But for Donovan and dozens of other Maine high school students, the event represented more than a rocket launch competition. It gave students hands-on engineering experience and exposed them to career opportunities in Maineā€™s growing STEM workforce.

For Donovan, the experience also reinforced his decision to attend 91±¬ĮĻ next year, where he plans to study mechanical engineering technology. He said participating in the program gave him a firsthand look at the universityā€™s engineering opportunities and campus community.

ā€œ91±¬ĮĻ is really competitive with every engineering program in the country, and itā€™s right in my backyard,ā€ said Donovan, a Presque Isle High School senior.

Students from Presque Isle, Hermon and Richmond high schools traveled to campus as part of the Black Bear Launch3D program, which connects Maine students with advanced engineering experiences. The program also helps build a pipeline of future workers for the stateā€™s aerospace and defense industries, which currently support nearly 19,000 jobs in Maine, including around 9,600 direct jobs and another 9,300 supply-chain jobs, according to the Aerospace Industries Association.

Through the program, participants learn  how to design, simulate, prototype and test air-powered rockets using 3D printing and computer-aided design software. 91±¬ĮĻ faculty work with teachers to provide training, equipment and curriculum support aimed at expanding STEM opportunities in Maine schools.

Ahmed Aboelezz, a 91±¬ĮĻ assistant professor of mechanical engineering who founded and designed Black Bear Launch3D, said programs like this help students see engineering as an accessible career. Aboelezz initiated the program in partnership with the Maine Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) and the Perloff Foundation to upgrade 3D printing outreach into a full-cycle engineering experience.

ā€œI wanted to move beyond just printing a model,ā€ Aboelezz said. ā€œBy bringing teachers to campus first to learn flight simulation and design, we created a way for students to experience the full engineering processā€”design, simulate, produce, and test. When they see the results of their decisions play out in real time at the competition, they start to see themselves as true engineers.ā€

In addition to building rockets, students learned about design iteration, troubleshooting, prototyping and manufacturing technologies that are increasingly used across modern industries. Teachers in the program have said the experience gave students opportunities to apply classroom concepts in collaborative and creative ways.

ā€œDespite some clear conventions and limitations to the rocket design, the students have shown impressive creativity and innovation in their designs,ā€ said Nicholas Stahl, a teacher at Hermon High School. ā€œThis has been doubly impressive considering most have little to no experience with physics, aerodynamics or the use of software like TinkerCAD to create physical prototypes.ā€

For Richmond High School junior Owen Tribbet, 16, the  engineering process, mathematical calculations and computer aided design employed in making the rockets for Fridayā€™s competition will prepare him for a future career in mechanical engineering. 

ā€œJust the experience. Having the knowledge of how some of it works,ā€ he said. 

The Black Bear Launch3D program is offered by Maine College of Engineering and Computing in partnership with the Maine Space Grant consortium.

Story by William Bickford, graduate student writer. 

Contact: Taylor Ward, taylor.ward@maine.edu 

The collaborative, hands-on session ā€” designed for educators of all career levels, from preservice teachers to those currently in the classroom ā€” will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, at the Wells Conference Center on the 91±¬ĮĻ campus.

Participants will have the opportunity to join demonstrations and activities in a ā€œtech playground,ā€ exploring the latest tools and best practices for expanding computer science and computational thinking in the classroom. 91±¬ĮĻ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy, an accomplished mathematics educator, is scheduled to deliver welcome remarks.

Funding for the event is provided by PrepareCS, a aimed at building capacity for K-12 computer science education by training teachers and integrating computer science into preservice teacher education programs. 

Attendees will receive a $75 stipend, as well as mileage reimbursement and lunch. A link to register is . 

For more information, contact 91±¬ĮĻ Senior Lecturer of Instructional Technology Mia Morrison, mia.morrison@maine.edu.

Hospitals soon became a familiar part of their lives, giving the sisters early exposure to the medical world. Watching doctors and nurses track vitals, administer medicine and comfort patients gave the sisters early insight into patient care ā€” experiences that sparked their own paths toward careers in medicine.

ā€œI learned how to flush a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line at the age of 8,ā€ Albert said. 

Their brother survived his battle with leukemia and later became a biomedical engineer. The sisters share their brotherā€™s interest, and decided to study biomedical engineering at the 91±¬ĮĻ. 

ā€œIt feels like I went into medicine because Iā€™m interested in helping other families have that happy outcome,ā€ Varney-Lewis said. 

For Albert, 91±¬ĮĻ became a place to explore research and technical problem-solving, ultimately leading her to complete a masterā€™s degree during the COVID-19 pandemic. She credits that experience with shaping her analytical approach to medicine.

ā€œI was really shy in high school and I was not sure I could spend my days talking to people. So I decided biomedical engineering would be that space where I could still be in the medical industry without feeling overwhelmed,ā€ Albert said. ā€œI thought biomedical engineering would be the perfect middle ground.ā€

Varney-Lewis followed Albert to 91±¬ĮĻ, trusting her sisterā€™s judgment and path. Engineering challenged her academically, but also taught her how to work under pressure and collaborate in teams, skills she later carried into emergency medicine.

