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 Maine’s growing STEM workforce.

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

“91±ŹÁÏ is really competitive with every engineering program in the country, and it’s right in my backyard,” 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 state’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±ŹÁÏ faculty work with teachers to provide training, equipment and curriculum support aimed at expanding STEM opportunities in Maine schools.

Ahmed Aboelezz, a 91±ŹÁÏ 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.

“I wanted to move beyond just printing a model,” Aboelezz said. “By bringing teachers to campus first to learn flight simulation and design, we created a way for students to experience the full engineering process—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.”

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.

“Despite some clear conventions and limitations to the rocket design, the students have shown impressive creativity and innovation in their designs,” said Nicholas Stahl, a teacher at Hermon High School. “This 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.”

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

“Just the experience. Having the knowledge of how some of it works,” 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 

That’s why when working toward her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) at the 91±ŹÁÏ, Woodard, now assistant principal of Old Town Elementary School, focused on tackling a key issue for her dissertation: the in-the-moment decisions teachers make during literacy instruction and how those decisions can lead to better outcomes for students.   

“As I got into an administrative role, I wondered why teachers were making the decisions they were making and about all of the new literacy programs that are available for schools,” said Woodard. “I wanted to be able to answer some of those questions through research, and get a better understanding of what our teachers are doing in the classroom.”  

Woodard is one of 10 full-time professional educators who just graduated with their Ed.D. degrees. Many of them were already leaders in their schools and communities. Now, using what they learned through their courses and dissertation research, they are able to make even greater contributions while advancing in their careers. 

For Woodard, that means continuing to mentor teachers in a new role that she’ll be stepping into next school year as principal of Marcia Buker Elementary School in Richmond. Eventually, she hopes the doctorate will allow her to teach literacy at a college or university, helping shape the next generation of reading and writing teachers in Maine. 

“I’m so glad 91±ŹÁÏ has the opportunities it has,” Woodard said. “Living in Orono, it was a natural choice for me to get my doctorate here, but I don’t believe I would have found a better opportunity elsewhere.”

Statewide impact, local relevance

Based in schools and districts spanning two states, including five counties in Maine, the members of this year’s Ed.D. cohort currently serve in positions such as superintendent, assistant superintendent, principal, assistant principal, special education director, instructional coach and classroom teacher. They not only spent the past four years taking classes together, but also supported each other through dissertation research and writing.

An innovative, 100% live and online executive doctoral degree, the Ed.D. program uses a cohort model that brings working professionals together to share knowledge and develop the research skills needed to critically engage with educational practices and better support the students, families and communities they serve. Each member of the cohort chooses a problem-of-practice related to their professional work to investigate for their dissertation.

Nicole Hatch is one of three 2026 Ed.D. graduates who work at Rockland-based RSU 13, a rural district serving five communities in midcoast Maine. Having grown up in the midcoast, Hatch, who is an assistant principal at Oceanside High School in Rockland, was eager to explore the dual roles that teachers in rural schools fulfill as professional educators and regular members of the communities that they serve.

“It was a narrative inquiry using emotional intelligence as a tool to navigate issues of rurality, the overlaps between teachers and students, and school leaders and students, and the dual-relationships and power dynamics that exist in small communities,” said Hatch, who has a background in school-based and clinical counseling. “The study was a great reminder of the influential roles and power we educators have in our communities, and how we can be mindful of that and maintain positive relationships with our students and their families who don’t have a choice of where they go to school or who their school leaders are.”

Hatch said she plans to stay in her position at Oceanside for now while pursuing principal certification and continuing to serve students throughout the midcoast both as an educator and as community member.

Heather Mitchell, another recent Ed.D. graduate, has held various building administrator roles at schools in RSU 29, the district for Houlton in Aroostook County. She’s currently administrator and teacher at Summit Academy, the district’s alternative education school. 

For her dissertation, Mitchell originally set out to do a comparative study of parent expectations for alternative education versus general education. That morphed into a project that explored parent-voice in administrative decision-making, through which she found that caregivers — regardless of whether their child was in an alternative or a traditional classroom — wanted a model. A framework that’s already employed by several schools in Maine, the model provides targeted academic, behavioral and social-emotional services and interventions to meet the needs of students.

“I believe the next step is to work with teachers and hopefully organizations beyond the school and the district to make sure that kids are getting all the support they need no matter what type of classroom they’re learning in,” Mitchell said. 

The Ed.D. will allow Mitchell to take on additional roles and responsibilities, including becoming a district-level administrator, she said.

A belief in each other

Each Ed.D. in educational leadership cohort at 91±ŹÁÏ collectively chooses a name for itself. The name chosen by the group that just graduated was the Credo Cohort. The word “Credo” derives from the Latin word for “I believe” and means “an idea or set of beliefs that guides the actions of a person or group.”

“It helped tremendously to go through this process together,” said Woodard. “We met almost every week, developed critical friendships and partnerships within the cohort. We had people we were able to reach out to in times of need.”

“I can’t imagine going through a learning experience like this without that type of support,” said Hatch. “I can look outside and name other things, but it was really that we leaned on each other, and these friendships and relationships within the group. These educators are 100% my role models.”

This year’s group of Ed.D. graduates is among the largest doctoral cohorts from a single program to graduate from 91±ŹÁÏ in recent years. In addition to each other, members of the cohort say they leaned on associate professor of educational leadership Esther Enright, who served as chair for all of their dissertation committees, as well as other 91±ŹÁÏ educational leadership faculty members, including Catharine Biddle, Lindsey Kaiser, Maria Frankland and Paul Austin.

“I’m incredibly proud of this group and the perseverance they showed in getting to graduation,” said Enright. “Completing a doctorate is a massive undertaking by itself, and all of them did it while balancing their professional duties, including all of the challenges facing educators today, serving as role models and leaders in their communities, raising families, and so much more.”

The other members of the Credo Cohort include Janet Corcoran, Benjamin Greenlaw, Briana Haynes-Morrill, Janet Hicks, Steffany Tribou, Amy Sullivan and Sue Sydnor. 

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

U.S. consumers are willing to pay more for lobster harvested using ropeless fishing technology designed to reduce whale entanglement risks, according to new 91±ŹÁÏ research.

A study led by Qiujie “Angie” Zheng, associate professor of business analytics in the 91±ŹÁÏ’s Maine Business School, found that consumers are willing to pay an average of $3.42 more for a lobster roll made with lobster harvested using ropeless fishing technology when presented with information on animal welfare.

The research explored how consumers might respond if conditions necessitate ropeless technology to be adopted more broadly in the future. Zheng said the findings are not intended to suggest Maine’s lobster industry should change its current practices.

Maine’s lobster industry has implemented whale-protection measures for decades, including weak links, sinking lines and reduced vertical line requirements aimed at lowering entanglement risks. The fishery supplies roughly 90% of the nation’s lobster and remains one of Maine’s most recognizable economic and cultural drivers.

The North Atlantic right whale is one of the world’s most endangered large whale species, with an estimated population of 356 whales and fewer than 100 reproductive-age females.

Traditional lobster gear uses vertical lines connecting traps to surface buoys, which regulators and researchers have sought to modify in order to reduce entanglement risks for large whales. Federal regulators and environmental groups have debated the extent to which Maine lobster gear contributes to right whale deaths, though the industry has faced increasing pressure to reduce potential risks.

While existing protections are already in place within Maine’s fishery, Zheng said consumers may also play a role in bearing the cost of whale conservation through their purchasing decisions.

“Right whale conservation is a collective effort. In addition to the fishermen, regulators and scientists, consumers play a role, so we hope this research helps understand consumer preferences and evaluations,” Zheng said. “These findings do not suggest that Maine’s lobster industry needs to change its current practices. Rather, they provide insight into how consumers might respond if ropeless technology were adopted.”

Zheng collaborated with Kanae Tokunaga from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and Rodolfo Nayga and Wei Yang from Texas A&M University to explore consumer preferences and demand perspective of ropeless technology, as well as marketing and communication strategies surrounding the gear.

Researchers tested how information about whale conservation, animal welfare and Maine’s lobster industry shaped consumer willingness to pay more for lobster harvested using ropeless technology. Messaging focused on whale welfare and entanglement impacts proved most effective at increasing support for ropeless technology, with consumers willing to pay more.

However, this was further varied by consumers’ attitudes toward the environment and animal welfare, as well as their prior knowledge of right whale entanglement and ropeless technology, Zheng said.

“The results provide a baseline for considering different perspectives. With four treatments, including the control, we can see how different types of information influence consumer perspectives,” she said.

Zheng said she hopes the research will contribute valuable insights to Maine’s seafood sector about how consumers respond to different marketing approaches and sustainability messaging as environmental concerns increasingly influence food purchasing behaviors.

“We are providing a base for the community to assess the overall economic feasibility,” Zheng said. “I’m always trying to learn from fishermen and the fishing community because they make their living from a very complicated natural system, and they know it so well.”

Findings from the study were published in the journal .Ìę

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

When Timothy Simons arrived at the 91±ŹÁÏ, he was homesick, uncertain about his future and struggling to find his place on campus.

