By Mary Pols. Published on January 23, 2026

Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic talks “Winter light” with Maine Calling

Associate Professor of Physics and Chair of Physics and Astronomy, Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic was a guest on Maine Calling for a show on “Winter Light” on Dec. 19, 2025 in advance of the winter solstice.

Diamond-Stanic, whose research focuses on the evolution of galaxies and the growth of supermassive black holes through cosmic time, was joined on panel by Sarah Tuttle, host and producer of Maine Public Classical and Jessica Miller, host of Weekend Edition and radio operations announcer for Maine Public. His job? Explaining the science.

But he also spoke on the way the approaching solstice is celebrated in his native Serbian culture. He described Slava as a way to celebrate something that we are all experiencing but do not have control over. “Coming together in moments of otherwise darkness to bring light is really human [tendency],” Diamond-Stanic says.

Faculty Featured

Aleksandar M. Diamond-Stanic

Associate Professor of Physics

A tale of two trees (and one map)

For at least 151 years, a hemlock and its close neighbor, a red oak, have grown up together on the Bates campus, close enough to overlap branches, while buildings popped up around them. Their survival is a mystery but thanks to a new interactive historic map of Bates, their shared history can at least be glimpsed.

MLK Day 2026

Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Bates is not a “day off” — it’s a “day on,” where classes are canceled and faculty, staff, and students instead participate in a day of programming around MLK’s enduring legacy and teachings. This year's theme was “Love, Anger and the Struggle for Justice.”