ā€œIā€™m spoiled in the sense that I am younger and Hannah did it first,ā€ Varney-Lewis said. ā€œShe told me I should do it, and I figured if she liked it, I was sure Iā€™d like it too.ā€

After 91±¬ĮĻ, their careers diverged. Albert transitioned from research into family medicine. She now works as a resident physician at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, balancing hospital and clinic care. Varney-Lewis pursued patient care, earning her emergency medical technician license and working in the emergency department at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston before entering medical school at Tufts University.

ā€œHannah did the research and the academics, and that wasnā€™t necessarily my thing,ā€ Varney-Lewis said. ā€œI really like being with people and interacting with people. Engineering was so important for me because itā€™s a team-based sport, and especially for the emergency room, you work in a huge team.ā€

Though theyā€™ve pursued their careers in places hours away from home, the sistersā€™ roots continue to shape how they work and care for others.

In Bangor, Albert says she often builds trust with patients through shared experiences of growing up in a small town. Surrounded by family farms, Albert and Varney-Lewis spent much of their childhood outside in Turner, learning how to rely on each other and solve problems without many outside resources.

ā€œAll of my patients can relate to something that I enjoy doing,ā€ Albert said. ā€œWe can talk about hunting or fishing or hiking, and all of a sudden we have a connection. That connection is super valuable.ā€

The sisters remain deeply bonded. Varney-Lewis has long looked up to Albert, while Albert has felt a responsibility to lead by example, especially as they followed similar academic paths.

ā€œSheā€™s my mini-me, my copycat, the built-in best friend,ā€ Albert said. ā€œI just want the absolute best for her.ā€

Story by William Bickford, graduate student writer

Contact: Taylor Ward, taylor.ward@maine.edu

Glaucoma, an eye disease that slowly damages the optic nerve, is a leading cause of blindness worldwide and is undiagnosed in nearly half the people who have it.

Olayinka is focused on understanding how changes in blood flow inside the eye may help clinicians detect glaucoma earlier and more accurately. Her work blends engineering, biomedical imaging and data science, contributing to a growing area of vision research on campus.

Olayinka, a doctoral researcher in electrical and computer engineering, studies the relationship between blood pressure and intraocular pressure, tension occurring within the eyeball, and how they influence blood vessels behind the eye. Her recent project used advanced ultrasound imaging to compare blood-flow patterns in healthy individuals and people with glaucoma, adding new insight into how the disease affects the optic nerve. 

This work is part of the Laboratory for Computational and Mathematical Modeling in Medicine, Engineering and Technology (CoMET) Lab, led by Giovanna Guidoboni, dean of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing and interim vice president for research of the 91±¬ĮĻ and 91±¬ĮĻ at Machias.

Olayinka shared her initial findings during the 2025 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting. An abstract for her presentation at the meeting was published in one of ARVOā€™s journals, .  

ā€œThink of the eye like a garden that needs proper water pressure to stay healthy,ā€ Olayinka said. ā€œBlood flowing into the eye ā€” controlled by blood pressure ā€” is like water coming through a hose, while the pressure inside the eye itself acts like resistance against that flow. In this study, we found that the balance between these two pressures works differently in glaucoma patients compared to healthy individuals.ā€

A new understanding of glaucoma 

By measuring how these two pressures interact, Olayinka can demonstrate the ways in which reduced blood flow in the optic nerve may contribute to the nerve damage that defines glaucoma. Her results suggest that clinicians may benefit from looking at both blood pressure and eye pressure when assessing a patientā€™s risk.

ā€œWhat we found was that when we account for both mean arterial pressure, the average pressure pushing blood through your body, and intraocular pressure, the pressure inside the eye, we can better understand why glaucoma patients experience reduced blood flow to the optic nerve,ā€ Olayinka said. ā€œThis reduced blood flow may contribute to the nerve damage that characterizes glaucoma. The findings suggest that managing both pressures, not just eye pressure alone, could be important for protecting vision in glaucoma patients.ā€

As her ARVO 2025 abstract explored how different combinations of eye pressure and blood pressure shape blood-flow behavior in glaucoma, Olayinkaā€™s next step focuses on building tools that can capture those hemodynamic patterns more efficiently.

Beyond these preliminary findings, Olayinka is developing an automated system to make this type of imaging analysis faster and more consistent. Currently, specialists must manually extract blood-flow measurements from ultrasound images, a slow process that can vary from person to person.

ā€œI am most excited about the automated analysis pipeline I am developing to extract blood flow measurements from color Doppler images,ā€ Olayinka said. ā€œThis speed and consistency could transform how we monitor glaucoma patients.ā€

The future of routine eye exams

Olayinka hopes this system will someday give eye doctors real-time blood flow information during routine exams, helping them detect changes earlier and tailor treatments more precisely.