Everything changed after he auditioned for a student theater production and met professor Sandra Hardy, who encouraged him to pursue acting.

Twenty-five years later, Simons returned to Orono as the keynote speaker for 91±ŹÁÏ’s 224th undergraduate commencement ceremonies, delivering a speech that mixed humor, self-reflection and encouragement while urging graduates to recognize that success does not follow a single timeline.

“I was an aimless student,” said Simons, a 2001 91±ŹÁÏ graduate from Readfield, Maine. “When I came to 91±ŹÁÏ, I had truly no idea what I should do with myself day-to-day, much less what I wanted to do with my life.”

91±ŹÁÏ held three commencement ceremonies in Orono and Machias, where speakers emphasized resilience, courage, innovation and community. In Orono, 1,495 students received degrees during undergraduate ceremonies May 9, while over 900 graduate students were recognized May 8. The 91±ŹÁÏ at Machias honored 54 graduates May 10.

Simons, known for his role as Jonah Ryan on HBO’s “Veep” and more recently for his Critics Choice Awards-nominated role in Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This,” addressed graduates inside the newly renovated Harold Alfond Sports Arena.

“My timeline here was what we now call nontraditional,” Simons said. “But my time at this school is the reason that I’ve managed to do anything in my life.”

Throughout his remarks, Simons reflected on the professors, classmates and experiences that shaped him during his five years at 91±ŹÁÏ. He credited Hardy with teaching students how to persevere through failure and rejection while continuing to grow.

“She prepared us for the inevitable onslaught of rejection we would receive but at the same time taught us the skills to build ourselves up again,” Simons said.

Simons also encouraged graduates to take risks even when they feel uncertain about the future.

“Bravery isn’t not being afraid,” Simons said. “Bravery is being afraid and doing it anyway.”

The undergraduate ceremonies also celebrated the university’s recent growth and achievements, including the reaffirmation of 91±ŹÁÏ’s Carnegie R1 research status, major campus construction projects and student-led initiatives.

91±ŹÁÏ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy encouraged graduates to remain open to new opportunities after leaving campus.

“I want to assure you that it is OK to be uncertain about your future,” Ferrini-Mundy said. “Don’t let that uncertainty stop you from taking risks and reaching out in new directions.”

Ferrini-Mundy also highlighted several undergraduate students whose research addressed issues impacting Maine and beyond, including PFAS and food insecurity.

“The future can be more just, more equitable, more innovative, more safe and more compassionate with intention,” Ferrini-Mundy said. “It becomes better only when people like you — people who care, people who worked hard here at 91±ŹÁÏ to learn and grow and have knowledge and capability, people who can see both problems and possibilities. When you choose to act, you are capable of making those changes.”

Valedictorian Ruth Griffith encouraged graduates to reflect on the values that will guide them after college.

“So I think each of us here today needs to ask two additional questions,” Griffith said. “First: What are my core values? And second: How will I embody them?”

Griffith, who graduated with a degree in economics and minors in mathematics and international affairs, urged classmates to prioritize values over ambition.

“Because I truly believe that if we lead with our values rather than just our ambitions, we will find ourselves happier,” she said. “Our picture of success will shift.”

Co-salutatorian Isabelle Irani told graduates uncertainty should be embraced rather than feared.

“What if not knowing what we’re doing isn’t a weakness?” Irani said. “What if it’s actually the reason we’re capable of more than we think?”

Co-salutatorian Andrii Obertas reflected on the perseverance shared by graduates and encouraged classmates to support one another moving forward.

“It is a simple reality of life that no single person can change the world alone,” Obertas said. “Only united can we make a difference. And only through empathy can we build a better future.”

Student Government President Keegan Tripp told his fellow graduates to stay bold enough to act.

“Speak when it would be easier to stay quiet,” he said. “Build when it would be easier to walk away. Show love and appreciation to the family and friends who got you here.”

The university also recognized Mohamad Musavi, senior associate dean and professor in the Maine College of Engineering and Computing, as the 2026 Distinguished Maine Professor.

“Success does not happen by accident,” Musavi said. “It requires passion, hard work and resilience.”

The university also recognized Carol Dana, upon whom the 91±ŹÁÏ System Board of Trustees conferred an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for decades of work preserving and revitalizing the Penobscot language and culture.

Graduate ceremony focuses on innovation, resilience

During the graduate commencement ceremony, speakers focused on research, innovation and the impact graduates will have beyond the university.

Graduate School Dean Scott Delcourt encouraged graduates to remain adaptable in a rapidly changing workforce.

“When asked about the greatest skills that companies were looking for in their new hires, the overwhelming response was the ability to think critically,” Delcourt said.

Ferrini-Mundy praised graduate students for balancing academics with careers, caregiving and leadership responsibilities while advancing research and innovation.

“You stepped into entrepreneurship and innovation. You stepped into the unknown,” Ferrini-Mundy said. “And you just kept going!”

Graduate Student Government President Sudati Shrestha reflected on her journey from Nepal to the commencement stage while honoring her late father.

“The 91±ŹÁÏ gave me that opportunity, and today, as I stand here, I realize that this moment is more than just a personal achievement,” Shrestha said. “It is the fulfillment of a dream.”

Graduate commencement speakers Amber Boutiette and Patrick Breeding reflected on building Marin Skincare from lobster research connected to 91±ŹÁÏ’s Lobster Institute into a nationally distributed skincare company rooted in Maine innovation and sustainability.

“You are on the cusp of a huge life change, the beginning of an entirely new story, and it’s time to think big,” Boutiette told graduates.

Breeding encouraged graduates to remain curious and open to unexpected opportunities.

“When you lead with curiosity, suddenly, you start to make your own luck,” Breeding said.

Machias ceremony emphasizes community, perseverance

During the Machias ceremony, speakers encouraged graduates to embrace uncertainty, persevere through challenges and remain grounded in community and compassion.

Ferrini-Mundy encouraged graduates to move forward with confidence and to remain connected to the values and community they developed at 91±ŹÁÏ Machias.

“As you move forward, you will encounter both opportunity and uncertainty,” she said. “In those moments, I encourage you to draw on what you have built here: a strong sense of purpose, respect for others, and a readiness to engage thoughtfully with the world around you.”

Valedictorian Rachel D’Alessandro encouraged classmates to embrace change and reject perfectionism.

“Don’t strive for perfection; strive to be a better you,” D’Alessandro said.

The university conferred an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree upon Susan Mingo, who reflected on returning to college after initially dropping out.

“Your path does not need to be perfect to be powerful,” said Mingo, president of Washington County Community College.

Ivy Orator Regina McNamara de la Vega encouraged graduates to continue learning and remain optimistic through difficult moments.

“Never let the clouds deter you from reaching the sunlight and earning what you want in life,” McNamara said.

Contact: David Nordman, david.nordman@maine.edu

The field of medicine is constantly evolving to optimize care and patient outcomes. Technology growth and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) have changed what it means to be a doctor and a patient, even in the recent decade. To contend with this, researchers at the 91±ŹÁÏ are helping medical education adapt to a changing world of medicine. 

Electrical and Computer Engineering Ph.D. candidate Kevin Real MD is part of this movement, working to shape the way students understand medical issues and develop innovative solutions. After earning his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and completing medical school, Real put his medical career on hold to further pursue a passion in education and technology. 

Over the past year, Real has focussed his research on an innovative approach to eye disease in premature infants, utilizing both his engineering and medical backgrounds. He partnered with ophthalmologists in Portland, Oregon to help them advance their curriculum and way of understanding eye models. 

“I used my ECE experience to ultimately help the surgeons look at 2D images and transpose them to 3D images, specifically for looking at disease progression. The question is, how can we do this better, how do you make these models more precise? That was my mission this year,” explained Real. 

He specifically looked at a disease process called retinopathy prematurity, the leading cause of childhood blindness in the United States, according to the . The disease impacts infants born prematurely who received supplemental oxygen. This can impact the eye’s ability to develop normally because abnormal blood vessels can grow inside the retina and lead to retinal detachment. Surgeons are able to fix retinal detachment, but rely on a two-dimensional view of the retina. Real is hoping to bring more precision to this process by making two-dimensional view into three-dimensional models. 

It was important to Real to not limit this research to the lab or a hospital and engage students in the research process. He took this concept of two to three-dimensional image transposition and further explored the idea with a Maine high school senior, helping them use simple geometric principles to develop a 3D model of an infant’s eye. The student was then able to present their work at a conference for the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and gained real-world research experience. 

Real’s passion for student engagement extends beyond his direct research. He helped high school students from John Bapst Memorial High School participate in ophthalmology research on glaucoma progression, eventually leading to publication of their work in the Proceedings of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (). Real’s motivation for working with students comes from his time teaching a high school science class here in Maine, and they still inspire his research methodology today. 

“One thing that I like about high school students is that they come up with the craziest ideas, and sometimes they work. We tend to get stuck in our ways about the best way for research to be conducted, but students come up with ideas we might never have heard of,” remarked Real. 

