors. the renovation of several buildings in Bar Harbor. Michael One disturbing, though not surprising, trend this year has Weber was employed as a teaching assistant and construction been the decrease in the percentage of interns who have been worker by Yestermorrow, a homebuilding school in Warren, remunerated for their work. In recent years, between 70 and Vt., Bert Laughlin worked for an independent contractor in 80 % of all interns received a salary, wage or living stipend. Lamoine, Me., and Ellen Sullivan was a cartographer for the This year the rate is about 50%. We believe, however, that Hancock County Planning Commission in Ellsworth. this trend is the result of national economic conditions and will A final category of interns includes those who worked in reverse again as the economy improves. community development and public policy research. Becky - Carole O'Donnell COA Senior Receives they have accumulated and what methodologies they use." Although the fellowship does not require any written final Watson Fellowship report, Peter plans to publish several articles on his research. He also hopes to lay the groundwork for graduate study in What effect do different cultures and their land-use prac- human ecology or biology. tices have on the ecology of Atlantic islands? And how can The Thomas J. Watson Fellowship Program is a humans identify the biological consequences of their activities? national competition which awards grants totaling $720,000 COA senior Peter Wayne will spend next year seeking to graduating seniors from 50 small private colleges and answers to these questions as the recipient of a Thomas J. universities throughout the United States. This is the first year Watson Fellowship for 1983. Peter is the first COA student COA has been asked to submit a nomination for the to receive such a fellowship which carries a $10,000 stipend fellowships. to support independent study and travel abroad. During his fellowship year, Peter plans to study a number of islands off Nova Scotia, Scotland and Wales that have been used for livestock grazing, lumbering, fishing, farming, hunting and recreation. After sampling the veg- etation on each island and reconstructing the history of human use, he will compare this data with samples from uninhabited islands. This is a continuation of research Peter has been conducting on Maine islands under the direction of COA biologist Bill Drury. Peter's interest in this area grew out of a fundamental conflict he perceived in the land-use models developed by American environmentalists during the past century. "Most land-use management policies in this country are based on principles of preservation, conservation or exploitation of resources," he explained. "In each of these interactions, man is viewed as a separate and often destructive agent in his environment. Many European ecologists, on the other hand, emphasize the active and often very positive role of modern man in shaping the landscape. I hope that my study, relating a particular history of human activities to the resulting biological states, will be an important step toward an understanding of the human niche in nature." For Peter, the fellowship is an opportunity to step out of his own world view and learn how other cultures regard the human/environment interaction. "This means getting to know both the people who live on the islands and the ecologists who study the island environments," he said. "There are a number of people in Europe who have been doing this sort of work for a long time. I want to meet them and find out what materials Peter Wayne COA students and alumni have been encouraged to Admissions Office spread the word about the college, attend college fairs in their area and visit local high schools. The faculty have Plans Active Spring participated in the recruitment effort by sharing informtion on Over 50 prospective students and their parents attended the college at conferences and professional meetings such as a reception and information session on College of the Atlantic the New England Environmental Conference, National Marine at the New England Aquarium in Boston on March 26. The Education Conference, and the New England Association of afternoon program included a slide show on the college, short Environmental Education Conference. talks by COA faculty members Bill Drury, Janet Andersen Finally, a prospective student weekend will be held at the and Peter Corcoran, a presentation on financial aid by Ted college on May 13-15. The weekend will include a seal and Koffman, and an opportunity for prospective students to meet seabird trip, opportunities to visit classes, a tour of the island informally with students, alumni and admissions represen- and informal social events. tatives. One sad note on the admissions front. After three years The reception was one of a number of new recruiting as Admissions Director, Jim Frick has submitted a letter of activities planned by COA's admissions office in an effort to resignation, effective June 30. A search is underway for a enlarge the college's applicant pool. Admissions Director, Jim new director. In the meantime, assistant