ā€œThis study is the result of more than 15 years of sustained work bridging engineering, computation and medicine,ā€ Guidoboni said. ā€œThis work stems from a long-standing partnership with Dr. Alon Harris, an international leader in ocular physiology, pharmacology, imaging and technology from the Icahn School of Medicine in New York. This research effort has supported more than 50 trainees, including postdoctoral fellows, medical scientists, doctoral and master students, undergraduate students and high school students, while advancing our understanding of complex eye diseases like glaucoma.ā€

ā€œImagine a future where, during a routine eye exam, a clinician can immediately see detailed blood flow patterns synchronized with the patient’s heartbeat, tracking 16 different hemodynamic parameters automatically,ā€ Olayinka said. ā€œThis could enable earlier detection of blood flow changes, more personalized treatment decisions and better monitoring of how well treatments are working.ā€

Before coming to 91±¬ĮĻ, Olayinka worked in the telecommunications industry in Nigeria, where she helped configure and integrate sensor systems across active network sites. She later taught cybersecurity at First Technical University ā€” an experience that continues to influence how she communicates complex research topics.

ā€œMy teaching experience in Nigeria taught me that the best learning happens when students can see both the technical mechanisms and the real-world implications of what they are studying,ā€ Olayinka said.

At 91±¬ĮĻ, Olayinka is an active mentor for youth STEM programs. She also supports robotics teams, participates in engineering outreach and serves as a judge for middle school and high school science fairs.

ā€œThe most meaningful experience has been serving as a judge at the Maine State Science Fair and the Middle School Science & Engineering Fair,ā€ Olayinka said. ā€œWhat struck me most was the genuine curiosity and creativity these young students brought to their projects.ā€

Her volunteer work reminds her of the importance of persistence ā€” something she sees in both young learners and in her own research process. Across her biomedical modeling in AI and secure systems, Olayinka remains motivated by the question of how to turn complex, technical measurements into reliable tools that can help people.

Story by William Bickford, graduate student writer

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu

A new National Science Foundation (NSF) grant is powering a statewide effort led by the 91±¬ĮĻ to address one of the stateā€™s most persistent challenges: the shortage of highly qualified K-12 teachers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). 

With the NSFā€™s support through its , 91±¬ĮĻ is now recruiting exemplary educators whose expertise will help transform teacher retention and student achievement across the state.

The NSF award totals $5 million over four years, enabling 91±¬ĮĻ researchers to recruit 10 of the stateā€™s most accomplished high school STEM teachers and equip them to coach and support their peers. The initiative is designed to strengthen instruction for at least 200 teachers and thousands of Maine students, with a special emphasis on rural districts where educators often work in isolation.

The program is built on a simple insight: teachers who consistently ignite curiosity, raise achievement and engage students through innovative STEM teaching practices are uniquely positioned to help others do the same. Members of the Maine STEM Teachers Corps will receive annual stipends, advanced leadership training and ongoing professional development through the Maine Center for Research in STEM Education (RiSE Center) at 91±¬ĮĻ ā€” a national leader in integrating education research and teaching practice.

The project represents a broad collaboration between 91±¬ĮĻ, the Maine Department of Education, Regional School Unit (RSU) 34, Maine School Administrative District 17 and the Greenville School Department, all working together to strengthen and grow Maineā€™s STEM educator pipeline and improve student outcomes.

ā€œRecent projects supporting teachers in research-practice partnerships through professional learning and establishing communities of practice have underscored the significance of these communities for teachers, particularly in rural Maine,ā€ said Franziska Peterson, assistant professor of mathematics education and member of the RiSE Center. 

ā€œThe National Science Foundation Teaching Fellowship Program at the RiSE Center initially supported early-career teachers and this community of now experienced teachers has persisted due to the value and support of their peers from across the state,ā€ Peterson continued. ā€œThis is an example of a community of practice sustaining itself beyond the financial grant support.ā€

Jon Doty, assistant superintendent for RSU 34 in Old Town, is a longtime collaborator with the RiSE Center and a 91±¬ĮĻ alumnus who earned three degrees and one advanced certificate from the university. He says the new statewide network will be especially valuable in rural districts.

ā€œTeaching is a wonderful, meaningful profession, but there are well-known challenges in recruiting and supporting enough STEM teachers to teach Maineā€™s students,ā€ said Doty, who was recently named . ā€œSupporting STEM teachers through the Maine STEM Teacher Corps will be another 91±¬ĮĻ effort that has a positive impact.ā€

As part of their work, members of the Maine STEM Teachers Corps will help lead the Associated Community of Teachers (ACT), a professional learning community that invites STEM educators statewide to participate in summer institutes, monthly academic-year meetings and paid collaborative work they can immediately apply in their schools.