His passion for education extends into his work with National Science Foundation Maine-SMART project, working to revitalize education efforts in the state. Real helped develop new educational modules that have been distributed across the state to diversify STEM education for local students. Last year, he helped develop new educational modules on the uses of cellulose nano fiber (CNF) that are now in use throughout the state. He also created modules and curriculum on CNF that were used by the Maine Mobile BIOLAB, a traveling laboratory that provides hands-on STEM education to students in Maine. 

“I really understand that education is what I love, and my mission today is incorporating AI, neural networks and technology into education at every level, not just medical school,” said Real. 

Looking ahead, Real will be starting his residency this fall with the John Peter Smith Family Medicine Residency program in Fort Worth, Texas, but hopes to return to Maine in the future. He is part of a coalition that aims to establish Maine’s first medical school for MDs, and would love to be a part of the process down the line in his career. With an MD and Ph.D., Real’s end goal is to eventually become a dean of a medical school, bridging his experiences with medicine and education, and helping med students adapt to changing technology and practices.Ìę

Real’s mission and reasoning behind his journey is a goal to never stop learning and innovating in his field, and teaching those along the way. 

“The whole point is not only that I hope to pass the torch, but I hope that the torch surpasses me,” said Real. 

Real would like to thank his advisor, Giovanna Guidoboni, 91±ŹÁÏ’s interim vice president for research and dean of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing, for her support in his endeavors. 

By Heather Johnson, graduate assistant

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

In young forests, the widespread consensus is that this process rapidly pulls, or sequesters, carbon from the atmosphere. As forests mature, more trees start to die, releasing the carbon they captured in their wake. Carbon sequestration, the thinking goes, slowly stalls and old forests eventually release roughly as much carbon into the air as they capture.

Thirty years of measurements taken by 91±ŹÁÏ scientists at a remote 550-acre forest challenge this idea.

At Howland Research Forest, located about 30 miles north of Orono, Maine, in the towns of Edinburg and Howland, 98-foot towers rise above the spruce and hemlock canopy. They are topped by instruments that measure carbon dioxide flux — the exchange of the gas between the forest canopy and the atmosphere. The measurements are so precise that they can detect the breath of a technician working nearby.

What they have recorded is a carbon record of exceptional length drawn from a mature, undisturbed forest. The data generated here is reshaping how the world understands forests and their influence on climate. The towers on Howland have been collecting data since 1996, making them among the longest-running records of their kind in the United States, second only to Harvard Forest. 

These findings are used by scientists, educators and land managers worldwide, informing forest management, timber production, carbon budgets, conservation and policy. But the future of this research is uncertain. For decades, the Howland towers were supported through the federally funded AmeriFlux network. As research priorities shifted, that support was interrupted, putting the long-running record at risk. 

A recent $175,000 private gift to the 91±ŹÁÏ Foundation — equal to the site’s annual operating cost— has temporarily filled that gap, keeping the research running through next year. Without it, the towers would have gone offline this August, bringing 30 years of continuous monitoring to a standstill. 

While the gift provides a one-year lifeline, it does not solve the underlying challenge. Sustaining this irreplaceable observatory and training ground for 91±ŹÁÏ students aspiring to become foresters, conservationists and researchers requires .

A living benchmark

Mature, unmanaged forests are exceptionally rare in New England. Centuries of timber harvest have reset the ecological clock across nearly every landscape. 

At Howland, the forest canopy is dominated by trees between 100 and 200 years old. Some are even older. They had already stood for centuries when Henry David Thoreau passed through central Maine on his way to Mount Katahdin in the 1840s.

A yellow birch documented in the forest’s permanent research plots dates to the mid-1600s — at least 367 years, the oldest of its species on record in Maine. Cedar and hemlock that sprouted in the 1700s stand alongside fallen logs in every stage of decay. Their slow decomposition is a critical part of the carbon cycle that researchers here are still working to fully understand.

Coarse woody debris — the fallen logs and standing dead trees so characteristic of old forests — are largely absent from managed landscapes. At Howland, it is everywhere. 

The forest is surrounded by active timber operations, which makes it something else: a control site. Without Howland as a baseline for what an unmanaged forest looks like, the comparisons that inform forest management across the Northeast would be far less meaningful.

The Northeast Wilderness Trust recognized that value in 2007, when it purchased the 550-acre site and permanently protected it as forever-wild. The protection came at a critical moment: the previous owner had considered resuming active management, which would have disrupted decades of research.

“We permanently protected Howland because ancient forests are rare and have so much to teach us,” said Shelby Perry, the Northeast Wilderness Trust’s wildlands ecology director. “Howland shows us the unique value of wild places amid managed landscapes. What researchers learn here informs forest policy at a global scale. Keeping this land wild and keeping the research going are inseparable.” 

For these findings, time is priceless

When a carbon flux tower was installed at Howland in 1996, it became a founding site of the AmeriFlux network, which has spread to more than 500 monitoring stations across the Americas. 

“We measure temperature, wind speed and direction, and the air’s carbon dioxide, water and methane concentration every tenth of a  second. That’s over 315 million data series a year,” says Roel Ruzol, 91±ŹÁÏ research associate and Howland Forest’s site manager. 

Ruzol keeps the towers running, coordinates access for researchers and works with Fraver to eliminate what he calls “noise,” or anomalies in the data created by rain, snow, power fluctuations or a bird perching near the equipment. They then convert these measurements into precise half-hour flux rates, that is, how much carbon the forest absorbs and releases. The findings are online for anyone to access.

The Howland record is now 30 years old. The forest has stored, on average, nearly 3.5 tons of carbon dioxide per acre per year. That was not unexpected, but the long-term trend was surprising, even to the researchers who built the flux network. The rate of carbon uptake is increasing over time. This old forest has not plateaued; it’s accelerating sequestration.

“If you considered just the first 10 years, you would see a slight decrease and might conclude the forest was declining as a carbon sink,” said Shawn Fraver, associate professor of forest ecology at the 91±ŹÁÏ, who has conducted research at Howland since 2015. “However, when viewed over 30 years, we actually see an increase. That long-term view completely changes the story.”

The trend held through climate extremes. The 30-year record spans the warmest, wettest and driest years in the past 125 for Maine. Scientists do not yet know why, but the findings, which were in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, provide the basis for experimental research that can provide actionable insights.Ìę

Another study co-led by Fraver, whose research program is partially supported by the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station and the National Science Foundation, aims to identify the mechanisms by which forests switch from methane sources to sinks and back. Previous research showed that forest soils emit methane in wet conditions. Waterlogged soils favor the microbes that generate it. But those studies largely focused on landscapes that are known methane sources, ignoring sites like Howland that, depending on soil moisture, alternate between being a source and a sink. 

The documented source-sink switch at Howland has led to a National Science Foundation-funded project, now entering its final year, which attracted researchers from institutions across the country — San Diego State University, North Carolina State University, Arizona State University, and the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Massachusetts, as well as the 91±ŹÁÏ. The findings are expected to meaningfully revise how methane is accounted for in forest carbon budgets.

The data from Howland have been downloaded more than 16,000 times since being made publicly available in 2007. Researchers around the world have used Howland and the data gathered there to build climate models, calibrate satellite data, advise policymakers and teach the next generation of forest scientists.

A living lab for forest management

Howland’s scientific value extends beyond the conservation land itself. Three flux towers now operate across the area: two on Northeast Wilderness Trust land and a third on property managed by American Forest Management (AFM), a forestry consulting company that has been managing harvest activity nearby in recent years. “Not every forest company would be willing to cooperate with us on this. It’s a huge benefit to us as researchers,” Fraver said. 

The AFM tower, established in 2012, has been tracking carbon dioxide fluxes continuously through a period of active shelterwood harvest. With the Howland towers providing an unmanaged comparison site, researchers have a rare before-and-after opportunity that almost never presents itself in landscape-scale ecology.

A newly funded $243,000 study from the will extract maximum value from that natural experiment. Combining forest inventories, LiDAR-derived biomass estimates, ground and tower-level flux measurements and carbon modeling will give managers the most comprehensive picture ever assembled of how partial harvests affect the forest carbon budget.

“American Forest Management has always believed that good forestry and good science go hand-in-hand. Hosting the tower on our client’s land is one of the most tangible ways we can contribute to that.” said Jeremy Miller, Region Technical Manager at AFM and alum of 91±ŹÁÏ’s School of Forest Resources. “The NSRC study will give us an idea of how partial harvesting affects carbon dynamics in the short and long term.”

The results will give forest managers who want to incorporate carbon objectives into their planning, alongside timber production, a quantitative foundation to build on.

A proving ground for people and technology

Howland also serves as a key research site for 91±ŹÁÏ graduate students, along with undergraduate field technicians who spend summers gaining hands-on experience with advanced instrumentation and long-term ecological research methods. 

Chris Hettwer, who earned his master’s degree from the School of Forest Resources in 2025, said the opportunity to work at Howland helped draw him to Fraver’s lab. 