director, Nadine Frick, explains that in the past the college has had a small but Gerdts, financial aid director Ted Koffman and the admissions stable applicant pool, with many students learning about committee and office staff will share the interim responsi- COA from friends, students or alumni. With a nationwide bilities. decline in college enrollment and the large number of COA graduates expected this year (55), the college is more actively Commencement Weekend recruiting students with an interest in human ecology. The largest graduating class in COA's history will Prospective students in the Massachusetts area who inquired receive diplomas in commencement exercises scheduled for about the college during the past two years were invited to the 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 4. Over 55 seniors are Boston reception. expected to complete their projects, human ecology essays The admissions office has also implemented other and other academic requirements in time to ride an activities to aid in the recruiting effort. With the addition of a amphibious vehicle fondly called "the duck" to the outdoor word processor, COA now has the capability to match letters ceremony at the shrine. A reception will follow in the Great describing particular programs at the college with lists of Hall of Turrets. prospective students who have expressed an interest in that The senior class has chosen one faculty member and area of study on their SAT forms. Students interested in one senior to deliver the commencement addresses. Bill environmental issues, ecology or marine biology, for example, Carpenter will speak for the faculty and Muffin Davis for the received letters and a brochure on the college this spring. seniors. Former faculty member Dan Kane will also deliver a COA has almost doubled its advertising in short memorial to Dick Davis. A celebration party at Jordan environmentally oriented periodicals (look for COA ads in the Pond House will end the day. April issue of Natural History Magazine, the March, April The second annual meeting of the College of the and May issues of Oceans and the March/April issue of Atlantic Association will also be held in Bar Harbor during Sierra Magazine). The college will also advertise extensively commencement weekend. A breakfast for Association in summer publications on Mt. Desert Island with the goal of members at the Bar Harbor Club will begin at 8:00 a.m. on drawing visitors to the campus to see the Natural History Sunday morning. The annual business meeting will follow. Museum and other COA projects in action. Briefly Community College in Rochester, New York, who are developing a two-year human ecology program, will spend a COA's whale skeleton collection now includes a rare Right week at the college talking with faculty and administrators whale, obtained from Island Beach State Park, New Jersey. about ways the two colleges might interact. This will be The 32-foot whale was stranded during the winter after being followed by a three-day conference on patient Drug hit by a ship's propeller. It died on the beach and was buried Information, sponsored by Medicine in the Public Interest. by park employees. With permission from the park, state, COA trustee Neva Goodwin has arranged for a summer and federal authorities, a group of COA students and staff symposium, July 28-31, on Education and Ecological Ethics. dug up the skeleton in late March and brought the bones The symposium, modeled after the Aspen Institute format, back to the college. will examine the theme of Education and Ecology and take as Look for an article about Judith Swazey's 1981 trip to a point of departure some key issues raised by U.S. oceans China in the March issue of Science '83. The article is policy. entitled "Making Rounds in the People's Republic." Judith Scheduled for later in the summer are a one-week and her colleague, Renee C. Fox, also presented a moving German language immersion program for teachers, a one- statement "On Leaving the Field" to a meeting of the James week visit from a New Jersey Audubon group, a one-week Picker Foundation on the Human Qualities in Medicine in dance workshop and an MDI teachers workshop. Philadelphia March 25-26. The paper eloquently announces Judith and Renee's decision to leave the field of transplanta- tion and dialyses because of the emotional toll it has taken on them and their fundamental questions about the direction Museum To Include medical technology in this field has taken. Copies of the 16 New Exhibits paper are available through the college. People on the move: Norah Davis has accepted a position On June 13, COA's Natural History Museum will open as a writer and editor for the Extension Service at the Uni- for its second season with 16 new live and taxidermic versity of Maine, Orono. Laurie Wooley has resigned her displays, and a summer full of educational activities. Plans position as admissions secretary to return to Michigan. Her include daily interpretive programs at 10:30 a.m. as well as job will be filled by our present receptionist Jane Pooler. ongoing demonstrations of such popular exhibits as Whales