ā€œIn many smaller, rural Maine schools someone may be the only teacher teaching certain courses, so expanding the network of support to include statewide peers with the backing of the RiSE Center will be critical,ā€ Doty said.

Research shows that strong professional networks improve job satisfaction and retention ā€” two critical needs as Maine confronts ongoing teacher shortages.

The leadership team for the Maine STEM Teachers Corps includes Peterson; Doty; MacKenzie Stetzer, associate professor of physics; Giovanna Guidoboni, dean of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing; and Catharine Biddle, associate professor of education leadership.

Educators interested in applying for the Maine STEM Teachers Corps or joining ACT can contact program coordinator Beth Byerssmall at risecenter@maine.edu.
The initiative adds to a robust suite of 91±¬ĮĻ resources supporting Maine educators, including Rural Thrive: The Rural Educator Resilience Project; STEM kits and lesson plans from the RiSE Center; and innovations across the College of Education and Human Development ā€” home to the stateā€™s largest educator preparation program.

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu

Nine months, a 3D printer and about $500 later, she had built a robot ā€” by hand ā€” that now helps student and faculty researchers reveal the inner worlds of cells with a fraction of the labor.

Undergraduates in associate professor Jared Talbotā€™s histology course were the first group of students to use Perryā€™s invention this spring.

Histology ā€” the study of microscopic biological tissues found in humans, animals or even plants ā€” dates back centuries. But the modern equipment used in professional labs can cost far more than most classrooms can afford.

Perry, who manages the Electron Microscopy Laboratory in 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Coordinated Operating Research Entities (CORE), wanted faculty and students at 91±¬ĮĻ to have access to a process similar to what is used in professional laboratories and medical facilities without the prohibitive cost. So she designed her own automated staining robot to replicate that workflow while reducing hours of repetitive manual lab work.

ā€œAnyone’s allowed to use it,ā€ Perry said, ā€œbut I would imagine it would be primarily used by biology students ā€” and I say biology in the bigger sense. So that would include forestry, fisheries, marine science and wildlife and fishery.ā€

Talbot, associate professor of developmental biology, has a weekly lecture and lab portion to his histology course. Students pick a specific organ to study throughout the semester. In addition to learning about it in lectures, they work with real samples and create microscopic slides by encasing their samples in thick wax and slicing it thin.

Biology major Angelina White studied the ovary of a cat. She said the robot made a tedious process seamless, reduced stress and allowed the students to utilize their time to learn more about their chosen organ.

ā€œThe coolest part of looking at the section itself was you could see all of the eggs in the catā€™s ovary,ā€ White said. 

Before the samples can be observed under a microscope, they must be dipped in an assortment of liquids that attach to and illuminate different cellular structures. One dye may attach to bone, while another attaches to cartilage. Without the dye, the tissues would be hard to see, even under a microscope.

ā€œIt basically is the equivalent of looking at a picture in black and white versus color, because color tells you so much more information,ā€ said Lauren Dumont, whoā€™s now pursuing a masterā€™s of education at 91±¬ĮĻ following her bachelorā€™s in biology.

Even though the students had access to the robot, Dumont said they also learned how to hand stain.  

Perryā€™s robot can dip the samples in up to 20 different liquids at a time. To hand stain using that many liquids could take anywhere from a little over an hour to 5 hours or more. 

Perry enlisted the help of Michael Call, CORE facilities manager and research engineer, who shaped her ideas into actual mechanics. 91±¬ĮĻ alum Michael Taylor (ā€˜22) and the team 91±¬ĮĻ Hackerspace also helped with programming, and the designed and printed pieces that held the samples as the robot dipped them into liquids. 

ā€œIt was really a group effort, helping me turn my concept, my design, into reality,ā€ Perry said.

While it is used in Talbotā€™s annual spring histology course, the robot is also available to rent anytime by anyone for $20 per hour. Staining can be used on plant-related studies like leaf anatomy in addition to animal organs and tissues. 

Contact: Ashley Yates; ashley.depew@maine.edu

ā€œIt builds up to having to work with others,ā€ Thompson said. ā€œYouā€™re having conversations about what levers to move and when.ā€ 

TriO allows multiple users to naturally explore directional and spatial reasoning in virtual, three dimensional space, without feeling like theyā€™re doing traditional math. 

ā€œIt gets users working together to achieve a common goal in a very active and fun way,ā€ said Thompson.

TriO was designed by a team at 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Immersive Mathematics in Rendered Environments (IMRE) Lab with the goal of offering K-12 teachers and students new ways to delve into familiar mathematical concepts. A new study, published in , describes what happened when six high school teachers used the environment to explore geometry and coordinate systems. These ideas are traditionally taught using analog tools ā€” think paper and pencil or white board and marker ā€” in two dimensions. TriO allows users to learn and explore them in three dimensions. 

Matthew Patterson, research associate, lab manager and chief engineer with the IMRE Lab, designed and coded TriO. Itā€™s a three-player version of Ortho, a two-player virtual environment designed and developed by Dor Abrahamson of the Embodied Design Research Lab at the University of California, Berkeley.