“Working at Howland was an instrumental experience that fundamentally shaped me as a scientist,” says Hettwer, who is now pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. “In addition to learning the technical field skills for researching ecosystem processes, I gained a deeper understanding of how scientific research is conducted, communicated, and built cumulatively over time. Much of what I do now is grounded in what I learned at Howland.”

A network of approximately 150 permanent research plots distributed around the flux towers provides a training ground unlike any classroom. 

So does a 7.4-acre research plot, established by NASA in 1989 to ground-truth satellite instruments. This project led the site to be photographed from space more than anywhere else on the planet at the time. Every tree above 10 centimeters in diameter was mapped and measured. In 2015 and 2025, Fraver and his research team repeated the inventory and took core samples from 10% of the trees to track growth trends. 

That plot revealed the 367-year-old yellow birch. It also told the story of a forest shaped by centuries of disturbance: spruce budworm outbreaks, wind storms, selective harvests in the 1800s and the slow return of a mature forest carpeted with deadwood and moss. 

Howland is where emerging scientists and technology learn to read the forest.

One more year

Maintaining Howland’s flux towers, sensors and core infrastructure costs approximately $175,000 per year. That annual cost was historically covered through the federally-funded AmeriFlux network, but shifting research priorities have left the site without consistent support.

“Without this gift, the AmeriFlux tower would have shut down this August,” Fraver said. “We have funds to continue another year. But our latest research, the student experience, the experimental work on managed versus unmanaged forests — all of it depends on the towers being operational. If the tower goes offline, we lose the context this monitoring data provides, and everything that has been built on it.”

The recent private gift ensures operations through next year, but it does not establish a long-term solution. Keeping one of the longest carbon dioxide flux records in the Americas running, and preserving decades of continuous data, requires sustained annual investment.

“Science is a continual and ever-building process. The continuity of monitoring at Howland is a big part of what makes this data so powerful,” Hettwer said.  

The science at Howland is answering questions that matter in Maine and globally — how much carbon do mature forests sequester, how harvest practices affect forest-atmosphere interactions, and whether forest soils remove methane. These are not strictly academic questions. The findings help forest managers and policymakers make data-driven decisions in a changing world.

“The questions we are asking now about carbon, methane and how managed and unmanaged forests compare will offer critical insights for forest management in the coming decades,” Fraver said. “This forest is capable of providing those answers. It just needs the towers to keep running.”

Those interested in supporting monitoring at the Howland Research Forest may donate or contact Elizabeth Erickson,Ìę senior director of philanthropy at the 91±ŹÁÏ Foundation, at elizabeth.erickson@maine.edu or 207.581.1145.Ìę

Contact: Erin Miller, erin.miller@maine.edu

Researchers at the 91±ŹÁÏ are researching new ways to study and monitor the parasites that plague Maine’s moose in order to best help and manage the population. 

91±ŹÁÏ third-year Alden Falardeau of Saco, Maine, is leading the team in testing new methods of monitoring for parasites in moose. Advised by associate professor of animal health Pauline Kamath, Falardeau is focusing on lungworm (Dictyocaulus spp.) and gastrointestinal parasites. Lungworms weaken a moose’s immune system and hamper its ability to fight off external stressors like winter ticks. Gastrointestinal parasites also can weaken moose, making them more susceptible to other parasites, some of which  may cause emaciation. 

Falardeau, an animal science major, is investigating whether lungworm infections can be detected through DNA analysis of moose lung tissue, while identifying the gastrointestinal parasites present in their fecal pellets. Her team is testing these methods using samples from live captures and hunter harvests. Better detection can improve monitoring and understanding of parasite prevalence among moose. 

For the lungworm, the team extracted DNA from lung tissue samples. Researchers then evaluated them for traces of lungworm using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which amplifies a unique section of lungworm’s DNA where signs of this parasite can be found.

“If we can verify lung tissue as a sample to detect lungworm, that could help with future research,” said Falardeau. “It can also help get the community more involved in research if we are able to use hunter harvested samples for identifying infections like lungworm.” 

Current research on lungworm in moose relies on visually examining moose lungs or waste, the efficacy of which can be dependent on a range of factors. Genetic data, in contrast, may allow scientists to identify traces of lungworm faster and with greater accuracy. 

Understanding what gastrointestinal parasites they should be looking for will allow for better detection and management in future. “Essentially, we are looking to identify and quantify the parasite eggs and larvae that are present in fecal samples,” said Falardeau. Crucially, this approach is not invasive, which is great for the moose. 

This project was made possible by funding from 91±ŹÁÏ’s Center for Undergraduate Research and has provided Falardeau valuable hands-on experience. 

“I’ve learned so much, from lab techniques to experimental design, and I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in meaningful conservation research,” he said.

This research is rooted in the One Health approach, which recognises that people, animals and the environment are interconnected. It also highlights the importance of monitoring wildlife disease for broader ecological well-being. 

As Maine’s moose remain a vital part of the state’s identity, efforts to better understand parasite impacts are critical to ensuring the long-term health of this iconic species and the ecosystems of which they are a part. 

Story by Sophie Knox, research media internContact: Daniel Timmermann, daniel.timmermann@maine.edu

After the tools are put away and the room empties, he logs into his coursework, working toward a milestone decades in the making.

At 65, Rinkle is one class away — Psychology of Sustainability — from earning his bachelor’s degree from the 91±ŹÁÏ, 47 years after he first began his college journey.

“I always meant to finish,” he said. “It just took me a while to get back.”

Rinkle is among a growing number of adult learners returning through the Finish Strong program, which helps students complete degrees years after they first enrolled. The program offers flexible pathways, including online and on-campus options, allowing students to build on previously earned credits and finish degrees on their own terms.

Finish Strong is currently serving 274 active students, with an average age of 36 and an average academic pause of six years. Since its inception, 81 adult learners have graduated, and dozens more are within one semester of completing their degrees, including Rinkle.

Rinkle’s path back to college has spanned decades, states and careers.

Born in Chicago, he moved to Florida at age 10 and graduated in 1979 from Seminole High School, where he ranked sixth in a class of nearly 800 students. He was so shy at the time that he did not attend his own graduation.

During his final two years, he worked close to 40 hours a week at a plant nursery, a job that quickly became a full-time career. There, his boss began teaching him hands-on technical skills, including electrical wiring, installing breaker panels, pumps and timers, and wiring greenhouses for lights and fans.

After enrolling at St. Petersburg Junior College to study engineering, he left midway through his second semester to continue working in the nursery industry, where his responsibilities — and skills — were rapidly expanding.

That early job also exposed him to plumbing and fabrication work. He helped run water lines across the nursery, install water wells and, after purchasing a welder, taught himself how to weld, building carts and trailers from scratch.

He spent nearly 30 years in the nursery business before deciding the work was not sustainable long term. Encouraged by his wife, Elizabeth, — whom he met through a setup at a Christmas tree lot — he returned to college, enrolling at Pasco-Hernando State College and later transferring to the University of South Florida’s electrical engineering program. When the couple moved to Maine, his education paused again.

In Maine, Rinkle worked at Stinson Seafood, the country’s last sardine processing plant, until it closed. After the shutdown, he briefly returned to classes at the 91±ŹÁÏ at Machias with support from federal Trade Act assistance. 

However, new opportunities soon pulled him back into the workforce. He first joined a lobster processing operation and later spent more than four years at Wyman’s as a production and inventory manager, where harvest seasons required 12-hour days, seven days a week.

Eventually, he found a more stable path in education. About nine years ago, he was hired to help restart the industrial arts program at Narraguagus Junior-Senior High School, where Elizabeth also teaches.

“I love to fix things,” he said.

That mindset, shaped by years of hands-on problem-solving and technical work, mirrors the kind of thinking that first drew him to math.

Earlier this year, Rinkle stepped in to teach math for six weeks while a teacher was out. The experience confirmed what he had long considered.

“I loved it,” he said. “The administration was pleased with my job and so were many of the students.”

But to teach math full time, Rinkle needed to complete his bachelor’s degree. Knowing it would open the door to future opportunities, he decided it was time to finish what he started.

Through Finish Strong and 91±ŹÁÏ’s Bachelor of University Studies program, he completes coursework while working full time, fitting assignments into weekends, planning periods and evenings after school.

Nearly five decades after he first stepped into a college classroom, Rinkle is finally on the verge of finishing. Not just for himself, but for the future he’s still building.

In the same classroom where he teaches students how to wire circuits and solve problems with their hands, he is now preparing to teach them something else: math.

With one course remaining, that next chapter is within reach.

Back at the end of each school day, after the noise of the shop fades and the tools are put away, Rinkle logs on and gets a little closer.

Contact: David Nordman, david.nordman@maine.edu

“At 91±ŹÁÏ, we are intentionally building a coordinated system of support and opportunity that reaches students early and continues throughout their academic journey,” said Scott Marzilli, senior associate provost for student success and innovation. “This work is not about isolated initiatives, but about creating a consistent, high-impact experience that prepares students for success in their studies and their careers from day one.”

