Centralmaine.com

FARMINGTON — Wesley McNair, award-winning poet and University of Maine at Farmington professor emeritus and writer in residence, was recently appointed by the governor as Maine’s poet laureate. McNair accepted the honor at a ceremony at the Poetry Out Loud State Finals — a national competition for high school students sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

CANAAN — Cody Clarke, of Canaan, recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America. A member of Canaan Troop 403 since 2004, Clarke, 18, has held many positions within the troop; assistant senior patrol leader, senior patrol leader, quartermaster, and den chief.

WATERVILLE — Colby College announces the following free events:

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Air Force Airman Robert W. Palmer IV graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio.

KEENE, N.H. — Keene State College’s 11th Annual Academic Excellence Conference will take place April 2. This student professional conference is designed to showcase the academic work of Keene State students and the collaborative work between students and faculty. It allows students to share excellent work with a broad audience, and prepares them for submitting proposals to professional conferences.

BIDDEFORD — Lindsay Dearborn of Portland made the dean’s list for the first semester at the University of New England in Biddeford. she is a 2010 graduate of Deering High School.

WORCESTER, Mass. — Briana Rawson of Fairfield, a junior majoring in biology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, recently completed an intense, hands-on research project in Melbourne, Australia. The project was titled “Examining Parents’ Responses to CSIRO Holiday Science Activities.”

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Anaise Marie Williams, a sophomore majoring in cell and developmental biology at the University of Rochester, was recently named to the dean’s list for academic achievement for the fall 2010 semester.