Media Coverage

The story of brothers Logan and Max Morrione was told in the Morning Sentinel article "To go or not to go: Colby students take different paths to Waterville college." Logan, a sophomore, decided to come to campus for the year while younger brother Max opted to defer his first year in hopes that next year will bring a more traditional freshman year.

"Can a Bubble Net Stop a Hurricane? Some Norwegians Think So," reads the Wired headline. The idea to stretch an underwater "bubble net" to allow deep ocean water to flow upward and cool hurricanes wouldn't be enough, says James Fleming, Colby's Charles A. Dana Professor of Science, Technology, and Society and currently a visiting professor at Harvard University. “Hurricanes certainly need warm water, but they also need convection, a rotational component, and light wind shear above them,” said Fleming, a weather historian and author of the book Fixing the Sky: The Checkered History of Weather and Climate Control. 

Associate Professor of Psychology Christopher Soto coauthored the paper "People with disagreeable personalities (selfish, combative, and manipulative) do not have an advantage in pursuing power at work" recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  Popular science journals such as Psychology Today and Science News ran stories about the paper. The coauthors research found that "when pursuing power in the workplace, a failure to build alliances, engage in more cooperative behaviors, and help others appears to negate any gains that a 'selfish jerk' makes by using fear, intimidation, or aggression to get ahead," Psychology Today reports.

Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Gail Carlson was quoted in a Bangor Daily News story titled "Some basic items in your home might be toxic to you." The article discusses several household items that contain toxins. “Because they’re not well-regulated, there are certain chemicals that are actually quite toxic, but the government is under no obligation to regulate or inform you,” said Gail Carlson, assistant professor of environmental studies at Colby College. “A lot of people think if it’s on the shelf on the store it’s probably safe, which is completely false.”

The Portland Press Herald ran a story about the appointment of Maya Lin as senior fellow of the Lunder Institute for American Art. Beth Finch, interim director of the Lunder Institute, told the Press Herald that "Lin has built her practice balancing art and architecture, using science to create art that engages viewers to think about their relationship to nature." Lin's yearlong fellowship “epitomizes the Lunder Institute’s potential to create interdisciplinary synergy between a renowned American artist and the intellectual and creative resources of our community,” Finch said. “This captures the whole of it. We see opportunities for dynamic interconnections.”  The Morning Sentinel also covered the news of Lin's appointment.

As Colby students began to return to campus, various media sources included Colby in roundups of the various schools welcoming students back. These outlets made note of Colby's process and testing protocol: Maine Public Portland Press Herald

Colby Head Tennis Coach Adam Reeb has been named College Coach of the Year by the United States Professional Tennis Association, New England Division. The honor was announced this week, recognizing Reeb’s accomplishments in his first two years at Colby, including national rankings for both men’s and women’s teams, and an All-America selection for Scott Altmeyer ’20.  “I think it shows just how far the programs have come,” said Reeb, who became Colby’s head tennis coach in 2018. “It’s a huge testament to the student athletes and their hard work and dedication.”

 Head Tennis Coach Adam Reeb with members of the nationally ranked women's team in 2019.

Both teams were nationally ranked (the women's squad had yet to compete but were coming off a national ranking in spring 2019) when COVID-19 canceled the spring season in March. Since then, the players have remained in communication and have trained individually and informally in preparation for the return to campus this month. Players have been using their time away from campus “to get better in any way they can,” Reeb said.  He credited his team captains for their leadership during a difficult time. “They’ve done a great job keeping the teams together and motivated and accountable to each other,” Reeb said.  Deflecting credit for the USPTA honor to his players, he said they welcomed him and Assistant Coach Mike Napoli and “have just gotten to work. We try to keep the standards really high, and they’ve bought in,” Reeb said.  Actual competition for this fall hasn’t been ruled in or out, but should that happen this fall or in the spring, he said players are excited to be back on campus with the new athletics and recreation center now open. The teams “are in a good spot where I think we’re excited and hungry and motivated,” he said, “and that’s what you want.” New recruits are already getting recognition, with the incoming men’s and women’s players recently ranked in the top 20 in Division III. “We’ve got a great mix of senior leadership and some good incoming student athletes as well, so it’s a good mix,” Reeb said. “I feel good coming in this fall, being able to hit the ground running. Even with everything going on, we’re coming in with a strong, unified front."

Jacqueline Terrassa, the new Carolyn Muzzy Director of the Colby College Museum of Art, conducted a Q&A with ArtNet News to discuss how she's been spending her time as she prepares to begin her position at Colby October 5. Part of her approach during her transitional period includes connecting with others: "I try to read and listen to people who offer well-researched information and ideas in order to grapple with our multiple, interlocking crises. Lots of people in the museum field are going through really tough times. Making space to hear what’s going on and to support my museum and art-world friends is important to me. I have been there and know how hard and isolating it can be," Terrassa said.

The swimming magazine SwimSwam took note of the completion of Colby's Olympic-sized pool, completed on time, and a part of the new athletics and recreation center on campus. "The news of the pool’s completion is great not only for Colby College, but for the sport of swimming in Maine as well," the magazine said. "With a new 50-meter pool, Colby now is home to the only Olympic-sized pool in the state of Maine."

New England Today published a lengthy article titled "Fighting for Survival | The Plight of Small New England Colleges" that holds up Colby's model of investing in Waterville as an example of reversing the trend of college towns struggling to survive. “It seemed obvious what we had to do,” President David Greene told New England Today. “We owed this to the city ... particularly when you live in a fairly small city, your fates are intertwined."