The student experience is being transformed from beginning to end at 91±ŹÁÏ through the Student Success and Retention Initiative, a hallmark of UMS TRANSFORMS. Thanks to the historic investment from the Harold Alfond Foundation, over half of all first-year students at 91±ŹÁÏ engage in research and inquiry-based creative work early in their college careers. 

As a result, more students have been able to succeed in challenging, core courses, and build essential skills that support participation in high-impact internships along the way.

The initiative is organized around three interconnected efforts: Research Learning Experiences (RLEs), Gateways to Success (Gateways) and Pathways to Careers (Pathways). Together, they ensure that students are engaged early in their college careers, have the academic support they need to succeed and are connected to opportunities that prepare them to enter the workforce after graduation.

RLEs were first piloted at 91±ŹÁÏ and 91±ŹÁÏ Machias in fall 2021 with more than 30 course sections enrolling 250 students. Following the pilot, courses expanded across Maine’s public universities, and participation increased by 800%. In 2025, 2,374 students enrolled in 207 sections across 103 unique courses systemwide. More than 5,500 students have benefited. 

Maeve Littlefield, a sophomore majoring in biology, didn’t always imagine a career for herself in STEM. She didn’t develop a passion for the scientific process until late in her high school career.

Last fall, she enrolled in “Creative Expression of Science,” a Research Learning Experience (RLE) that combined creativity and science by exploring new ways to understand and communicate research and science. In examining prints, paintings, drawings and examples of digital storytelling, she began to see ways in which she could combine her creativity and interest in science to promote a broader understanding of changes in our natural world.

“Sometimes we get caught up in seeing statistics about the environment and human impact,” Littlefield said. “But we also forget that adaptation and evolution make really resilient communities and populations, and that it’s not hopeless. It makes you want to fight more for these things that are important — that if we do lose them, they aren’t coming back.” 

Experiences like Littlefield’s are foundational to the initiative’s broader effort to engage students in meaningful, hands-on learning early in their academic careers. They are designed to build skills and confidence, and to promote a sense of belonging through creative learning opportunities and research.

Following the success of the RLEs, Maine’s public universities began offering Advanced RLEs (ARLEs). They provide students who have completed one semester with more in-depth knowledge and experience, enhancing their critical thinking and building specialized skills.  

Recent ARLEs have tasked students with identifying methods to treat human polyomavirus-induced diseases, pitching business strategies to Maine businesses such as Aroma Joe’s and Bath Iron Works, and conducting group research on tidal marshes, forests, seaweed and historical artifacts along the Schoodic Peninsula. 

While RLEs are designed to engage and empower, Gateways to Success aims to eliminate barriers to ongoing success for students in entry-level courses by implementing strategies such as mentorship, early alerts and curriculum updates. 

“Students struggling in certain courses isn’t new. What is new is that now because of the generosity of the Harold Alfond Foundation, we’ve been able to implement a number of interventions to address the issue,” said Gateways coordinator Mark Brewer, also professor and chair of 91±ŹÁÏ’s Department of Political Science. 

Since Gateways’ launch, the vast majority of students who were enrolled in historically challenging “gateway” courses have participated in pilot interventions to support their course experience. The program is currently in the third year of studying impacts from the pilot process to select and expand the strongest interventions. 

“I’ve seen an incredible amount of energy and enthusiasm from faculty across the colleges and at Machias in designing interventions to improve student success,” Brewer said. 

In the Maine Business School, a Gateways coordinator sent students notices about exams and other assignments, connected them with tutoring and review sessions, coached them on time management and facilitated weekly tutoring and academic support sessions. These efforts correlated with a 7% improvement in course success for MBS students.  

The College of Education and Human Development launched similar interventions through its Academic Support and Advising Program. By fall 2025, 92% of Gateway course enrollments led to successful course completion, compared to an average of just 79% from fall 2018-2022. 

For the course “Algebra for College Mathematics,” faculty updated the course to support students who would not historically qualify for it. Their efforts paid off, with 62% of students earning a C grade or higher. 

In fall 2025, over 5,000 students across UMS were supported by one or more of 24 Gateways-funded projects, including 67% of Gateways-eligible students at 91±ŹÁÏ.

As students progress through their academic journeys at 91±ŹÁÏ, Pathways to Careers bridges classroom experiences and real-world opportunities, making it easier for students to gain relevant experience and prepare to enter the workforce. High-impact practices such as early-stage career exploration, pre-internship training, networking support and mentorship are the cornerstone of gold-standard internship programs.

Internships are a hallmark of the 91±ŹÁÏ experience, and graduates report high rates of participation. For the Class of 2025, 62% reported participating in at least one internship, totaling over 477,000 hours of experience. Furthermore, preliminary data from the first year of tracking graduates who participated in RLEs reveals that students who enrolled in them were more likely to complete an internship than students who did not participate.

For many, these opportunities are transformative.  

Pathways connected student Nathaniel Walker to an internship as a marketing and communications assistant at 91±ŹÁÏ’s Advanced Manufacturing Center. This summer, he will intern with the company Intuit.

“A year ago, I was unsure how to even find a job and honestly felt pretty overwhelmed and lost, but the Pathways to Careers coordinator went above and beyond to help me find a role,” Walker said. “That chance has opened the doors for completely new opportunities and directions for me to pursue, and I am beyond grateful.”

Student Holly Zschetzsche said Pathways’ networking support allowed her to secure an engineering internship with manufacturer Corning. 

“Pathways to Careers doesn’t just prepare students,” she said, “it actively connects them to opportunities where they are seen and considered.”

Systemwide, 51% of students surveyed in 2025 report undertaking at least one internship, resulting in 695,000 hours of workforce participation.

Taken together, Research Learning Experiences, Gateways to Success and Pathways to Careers reflect the university’s commitment to ensuring that every student is engaged in their academic studies and community from the start, and that they receive the support and opportunities they need to succeed at 91±ŹÁÏ and beyond.

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

At MCEC, the initiative has accelerated progress in advising, curriculum design, artificial intelligence education, statewide partnerships and K-12 outreach. The work aligns engineering and computing education with Maine’s workforce needs while building clearer pathways from classrooms to careers.

Collaboration across UMS TRANSFORMS pillars — including the Maine Center, Student Success and Retention and 91±ŹÁÏ Athletics — has supported expanded programming, shared resources and coordinated statewide engagement. Together, these efforts show how UMS TRANSFORMS investments are improving student success, program growth and workforce alignment.

“Across Maine, we know the demand for talent, innovation and opportunity is continuing to grow,” said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of 91±ŹÁÏ and the 91±ŹÁÏ at Machias. “We’re able to meet that need through strategic investments supported by UMS TRANSFORMS that are creating new opportunities in engineering and computing.”

Student success and retention improve

A redesigned advising model has contributed to MCEC’s highest retention rate in more than a decade. The model integrates academic guidance, community support and career preparation into a system that supports students from enrollment through graduation. By treating advising as an ongoing experience rather than a single service, MCEC has created a more consistent structure to help students navigate academics, belonging and career readiness.

Curriculum redesign is also producing gains. A first-year biomedical engineering course, updated through a UMS TRANSFORMS seed grant, introduced hands-on learning earlier. Students engaged in:

• Cell culture.
• Biomaterials testing.
• Microscopy.
• Data analysis.
• Experimental design.

The results are clear:

• Students report stronger confidence in their abilities.
• A 25% improvement in communication and critical thinking skills.
• A 3% increase in semester-to-semester retention.

These outcomes reflect a shift toward learner-centered instruction supporting academic achievement and long-term success. Another indicator of this is a 16% increase in year two retention in pre-engineering.

MCEC is also building long-term capacity through a faculty development initiative that supports doctoral students as they teach and mentor, strengthening the pipeline of future educators and reinforcing a culture of student-centered learning.

Expansion of AI and future-focused research-inspired programs

MCEC has expanded its academic portfolio to meet demand in emerging fields, particularly artificial intelligence and technology-driven industries. New offerings include:

• A bachelor’s degree in computer science and business.
• An online Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence certificate for undergraduate and graduate learners.
• Programs in ocean engineering and maritime digitalization tied to Maine’s growing blue economy.

These programs connect students to areas such as digital twins, cyber-physical systems and next-generation infrastructure, helping ensure graduates are prepared for modern industry.

In partnership with Student Success and Retention, AI-powered course chatbots provide students with course-specific academic support, increasing access to assistance outside classroom hours.

“Engineering and computing education must evolve as quickly as the world we live in,” said Giovanna Guidoboni, dean of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing. “Our goal is not simply to add programs, but to build partnerships and sustainable systems of opportunity that connect students, research and industry in ways that benefit our students and Maine.”

Investments in Research Learning Experiences (RLEs) and classroom modernization have expanded opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in hands-on learning while gaining familiarity with the research process.

Statewide pathways and partnerships grow

UMS TRANSFORMS has expanded MCEC’s reach across Maine through multicampus programs and partnerships that are creating more flexible educational pathways. Over the past three years, MCEC has developed:

• Accelerated pathways from bachelor’s to master’s degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering between the University of Southern Maine (USM) and 91±ŹÁÏ.
• A pre-engineering program at 91±ŹÁÏ and 91±ŹÁÏ Machias.
• Expanded computing collaborations across all campuses of the 91±ŹÁÏ System.
• The CharisMATHic Research Learning Experience, connecting students across disciplines through shared coursework and experiences at 91±ŹÁÏ and USM.