ā€œDor had the initial idea for a three-person iteration of the Ortho environment that would allow users to work collaboratively in three dimensions, and he encouraged us to design and develop it,ā€ said Patterson, who coded TriO using Unity, a cross-platform game engine used to create a variety of 2D and 3D games. Users can experience it with any off-the-shelf VR headset.

In TriO, each player controls one of three virtual handles of a small disc-like object, or widget. The red (x) handle moves the widget left and right, the green (y) moves it up and down, and the blue (z) handle moves it forwards and backwards. By moving together, the immersed players can navigate the widget through virtual space. The goal of the experience is for the participants to develop an experiential feel for how space and their movements through space can be described mathematically.

ā€œWe designed it so that players are able to slide the handles along the x, y or z axes with pushing or pulling actions, and the handles can be moved simultaneously, allowing for coordinated action on the widget,ā€ Patterson said.

Justin Dimmel, associate dean for academics and student engagement with 91±¬ĮĻā€™s College of Education and Human Development, is founder and director of the IMRE Lab. He says the idea behind TriO was to create an environment where teachers and students could explore abstract mathematical thinking, specifically around coordinate systems.

ā€œThink back to middle school, which is typically when students start to learn about mapping Cartesian coordinates on a two-dimensional plane with an x and y axis,ā€ Dimmel said. ā€œWhen you add a third dimension, it opens the possibilities for understanding coordinates and their relationship to space.ā€

For the study, Dimmel and Patterson invited six high school teachers to a three-day workshop at the IMRE lab, where they tested TriO and shared their experiences in focus group interviews. During testing, the researchers left it up to the teachers to decide how to use the environment and how to work together within it.

ā€œWe view teachers as co-designers of the TriO environment,ā€ said Dimmel. ā€œWeā€™re not imposing a curriculum or telling them this is how you have to use it, because we recognize that the specific ways they and their students engage with the virtual environment can and will change depending on their teaching and learning goals.ā€ 

Dimmel says the data collected from the focus groups provided a ā€œproof-of-concept,ā€ illustrating the possibilities of doing mathematical activities while immersed in TriO. For example, one group of teachers who participated in the study were able to work collaboratively to navigate to each of the vertices of a cube along a diagonal path. 

Dimmel, Patterson and Abrahamson recently gave a presentation on their collaboration at the Luxembourg Institute for Social and Economic Researchā€™s Experimental and Participatory Research Seminar Series. The study and IMRE Lab were made possible by a National Science Foundation CAREER Award that Dimmel received in 2022 to investigate the possibilities of using virtual and augmented reality in mathematics education.

Contact: Casey Kelly, casey.kelly@maine.edu

A 91±¬ĮĻ Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering, Hamiltonā€™s work focuses on breast and pancreatic cancer by developing novel image analysis techniques to quantify the tissue structure that surrounds tumors, a project he began during his masterā€™s program at 91±¬ĮĻ and has continued into his doctoral research. 

Through his research, Hamilton works to better understand how the tissue around tumors affects cancer growth. He uses computer programming, image analysis and machine learning to study medical images, borrowing ideas from physics to look at patterns on different scales. 

His passion for cancer research first took shape while studying bioengineering, though the decision to tackle cancer stemmed from his personal experience.

ā€œI found bioengineering first, and then realized, due to trauma, I wanted to make sure people didnā€™t have to feel that way because of something that they canā€™t control,ā€ Hamilton said. 

Working with his doctoral advisor, Andre Khalil, on analysis and physics, and with his former masterā€™s degree advisor, Karissa Tilbury, on biology and imaging, Hamilton studies slides of tissue and breast scans to find ways to detect and potentially treat cancers earlier. His early work on examining collagen in pancreatic tumors, inspired by personal loss, set the stage for his future research on early cancer detection.

Hamilton has also participated in developing tools to make breast cancer detection more efficient. Alongside fellow Ph.D. student Jeremy Juybari and others, Hamilton played a role in the development of the Context Guided Segmentation Network (CGS-Net), an AI system that mimics how pathologists study tissue slides to improve the speed and accuracy of breast cancer diagnoses. He describes his research approach as big-picture, complementing the detail-oriented style of Juybari, with whom he has formed a long-standing friendship.

ā€œI think one reason Jeremy and I work so well together is that we approach problems differently,ā€ Hamilton said. ā€œHeā€™s extremely detail-oriented, while Iā€™m more of a big-picture person. He thinks bottom-up, I think top-down, and that balance has made our research and friendship really strong. Heā€™s the last person still here from when I joined the lab, and Iā€™m probably closer to him outside of work than I am at work.ā€

A senior member of the CompuMAINE lab, Hamilton also mentors undergraduate, masterā€™s and fellow Ph.D. students while collaborating closely with Khalil and Tilbury. Outside the lab, Hamilton is deeply involved in teaching and mentoring. He recently took on full lecturer responsibilities for courses in medical image analysis.

