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Mohsen Shahinpoor
When Mohsen Shahinpoor, head of the mechanical engineering department, came to Maine in April 2007 to interview for a job at the University of Maine, he was not ready for the weather. “I was not prepared for three feet of snow,” he said.
Originally from Iran, his parents encouraged him to come to the United States, where he attended the University of Delaware and Johns Hopkins. After receiving his degrees, he went to work at the University of New Mexico. In 2006, along with two of his colleagues, he published a book about using artificial muscles in the human body.
The materials, called active plastics, are a polymer mixed with different types of metal and can be used to help people with muscle control illnesses – including multiple sclerosis – and could be used to help pump a heart.
He is working to expand the bio-medical engineering program at UMaine, which would be housed in Crosby Hall.
Shahinpoor also has more than 50 inventions, plays soccer and the violin and was Delaware State Chess Champion after he graduated from college.
Shahinpoor said he came to UMaine because he wanted a leadership position. He did not let the snow stop him.
Kathleen March
Maine is the closest state in the U.S. to Europe, which is why Kathleen March decided to teach at the University of Maine. Originally from New York, she wanted only an ocean to separate her from Spain.
“I came here for the geographical [location],” she said.
She teaches Spanish and has participated in several service learning trips with students to Honduras, where they were able to help the community and learn at the same time.
“It has been a wonderful connection,” she said. “They don’t know what I taught them, but they know what they learned.”
Students go to places like orphanages and clinics, but it is not just about community service. The community helps them by getting the students to use the language in a real-life setting. Students also get to see how others survive on a small wage.
March has attended conferences on service learning in other countries, but there is one part of it she does not like.
“I hate flying,” she said.
Even so, she does not let that stop her from going to Europe when she can.
In addition to loving the history and culture of Europe, she also loves to cook foreign food and paint.
A lifelong learner, this past summer she went to Pau, France, for a conference and decided to study the language to better communicate.
On Thursday, Nov. 29, she will travel to Berlin for the Ibero-American Institute for a conference on travel literature.
Jim Artesani
Many students have openly admired the circle of motorcycles parked outside Boardman Hall, but few students would expect that one of the bikes belongs to a professor of education and human development.
Jim Artesani, a graduate studies professor and director of the Institute for the Study of At-Risk Students at the University of Maine, may not ride his Triumph to school each morning like some students, but he still gives in to his love of the road when the time allows.
Artesani can often be found playing the bass with fellow jazz-music enthusiasts. Although the musicians performing at jams change from week-to-week, appreciation of good music is an ever-present commodity.
Artesani exhibits the same patience he applies to his music when helping students who struggle with disabilities or a lack of motivation, to develop an appreciation for learning.
Artesani currently works for the State Department of Education in Augusta to develop behavioral programs which he often shares in consultations he conducts at different schools across the state. The purpose is to promote educational alternatives, working to assist students who find conventional education especially challenging and providing them with additional options.
Artesani often finds relaxation in going to the Recreation Center on campus or cheering on the Black Bears at various UMaine sporting events.
Harold Z. Daniel
The recent bouts of cold weather have stirred up feelings of anticipation for Harold Z. Daniel, associate professor of marketing at University of Maine. For Daniel, skiing is a relaxing hobby and weekend getaway opportunity. He frequents the slopes of Sunday River, Squaw Mountain and most often, Sugarloaf USA.
He finds Spring Break to be an excellent time to hit the slopes, and he often disappears for three to four days at a time to pursue this interest.
An avid outdoorsman, Daniel enjoys fly-fishing, kayaking and utilizing his self-proclaimed amateur telescope skills. His fascination with observing constellations and planets began when he was a child. He fondly reminisces about time spent glued to the television admiring astronauts John Glenn and Alan Shepherd and their role in the extraordinary advancements America made in space. Daniel remembers distinctly the day that Apollo 14 was launched into orbit.
He has scaled Cadillac Mountain with his telescope to get a closer look at Jupiter, Mars and Venus. His fascination is evident as he speaks of the similarities between the phases undergone by both Venus and the Earth’s moon.
“There are very few places left in the country where you can get as clear a view of the night sky as you can in Maine. The air is so clear here,” Daniel said.
Daniel is the director of the Center of Tourism for Research and Outreach (CenTRO) in addition to the responsibilities of teaching for his 10th year at the University of Maine.
Prior to his arrival at UMaine, Daniel earned his Ph.D. in business administration from the University of Connecticut (1997) after having spent thirteen years in business, doing research for companies including Campbell’s and General Foods.
He shapes these experiences in the business profession with his students both in and out of the classroom. His students learn the practicalities of business by developing marketing strategies for area businesses in order to aid in the completion of profitable ventures.