Efforts to reduce barriers for community college students have also advanced. Articulation agreements with Southern Maine Community College have been formalized, and pre-engineering pathways provide clear routes into four-year programs.

MCEC’s presence at the Maine Center has strengthened these connections. As a hub for interdisciplinary graduate education and collaboration across business, law, policy and engineering, the Maine Center is creating opportunities for students to engage with industry partners, alumni and employers while expanding access for learners in southern Maine.

K-12 outreach expands statewide pipeline

Efforts to build Maine’s workforce are reaching students earlier through a K-12 outreach strategy. Over the past three years, MCEC has engaged more than 1,600 students through:

• 99 STEM Exploration Day field trips.
• 15 summer camps.
• Additional on-campus, hybrid and in-school programs.

These initiatives have reached 15 of Maine’s 16 counties, expanding access to engineering and computing education across the state.

Teacher professional development programs, international VEX Robotics competitions and hands-on training opportunities have extended that impact. Educators are gaining tools in robotics, coding and advanced materials and bringing those experiences back to classrooms across Maine, strengthening the STEM pipeline.

Collaboration with 91±ŹÁÏ Athletics has also supported the design of facilities capable of hosting large-scale K-12 STEM events, competitions and community programming and the creation of a sports technology minor in partnership with the Maine Business School.

Facilities and infrastructure support growth

UMS TRANSFORMS has supported infrastructure investments, including:

• Dedicated student success spaces.
• New interdisciplinary laboratories and classroom spaces.
• Plans to modernize legacy buildings to support research and education.

In fall 2026, 91±ŹÁÏ is scheduled to open the GEM building, a facility designed to integrate research, teaching and industry collaboration. The space will support convergent manufacturing and provide students with opportunities to engage in applied learning environments that reflect industry settings.

UMS TRANSFORMS has also boosted MCEC’s reputation as a learner-centered elite program ranking among the top 100 graduate engineering schools by U.S. News & World Report, reflecting strong growth across several programs. With the UMS TRANSFORMS investment, electrical and computer engineering enrollment has risen 40%. That includes a particularly significant expansion in the Ph.D. program, which increased from five to 32 students — a more than 500% gain. Mechanical engineering enrollment grew by 19%, while surveying engineering technology saw a 63% increase in enrollment. The surveying program has also earned national distinction, receiving annual awards from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying every year since the honor was established in 2016.

“I am proud of what we have accomplished in just three years,” Guidoboni said. “Through UMS TRANSFORMS and the continued investment of the Harold Alfond Foundation, the 91±ŹÁÏ and the 91±ŹÁÏ System are positioned to be global leaders attracting and retaining top talent in Maine. We will continue to think bigger, think more broadly and use these resources to catalyze meaningful change.” 

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

The academy announced Tuesday the election of 120 members and 25 international members, bringing its total membership to 2,705 active members and 557 international members.

Steneck spent more than four decades at 91±ŹÁÏ, where he helped shape marine research and policy through studies of kelp forests, lobster fisheries and coral reefs. He retired in 2023 as a professor of oceanography, marine biology and marine policy.

“Dr. Steneck’s election to the National Academy of Sciences is a well-deserved honor,” 91±ŹÁÏ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy said. “His research has advanced our understanding of coastal ecosystems and helped shape marine science and policy, while his mentorship has inspired generations of students to pursue meaningful work in the field. We are proud and grateful that his distinguished career has been here at the 91±ŹÁÏ.”

A marine ecologist, Steneck has focused on the structure and function of coastal ecosystems, particularly in the Gulf of Maine and the Caribbean. His research examines food webs, dominant species and ecological processes in benthic marine environments, often through in situ observation using scuba diving, underwater video systems and remotely operated vehicles.

For more than 40 years, his work in Maine has explored kelp forest ecosystems and the relationships among lobsters, sea urchins and fish stocks. His research also spans the Caribbean and tropical Pacific, where long-term studies of coral reefs have informed strategies to improve reef resilience.

Steneck joined 91±ŹÁÏ in 1982 and was among the first marine ecologists to collaborate directly with lobstermen, integrating scientific research with industry knowledge. His work contributed to new approaches to studying and managing Maine’s lobster fishery and broader coastal ecosystems.

In addition to his research, Steneck emphasized hands-on learning, involving students in all aspects of scientific work, from proposal writing to data collection and publication.

“I have always been passionate about getting students into the field for experiential learning,” he said.

In 1993, Steneck developed a proposal for Semester by the Sea at 91±ŹÁÏ’s Darling Marine Center, an undergraduate program that continues today. He later expanded those opportunities globally, teaching a graduate coral reef course that, beginning in 2003, brought students to Bonaire in the Caribbean for two decades to monitor reef health.

“The student projects became a valued part of the island’s coral reef monitoring program,” he said.

Many of Steneck’s former students have gone on to leadership roles in marine science, conservation and policy. That list includes Carl Wilson, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, who started as an intern on Steneck’s lobster project and went on to earn his degree from 91±ŹÁÏ’s School of Marine Sciences.

“I’ve had a bevy of terrific students, and their careers are what I’m most proud of,” Steneck said. “Seeing them go on to make meaningful contributions in science, conservation and policy is one of the most rewarding parts of the work.”

Founded in 1863, the National Academy of Sciences recognizes achievement in science and provides independent advice to the U.S. government.

Steneck’s election follows other recent honors, including his 2025 induction into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, further recognizing his impact on marine science and conservation.

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

When phages infect and reproduce inside bacteria, the consequences can be dire. Phages that infect bacteria can contribute to their drug-resistance and ability to cause disease. A new study led by 91±ŹÁÏ researchers aims to find out why. 

A deeper understanding of phages’ ability to influence bacteria could allow for more targeted medical treatment of often drug-resistant diseases. Despite these viruses being the most abundant biological entity on earth, many people do not know what they are, and fewer are studying them. 

Research led by Sally Molloy, 91±ŹÁÏ associate professor of genomics and honors, is seeking to change that. Thanks to a recently awarded National Institutes of Health (NIH) R15 grant, Molloy’sÌę research team will continue to investigate phages’ abilities to promote drug resistance in bacteria. It will also help her expand the hands-on experiences she offers to get undergraduate students involved in potentially life-saving science.Ìę

According to World Health Organization’s , “In 2023, approximately one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections worldwide were caused by bacteria resistant to antibiotics.”

Phages specifically target bacteria. They have two abilities. The first is acting as a parasite within bacteria. They infect the bacteria, reproduce and when their progeny are released, kill the bacteria cells. The second ability phages have is more interesting. 

“They live latently, quietly, maybe borderline symbiotically with the bacterium by integrating their viral genome into the bacterial genome,” said Molloy. 

When the phage integrates its genome into the host bacteria, the cell does not die. Instead, it enhances the bacterial cell’s survival skills, by providing resistance to infection by other phages and sometimes by providing resistance to antibiotics.

Molloy’s research looks at the genes phages bring into bacteria. Specifically, she’s studying how they contribute to increased drug resistance. The bacteria Molloy and her team study are part of a group of Gram positive bacteria that include important pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which kills more people worldwide than any other infectious agent, and M.  abscessus, one of the most drug-resistant pathogens.

These diseases can be closer to home than some may think. M. abscessus-chelonae is a non-tuberculosis mycobacteria that causes pulmonary and soft-tissue infections and can be multi-drug or totally drug resistant. It causes pulmonary and soft-tissue infections in the elderly, immunocompromised and in patients with chronic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis. 

Scientists have found some success treating the drug resistant disease with phage therapy, which uses injected phages to target and kill bacteria causing disease. Molloy’s research into how phages influence drug-resistance in bacteria may provide opportunities for other researchers to improve treatment of mycobacterial disease using both drug and phage treatments. 

Molloy first came to 91±ŹÁÏ as a graduate student and has remained through her Ph.D. and postdoctoral research. Within the Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences and the Honors College, Molloy integrates teaching with her research to engage undergraduate and graduate students in active learning. With a recently awarded NIH R15 grant, Molloy is training undergraduates as part of her research into phages.

For the students in Molloy’s lab, partaking in this research can be especially important. 

“If you’re doing research that’s going to make a difference with this real world problem, how you learn and what you learn completely changes,” said Molloy. “You’re applying your knowledge to a real problem that you care about and maybe the whole community cares about.” 

This work has the potential to save lives, not just through treating disease, but by training the next generation of doctors, scientists and researchers in the field of microbiology. 

“We’re training them for the work force and to be ready to be contributors for whatever problems they’re going to be working on,” said Molloy. 

With the support of the NIH R15 grant, Molloy will be able to continue to bring more undergraduate students like Vejune Griciute and Edib Redzematovic into her lab, where they continue to work on understanding phages and their contribution to bacteria drug resistance. 