Annie Van Twisk left her part-time position in the Financial on Wheels and the Naugahyde whale. An evening speakers' Aid office to devote full time to her son Sandy and projects series for the community will focus on natural history topics at home. Jean Boddy has replaced Annie. including mushrooms, birds and whales. And as a special COA graduate Charlotte Arner has received a contract to event, the museum will host a workshop for teachers on edit Dick Davis' dissertation for publication. Her revised ver- "Whole Brain Teaching: Science and Natural History in the sion of Whitehead's Moral Philosophy will be published by Classroom." Nationally known educator Bill Hammond and University Press of America. Charlotte spent several days at Maine's Dean Bennett will lead the June 20-24 program the college this spring talking about Dick's writings. which will explore the ecological concepts of natural history in curriculum planning. The museum will be open Monday COA has received a $64,000 grant from the Pew Memo- through Saturday, 10 to 4 p.m. and staffed by naturalists rial Trust for improvement of its science laboratory facilities. Catherine Kiorpes, Steve Baird and Bob Hooper. The grant will fund rennovation of the present lab space for Student designed and constructed displays remain the zoology and botany use and the conversion of the shop central focus of the museum. Under the guidance of naturalist building into a chemistry and physics lab. Work on the pro- and museum professional Stan Grierson, members of the ject will be completed during the summer. museum preparation workshop have spent the winter bringing Faculty activities: Harris Hyman presented a paper on road kills and study specimens back to life. In addition to the "The Failure of Technology" to the Maine Conference on 30 exhibits displayed last summer. taxidermic dioramas of a swimming seal pup chasing a fish, a bear cub reaching into a Catherine Kiorpes, Peter Corcoran and Janet Anderson honey tree, two beavers storing food for the winter, and a attended the New England Environmental Conference in snowy owl perched atop Cadillac Mountain have been com- Boston March 26-27. COA was one of 140 New England pleted. Plant displays have been expanded to include mosses, environmental organizations cosponsoring the conference. lichens and poisonous plants, and two new live exhibits - a COA librarian Marcia Dworak returned to work May 2 fresh water and salt water aquarium - have been con- after a long convalescence from a serious automobile acci- structed. An insect display featuring dragonflies will also dent in late February. Thankfully, she has returned in one broaden the natural history collection. piece and we are delighted to have her back! A special Discovery Room is being added for young A three-day Human Ecology Symposium organized by museum visitors where children can play with touchable, students Charlotte Faulstick and Jessica Donnell was held at movable games and puzzles with natural history themes. For the college on April 20-22. Speakers included COA faculty those who prefer to be outside, there will be a self-guiding members Susan Mehrtens, Dan Kane and Bill Drury and nature trail around the college campus. A new museum guide Goddard College faculty members Eric Zencey, Frank will also be available to provide detailed information about Kalinowski and Charles Woodard. A panel discussion on each exhibit and its preparators. scientific creativity highlighted the second day; joining Bill College and community members are encouraged to Drury and Judith Swazey were Bodil Schmidt-Nielson of become members of the museum and to support its ongoing MDI Biological Lab and Les Kozak of the Jackson Lab. On activities. Members receive a quarterly newsletter and free Friday, student Jim Senter ended the symposium with his talk admission to the museum and its programs. For further infor- "An Evolutionary Vision: Toward A Human Ecology." mation, contact Catherine Kiorpes at the college. After taking night courses for a number of years, business - Catherine Kiorpes office manager, Ann Peach, received her business degree from Husson College in May. The COA auditorium architect selection committee, chaired by Lawrence Hadley, announced recently that the architectural firm of Equinox, Inc. of Peterborough, New Hampshire has been awarded the auditorium contract. In August, project manager Dan Scully will present a set of designs for the building to the trustees for their approval. Summer Preview The COA campus will be particularly active this summer with conferences, workshops and special programs scheduled seven days a week from early June to September 3. In addition to the Natural History Museum, biweekly historical tours of the Turrets, summer gallery exhibits, a two-week COA graduate studies program and the COA marine mammals course, the college will host the annual conference of the Maine Association of Financial Aid Administrators, four weeks of Elderhostel and a two-week music program sponsored by Baylor University. In June a group of 12 faculty members from Monroe Meg Sheid with the beavers she prepared for museum display.