ā€œIā€™m teaching Dr. Khalilā€™s medical image analysis courses while heā€™s on sabbatical, so itā€™s just me now,ā€ Hamilton said. ā€œIā€™m not the teacherā€™s assistant or the tutor; Iā€™m the teacher. That was a big milestone for me, and Iā€™ve really enjoyed it. I think you need empathy to be a good teacher, and I love seeing that light bulb moment when someone finally gets a concept.ā€

Hamilton first came to 91±¬ĮĻ as an undergraduate in 2017 because of scholarships, such as the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Scholarship, and programs that allowed him to combine his interests in music and bioengineering. He has stayed for his masterā€™s and Ph.D., drawn to the opportunities of conducting cutting-edge research in a smaller, rural university environment.

Outside of research and teaching, Hamilton maintains an active extracurricular life. A percussionist, he was formerly part of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s pep band. He is also a competitive ā€œSuper Smash Bros. Meleeā€ player, organizing tournaments and managing the state community.

Itā€™s Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, and as Hamilton works to develop tools to detect this disease faster, anyone interested in learning more about it and contributing to the fight against it can visit the website. 

Story by William Bickford, graduate student writer.

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu 

Rustadā€™s lecture, ā€œA Wilde Challenge: The Art of Forest Soil Science in a Polycrisis World,ā€ will examine how forest soil science can help address todayā€™s complex environmental challenges, including soil degradation, climate disruption, wildfires, invasive species and emerging pollutants such as microplastics and pharmaceuticals. She will emphasize the need for cross-disciplinary collaboration that includes not only other sciences, but also the arts, humanities and community knowledge.

ā€œThis lecture honors the legacy of Sergei A. Wilde while offering a vision for the future of our field ā€” one rooted not only in technical innovation, but in creativity and connection,ā€ Rustad said. ā€œTo meet todayā€™s overlapping crises, forest soil science must expand its reach and build partnerships that span disciplines and communities.ā€

Rustad earned her doctorate in plant science from 91±¬ĮĻ in 1988. Over her career, she has authored or co-authored more than 150 research articles and has been recognized nationally and internationally for her work in forest soils, biogeochemistry, climate change research, and the integration of art and science. She is a fellow of the Soil Science Society of America and a Lyda Hill If/Then ambassador, serving as a role model for women and girls in STEM.

The Sergei A. Wilde Distinguished Lectureship honors leaders in forest and wildland soils who have advanced the field through innovative research, teaching and collaboration.

For more information on the lecture and speakers, visit .

The workshops are part of Project TIDES (Teaching and Inclusion for Disability and Equity in STEM), a postdoctoral training program providing early-career researchers with mentoring and professional development that centers full-inclusion for all in STEM classrooms and careers. The project is led by College of Education and Human Development Dean Zeke Kimball, a disabled researcher whose work focuses on broadening participation for all students. 

Kimball will deliver the first Project TIDES workshop, ā€œDisability as a Multivalent Construct: Diagnosis, Identity and Environment in the Representation of Disabled Realities,ā€ on Oct. 8 from 1-3 p.m. The presentation will highlight the many different ways that disability is conceptualized in social science research, and how the variety of definitions and uses of the term have implications for both research and daily life of people with disabilities. In addition, Kimball will discuss how inattention to the various facets of disability experience can be understood as a key feature of social science research, and the real and lasting consequences this has for when disabled people can receive diagnosis, think about disability as part of their identity and their lived experience.

Upcoming speakers in the workshop series include Justin Dimmel, associate dean for academics and student engagement in the College of Education and Human Development, and Sara Flanagan, associate professor of special education. Dimmelā€™s presentation, ā€œConceptualizing STEM Education: From Discipline to (the) Learning Science(s),ā€ will be on Oct. 29 from 1-3 p.m. Flanagan will deliver her presentation, ā€œHistory of Special Education and Disability Research: The Influence and Impact on Education,ā€ on Nov. 12 from 1-3 p.m.

In the spring, three Project TIDES postdoctoral research associates will deliver workshops. 

All of the talks will be held on Zoom. More information and a link to register is .

The free five-day program at the Maine Center brought together 22 students from as far away as California to explore the field through lessons, experiments, circuit building and games designed to make the material engaging and approachable.

Students also toured industry partners including Texas Instruments in South Portland and heard from representatives of IN2FAB Technology, a Portland-based company specializing in circuit design and semiconductor intellectual property security.

The camp was co-led by 91±¬ĮĻ assistant professor Prabuddha Chakraborty and professor Rosemary Smith as part of a National Science Foundation-funded project. The summer camp was designed not only to inspire students, but also to refine a semiconductor curriculum and create resources that will be freely available to learners everywhere.