“It’s more motivating to learn things when you feel like you’re making important contributions to something that really matters, not only to you but to a community,” she said.

The importance of phages cannot be underestimated. 

“They impact our lives every single day,” said Molloy. “We’re exposed to them everywhere.” With Molloy and her team of students, research is paving the way towards using the innate ability of phages as a treatment rather than a disease.

By Emma Beauregard, research media intern

Contact: Erin Miller, erin.miller@maine.edu 

The project team, made up of four senior biomedical engineering students, is developing an athletic shoe replacement indicator that measures structural changes in the footwear over time. Running shoes can lose cushioning and support after repeated loading cycles, even when visible wear is minimal. As the shoes’ midsoles degrade, impact forces transmitted to the body can increase, raising the risk of overuse injuries.

Replacing shoes too late is a common but overlooked problem among runners. Current methods for determining when to replace shoes, however, typically rely on mileage estimates or waiting for discomfort to occur.

“That solution is unreliable,” said 91±ŹÁÏ senior Paul Rudman, “If a shoe is replaced too late, the damage and wear might have already occurred. However, replacing before needed is costly, and the average person can not afford it.”

The team’s indicator would instead collect data related to activity and force changes within the show, translating that information into a clear indicator for users. 

By indicating when a shoe has been structurally compromised, the device aims to help runners make informed decisions that balance cost and health considerations. It is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing shoe constructions.

“The indicator will simply make key measurements of a person’s activity and force changes in the shoe to reliably indicate the most financially and healthily time to replace your shoe,” Rudman said.

Rudman focuses on modeling and materials design while also contributing to electrical component development. The other students involved in the project include Shawn Collins, who leads controller programming and testing; Mason Chase, who specializes in medical and design considerations; and Sreyas Sajen, who manages computations and force interaction analysis.

They are designing the replacement shoe indicator for their senior capstone project, which emphasizes applying interdisciplinary knowledge toward solving real world problems. Rudman and his colleagues are applying their past coursework in biomechanics, materials science and electronics curricula toward developing a product with clear market relevance.

“We learn to find existing problems and use the knowledge that we already possess to create a solution,” Rudman said.

The athletics shoe replacement indicator project highlights how undergraduate research at 91±ŹÁÏ can translate injury prevention research into practical technology aimed at supporting healthier movement for runners at all levels.

Story by William Bickford, graduate student writer

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

“At the time, I 3D printed face shields because health care workers were having an issue with PPE (personal protective equipment),” Goodell said. “That really started it for me. Making things from my computer come to real life is pretty awesome.”

Upon arriving at the 91±ŹÁÏ, Goodell was searching for a space where he could continue his hobby while meeting friends when he found the 3D Printing Club. Now as a junior, he serves as the club’s vice president with an assortment of skills gained from his tenure. 

Every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters, the club meets in the Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center to design and produce figurines based on movie characters, toy cars and boats, mechanical hands, bowls, vases and more. About a dozen members create digital designs and use industrial printers to make items ranging from fingernail-sized pieces to models as large as 17-cubic feet.

Students in the club work on individual and group projects, maintain equipment and teach new members how to use the printers. As a result, it serves as a collaborative space for learning, problem-solving and teamwork.

Goodell, who has been involved with the club since his first year, said the experience has helped him develop impressive skills he applies beyond the classroom. For example, he recently designed and printed a custom case to mount a Starlink device on top of his car, allowing him to access internet service in remote areas of northern Maine.

“Without a 3D printer, I wouldn’t have been able to make that case,” Goodell said. “I wouldn’t have Wi-Fi in the middle of nowhere.”

Club President Jack Bernado, a junior who’s studying mechanical engineering, said the experience has strengthened both his leadership and organizational skills. 

“It has made me better at leading a team and being part of a team,” Bernado said. “It has helped me be more organized with all the different prints being submitted, as well as all the people to reach out to.”

Club members are currently planning a pinewood derby race with cars made of 3D printed parts for the fall 2026 semester. 

“We’ll have our own track, and it’ll be a fun race,” Goodell said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what people make.”

The club includes mostly mechanical and electrical engineering students, along with some computer science majors, but Goodell and Bernardo say it is open to anyone interested and willing to show up and learn.

The group meets at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays in Room 337 of the Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center. Students interested in joining the club can contact Bernado at jack.bernado@maine.edu or Goodell at timothy.goodell@maine.edu.

Story by Rowan MacDonald, news intern.

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

According to the , more than 3,000 Maine children experience brain injuries each year, and an estimated 20% — or 600 children — experience more severe trauma. Yet only about 130 receive formal school-based support for these injuries and often they often do not get the care needed to thrive.Ìę

Jessica Riccardi, an assistant professor of communication sciences and disorders, leads the Brain Injury, Education, and Rehabilitation (BEaR) Lab at 91±ŹÁÏ. The team advances research as they support children with acquired brain injuries by working directly with them, their families and their practitioners to improve long-term outcomes for these children. Examples of support the lab provides includes professional development for schools and community organizations, consultation with educational teams on students with brain injury, and referring families to national, state and local resources for childhood brain injury. 

The team’s work is especially important in Maine, which does not have a pediatric rehabilitation hospital. The state’s only pediatric intensive care center is in Portland, limiting the availability of care options to children elsewhere in the state. Riccardi said the transition from hospital to school after traumatic brain injuries is often difficult for children, and Mainers feel the problem more intensely due to limited access to medical services for kids, particularly in rural communities. The direct work the lab does is important to improving detection and connecting children to resources.

In addition to improving long-term outcomes for children with brain injuries, Riccardi’s lab also offers graduate and undergraduate students research and hands-on experiences with clinical populations. 

One of these students is Elise DeRosby, a communication sciences and disorders major from Hampden, Maine. DeRosby has been working with Riccardi for nearly two years in research that complements her interests, including working face-to-face with people.

In collaboration with 91±ŹÁÏ’s Virtual Environment and Multimodal Interaction (VEMI) Lab, DeRosby recently helped run a project that uses virtual reality equipment to assess cognitive communication in kids with brain injuries. Cognitive communication is when cognitive skills, such as memory, attention, planning and organization, influence your communication abilities. 

“Think about it in a school setting,” Riccardi said. “If they have a hard time maintaining attention, they’re going to do poorly on a test, not because they don’t know the content, but because they didn’t pay attention in the first place.” 

To examine the cognitive communication of these kids, researchers put them in a virtual classroom where they had to make decisions in a simulated egg-drop science experiment. 

“They have to choose a design for which model of egg carrier,” said DeRosby. “They have to go through the process of picking a design, then instructions will tell them to collect materials and they have to assemble the design, then get the egg, put it in the design and drop it off bleachers in a school gym.”

Using this virtual reality scenario, researchers can collect data on a child’s decision-making, attention and processing, all of which are components of cognitive communication. While much more data collection is necessary for this project to be useful, Riccardi and DeRosby hope that their research will help in developing resources for clinicians, particularly speech-language pathologists, to serve kids with brain injuries.

DeRosby’s research experiences in the BEaR Lab and 91±ŹÁÏ more broadly have helped her understand what she wants to pursue in life. After originally pursuing molecular and cellular biology, DeRosby shifted to speech pathology to work more face-to-face with other people. 

With funding from 91±ŹÁÏ’s Center for Undergraduate Research, she was able to do that in the BEaR lab, studying art therapy for adults with brain injuries. Working with participants, learning about their injuries and experience and helping develop tools to help them was moving. 

“I think it is an eye-opening experience to get to interact with people. You don’t get that in the classroom,” said DeRosby. 

While the lab’s research is contributing to understanding childhood brain injuries, it is also helping to develop the next generation of researchers and professionals who will be working with the communities that need it most. 

“Our clients often say that the person who took a moment to understand their challenges was the person who really changed their recovery,” said Riccardi. Through her lab, Riccardi hopes the students in her lab can be “that person.”  Raising empathy and understanding for those with brain injuries is an important first step towards success in these individuals’ lives. 

“Taking the time to understand other people’s perspectives and where they come from,” DeRosby said, “any human can learn that, and it will make us all better.” 

If you are interested in learning more about the work Riccardi’s research team is doing, you can visit the BEaR Lab website, or contact Riccardi at jessica.riccardi@maine.edu. 

By Emma Beauregard, research media intern

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

Tenure for 17 of the faculty members was approved by the 91±ŹÁÏ System Board of Trustees on March 16.

“These promotions highlight the excellence of 91±ŹÁÏ’s faculty. Whether in the classroom, in the lab, or the field, their accomplishments are impressive and are a testament to their commitment to student success, discovery, and service to the state. We take great pride in the achievements of these faculty,” says Gabriel Paquette, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at 91±ŹÁÏ.

“Each promotion and tenure decision reflects both individual excellence and the strength of our academic community,” said 91±ŹÁÏ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. “As a learner-centered R1 university, we advance research that matters while keeping students at the heart of all we do. These faculty exemplify that mission.”