Semiconductors are central to artificial intelligence, communications, health care and national security. According to the Semiconductor Industry Association and Oxford Economics, the U.S. semiconductor industry is projected to have between 60,000 and 100,000 unfilled jobs by 2030 ā€” underscoring the need to attract and prepare the next generation of workers.

ā€œWe need the younger generation to be interested in studying and manufacturing different things related to semiconductors,ā€ Chakraborty said. ā€œThe world of semiconductors is very broad. Students need to understand concepts from domains like physics, mathematics, chemistry, chemical and electrical engineering, and more.ā€

Campers met 91±¬ĮĻ alumni now working at Texas Instruments, including recent graduates who shared their experiences studying engineering at the university and transitioning into careers in semiconductor production. For many of the high school students, it was their first exposure to the wide range of career paths available in semiconductors ā€” and the opportunities that exist close to home as well as across the country.

Organizers plan to expand programming in Maine and Texas over the next two years, growing the number of campers and further developing the interactive tools, including AI-driven games that can adapt content to individual studentsā€™ interests and strengths.

The success of the camp relied on broad support from educators, alumni, local business leaders and staff at the Maine Center, as well as industry partners Texas Instruments and IN2FAB Technology. Their involvement, organizers said, gave students a real-world look at the semiconductor industry and showed them that opportunities exist in their own communities. 

This programming would not be possible without funding from the National Science Foundation to 91±¬ĮĻ and its partners, Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Indiana Institute of Technology in Fort Wayne. 

Contact: Daniel Timmermann, daniel.timmermann@maine.edu

The 91±¬ĮĻ Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC) is helping manufacturers in the state integrate new robotics, such as AI, machine learning and automation technologies, into their operations. These mechanical helpers can take care of the three ā€œD’sā€ in manufacturing ā€” work that is dull, dirty or dangerous. They donā€™t get bored, canā€™t be overworked and arenā€™t subject to injury.

In this episode of ā€œThe Maine Questionā€ podcast, John Belding, director of the AMC, and guests Brad Denholm, associate director of workforce development at the AMC, Ryan Lindsay, operations engineer at Ntension, and Peter Birch, mechanical engineering student and assistant at the AMC, explore Maineā€™s future of advanced manufacturing with robotics.

Listen to the podcast on , , , or ā€œThe Maine Questionā€ website.Ģż

What topics would you like to learn more about? What questions do you have for 91±¬ĮĻ experts? Email them to mainequestion@maine.edu.

This five-day camp, funded by the National Science Foundation, will provide invaluable hands-on experience, like experiments and game-based learning, that explores the world of semiconductors and transistors. They also will receive an exclusive tour of Texas Instrumentsā€™ South Portland location, 5 Foden Road, giving participants industry exposure, opportunities to interact with experts and a glimpse into future career paths.

Register and learn more about the camp at .

The fellowships were developed to enhance and increase undergraduate student involvement in faculty-supervised research and creative activity. Winners of the fellowships will receive $3,000 to put toward their research projects over the summer months.

The list of all recipients can be found on the . 

Fifteen teams from public, private and home schools across the state will compete in 23 events in subjects including paleontology, GIS, anatomy, robotics and meteorology. The top high school and middle school teams will move on to the 2025 Science Olympiad National Tournament at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln May 23-24. 

Competitions, ranging from gameshow style Q&Aā€™s like ā€œReach for the Stars,ā€ investigative challenges like ā€œCrime Bustersā€ and contests with homemade devices like ā€œRobot Tour,ā€ will be held at various locations on campus. Opening remarks will be delivered by Giovanna Guidoboni, dean of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC), at 8:15 a.m. in Neville Hall.

The olympiad will culminate with an awards ceremony at 4:30 p.m. in Neville Hall, the awards for which will be presented by 91±¬ĮĻ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. Tours of the Versant Power Astronomy Center, the Advanced Structures and Composites Center and the Innovative Media Research and Commercialization Center will also be available during the event for the competitors.

“The Science Olympiad has been a wonderful opportunity for our students to really explore more content-specific fields that may not be offered at the high school,ā€ said Hermon High School science teacher Jessica Fusco, who is co-advising the schoolā€™s science olympiad team with fellow teacher Betsy Trenckmann. ā€œThis year, we have a couple students excited about forensics and optics ā€” both topics that are rarely covered at the high school. Theyā€™ve been preparing for months ā€” working independently and during interventions to really dive into their individual content. Theyā€™re looking forward to putting their skills to the test in these hands-on and content based challenges. But beyond the competition itself, theyā€™re simply thrilled to spend the day at the 91±¬ĮĻ campus.” 

91±¬ĮĻā€™s Frank Dudish and David Sturm are co-directors for the olympiad. Dudish, a principal lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, said throughout each olympiad event, the studentsā€™ energy mirrors that of a crowd ā€œat a hockey game or a pep rally.ā€ 

ā€œThese are students who are already interested in STEM fields. They study and learn everything they can on a given topic,ā€ said Sturm, an instructional laboratory and lecture demonstration specialist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.Ģż

To help coordinate this yearā€™s olympiad, Dudish and Sturm recruited three dozen faculty and graduate and undergraduate students from MCEC, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences to run the individual competitions.Ģż

ā€œThis is an opportunity for me and David to work outside of the physics department with people we usually donā€™t see. Itā€™s fun working with people across campus and enriching to see that weā€™re all working toward the same direction,ā€ Dudish said. ā€œTeamwork is key, both for students participating in the competition and for the faculty and staff running it.ā€ 

Maine has held a state level tournament since the first national Science Olympiad in the mid 1980s, and it has been held every year since. 

Registration and check-in opens at 7:30 a.m. in Neville Hall. For more information, visit the or contact Dudish at frank.dudish@maine.edu.

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu

The award, presented annually by AERA, honors an individual who has played a leading role in enacting or implementing research-based education policies and/or has significantly advanced the visibility and support of education research. 

Ferrini-Mundy has served as president of the 91±¬ĮĻ and its regional campus, the 91±¬ĮĻ at Machias, since 2018. She was appointed vice chancellor for research and innovation for the 91±¬ĮĻ System in 2021. Her career spans the fields of mathematics education, STEM education and policy, teacher education and research administration.

Before joining 91±¬ĮĻ, Ferrini-Mundy served as chief operating officer of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Prior to that role, she led NSFā€™s Directorate for Education and Human Resources. Currently, she holds two prestigious national-level positions, serving as a member of the National Science Board and as chair of the board of directors of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU).

ā€œThroughout her distinguished career, President Ferrini-Mundy has championed research to inform and improve education policy and student outcomes,” said 91±¬ĮĻ System Chancellor Dannel Malloy. “It is an honor to work with her and I applaud her for this well-deserved recognition.ā€ 

Founded in 1916, AERA is a national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. With more than 25,000 members representing disciplines including education, psychology, sociology, economics, and political science, AERA promotes the generation and practical application of research to improve education.

Ferrini-Mundy will receive her award later this month at AERAā€™s annual meeting in Denver. 

Contact: John Diamond, diamond@maine.edu

The five-day celebration will showcase science and technology happening in Maine in the format of an arts or music festival, with events for all ages. Programming includes forums, workshops, talks and hands-on activities. The full schedule can be found on its .

During the festivalā€™s Field Trip Day on March 21, the Advanced Structures and Composites Center, the Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center, the 91±¬ĮĻ Space and AI initiatives, the Department of Communication and Journalism and Sheila Edalatpour, associate professor of mechanical engineering, will join other presenters in showcasing their work to middle school students at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor. 

91±¬ĮĻ Cooperative Extension 4-H, the Versant Power Astronomy Center, the 91±¬ĮĻ Society of Physics Students and 91±¬ĮĻ Dept of Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation Biology will join 20 other exhibitors in offering hands-on educational activities during the Exploration Stations event at 9 a.m. on March 22 at the Cross Insurance Center. 

Also at the center on March 22, Nikita Saini, a Ph.D. student in physics and astronomy, will deliver a talk titled ā€œWorlds Beyond Our Sun: Exploring the Architecture and Evolution of Alien Planetary Systemsā€ at 1:30 p.m. Christina Murphy, an assistant professor with the 91±¬ĮĻ Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Conservation Biology and assistant unit leader of Maineā€™s U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, will present ā€œFish Printing ā€” freshwater fishes of Maineā€ at 2 p.m. in Meeting Room B. 

During the festivalā€™s headlining event, 5 Minute Genius, at 7 p.m. in Husson Universityā€™s Gracie Theatre, 91±¬ĮĻ faculty members will join other experts across the state in delivering rapid-fire talks about their work. Participants will include Downeast Institute Director of Research Brian Beal, also a professor of marine ecology at the 91±¬ĮĻ at Machias; Damian Brady, professor of marine sciences; Danelle Levesque, associate professor of mammalogy and mammalian health; and Mac Stetzer, associate professor of physics. 

On March 23, Daniel Sandweiss, professor of anthropology and climate studies and member of the National Academy of Sciences, will present ā€œInvisible Lines, Tangible Impacts: The Anthropology of Bordersā€‹ā€ with undergraduate student Obie Casperson at 11:30 a.m. in Penobscot Theatre Companyā€™s Dramatic Academy. Also in the academy, graduate student Aleandra Scearce; Rachel Schattman, an assistant professor of sustainable agriculture; and Sue Hunter, owner of Hunter Farm in Unity, will deliver a talk titled ā€œPFAS and Agriculture.ā€

Writing studies is an academic discipline that focuses on the research of composition by scholars and writers. The event will feature various topics on the non-academic writing habits of STEM students, memory and feedback in the teaching of writing, ethical AI use and more.

Refreshments will be served starting at 3 p.m., and the official welcome will commence at 4 p.m. 

For more information, contact the department at english.umaine.edu or 207.581.3822