91±ŹÁÏ

Promoted to Professor

• College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences
  • Alicia Cruz-Uribe, Petrology and Mineralogy
  • Adam Daigneault, Forest Policy and Economics
  • Shawn Fraver, Forest Ecology
  • Daniel Hayes, Geospatial Analysis and Remote Sensing
  • Anil Kizhakkepurakkal, Forest Operations
  • Melissa Maginnis, Microbiology
  • Caroline Noblet, Economics
  • Aaron Putnam, Earth Sciences
  • Kelley Strout, Nursing
  • Timothy Waring, Social-Ecological Systems of Modeling
• College of Education and Human Development
  • Catharine Biddle, Educational Leadership
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Ryan Dippre, English
  • William Gramlich, Chemistry
  • Gregory Zaro, Anthropology and Climate Change
• Maine College of Engineering and Computing
  • Caitlin Howell, Bioengineering
  • Thomas Schwartz, Chemical Engineering

Promoted to Extension Professor

• Cooperative Extension
  • Colt Knight, Extension Livestock Educator

Promoted to Professor with Tenure

• College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences
  • Lisa Kerr, Fisheries Science

Granted Tenure at Current Rank of Professor

• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Jonathan Barron, English

Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure

• College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences
  • Noah Charney, Conservation Biology
  • Katherine Weatherford Darling, Health Science
  • Philip Fanning, Agricultural Entomology
  • Jonathan Malacarne, Agricultural Economics
  • Jane Puhlman, Communication Sciences and Disorders
  • Jessica Riccardi, Communication Sciences and Disorders
• College of Education and Human Development
  • Melissa Cuba, Special Education
  • Kathleen Gillon, Higher Education
  • Daniel Puhlman, Family Studies
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Gilbert Moss, Mathematics
  • Neel Patel, Mathematics
  • Franziska Peterson, Mathematics Education
  • Nimesha Ranasinghe, Spatial Informatics
  • Johanna Richlin, Anthropology
  • Jane Wang, Mathematics

Promoted to Associate Extension Professor with Continuing Contract

• Cooperative Extension
  • Sean Birkel, Climate Services
  • Michael Habte-tsion, Fish Nutrition
  • Glenda Pereira Parente, Animal Science/Dairy Specialist

Promoted to Associate Professor

• College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences
  • Christina Murphy, USGS Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Promoted to Senior Lecturer with Just-Cause 

• College of Education and Human Development
  • Maria Frankland, Educational Leadership
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Matthew Bates, Mathematics

91±ŹÁÏ at Machias

Promoted to Senior Lecturer with Just-Cause 

• 91±ŹÁÏ at Machias
  • Daniel Ellis, English

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

The cohort is implementing ReuseME, a pilot program in partnership with the coastal towns of Bar Harbor, Bath and South Portland. Participating eateries include Cafe This Way and Coffee Matter/Mother’s Kitchen in Bar Harbor, Solo Pane in Bath, and Second Rodeo Coffee and Verbena in South Portland.

By testing the viability of reusable takeout packaging in participating restaurants, students are at the forefront of developing a model that reduces waste, prevents plastic pollution and saves local businesses and municipalities money on the purchase and disposal of single-use food and beverage packaging.

Throughout this project, 91±ŹÁÏ student researchers are working directly with these businesses to track results and analyze usage patterns to refine the returnable model.

“The driver for this project has been a focus on wanting to maintain and protect Maine’s coastal environment because it’s a very important part of the state’s culture,” said Ryan Kennedy, a 91±ŹÁÏ senior in the Department of Anthropology.

Kennedy, an undergraduate research assistant on the project, has been involved since the initial baseline surveys last June. They noted that the team met with restaurant owners to discuss their establishments’ capabilities and customer habits.

“I want to help bring cost savings to the frontline because that drives most business decisions,” Kennedy said. “On the commercial side, choosing between the wallet and the planet can be difficult. With the cost of everything going up, people want to know if a change will save them money. By providing hard data to businesses and a simple message to its customers, we can show that sustainable swaps don’t have to be a complicated transition.”

These five local eateries now offer diners the option of having their food and/or beverage packaged in returnable stainless steel containers. Customers can check out these containers by signing up for a free account in the Recirclable app. After enjoying their takeout meals, customers can return the containers to any of the participating establishments.

“I think we’re starting to see people realize how easy it is to make more sustainable swaps,” Kennedy said. 

In just a little over a month since the Reuse Maine pilot project launched, more than 100 customers across the state have borrowed nearly 500 reusable containers. 

Other student researchers involved in the project include Chyanne Yoder, Catherine Segada, Gianna DeJoy, William Brenneman and Alejandro Snell. They are joined by project advisor Cindy Isenhour, a professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Climate Change Institute.

As part of an extensive, interdisciplinary effort to mitigate marine pollution, the project is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Maine Sea Grant and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The support allows the team to tackle environmental challenges while providing student researchers with the resources needed to develop scalable, real-world solutions.

“I think the hard data and transparency between the businesses, their customers and our team is what’s really driving the success and the happiness with this project,” Kennedy said. “It helps people feel like they’re making a difference without having to go out of their way. It’s just a part of their routine when they pick up a coffee or grab lunch.”

Story by Alexa Rose Perocillo, news intern

Contact: Marcus Wolf, marcus.wolf@maine.edu; Cindy Isenhour, cynthia.isenhour@maine.edu

The team designed the app so event organizers can instantly notify student users when they have leftovers available by sharing posts with pictures, locations, event end times and potential allergens or dietary restrictions. 

“We’re taking out two birds with one stone here, trying to reduce some food waste and trying to give students just a little something for a bit more reliable nutrition on campus that’s free and accessible,” said Moody-Broen, a computer science major and English minor, and his colleagues. 

The project was one of more than 350 on display during the 91±ŹÁÏ Student Symposium for Research and Creative Activity on April 17. From lobster shell styrofoam and a shark fossil study to an autonomous model race car and a community loom, the event demonstrated the hard work and ingenuity of undergraduate and graduate students from both 91±ŹÁÏ and its regional campus, the 91±ŹÁÏ at Machias. 

The symposium reflects 91±ŹÁÏ’s commitment being a learner-centered R1 that offers hands-on, real-world research learning opportunities, where undergraduate students work directly with faculty and industry partners to tackle challenges facing Maine communities.

Participating in the symposium not only allows students to showcase their work, but also develop skills in poster design, presentation, communication and networking, all of which will serve them in future careers and advanced degree programs. For Moody-Broen, the event served as an opportunity to test how he presents his work and gain more exposure to his field.

“I think it’s great to be interacting with other researchers and other products and seeing what that looks like in an early professional, late graduate setting,” he said. “It’s good to be able to get your work out there for the first time.”

Over 200 judges from 91±ŹÁÏ and the community perused the posters and interviewed the students about their work. Among them was David Barrett, lecturer in accounting for the Maine Business School, who returned for a second year to support the students and enjoy their “really neat research.”

“What I’m looking for is that the presenter knows what they’re talking about and can communicate it effectively,” he said during the event. “Getting students more practice and getting them more comfortable with talking about something with someone they’ve never met is a massively important skill for students to have as they go out of that comfort zone.” 

Several rows down, Mya Griffith, a master’s student studying aquaculture and aquatic resources, presented her project to a judge, detailing her group’s ongoing investigation into the bioaccumulation of a group of toxic chemicals known as PFAS in seafood. Her team plans to integrate monitoring, predictive modeling and intervention for seafood food systems. 

For Griffith, participating in the symposium helps her refine her communication skills and network, both of which will help her toward pursuing a Ph.D. and career in sustainable agriculture. She also cares that people hear more about the issues she researches. 

“Even though I don’t have results, I want to bring awareness to it,” she said, “collaboration with the community is super important. And just raising awareness and making sure that people understand that these things are occurring in the environment and that they do affect us as humans, is super important.”

91±ŹÁÏ’s Center for Undergraduate Research has hosted a student symposium since 2008. At their first symposium, only 98 projects were presented. Now there are more than seven times that. The growth has been made possible by students, staff, faculty and community members investing their time and effort into the research experience. It is also aided by generosity of community sponsors who help cover the costs of the event itself. 

“As you go around today, I encourage you to ask our students what is their ‘why?’ and what they love about research. Please support them through the journey that actually never stops,” said Giovanna Guidoboni, interim vice president for research and dean of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing, during her remarks at the symposium. “Today is an opportunity to engage, connect and learn, be curious, ask questions and embrace the unexpected connections that emerge from conversations across the community.” 

Jordan Potter, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering, stood alongside his partners and their poster ready to answer questions about their project, “Smart Scrubs: Enhanced Scrubs for Medical Personnel.” The group was designing moisture-resistant scrubs to protect healthcare workers from contaminants and prevent microbe colonization microbes through the application of water-resistant and microbiostatic coatings.

“What I want to do directly after I graduate is go to graduate school,” Potter said, adding that participating in the symposium helps me prepare for grad school because of the aspect of getting to present to people.I get to meet new people and tell them what we’ve been working on.”

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

This year’s recipients are:

• Mehdi Tajvidi, Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award.
• Darren Ranco, Presidential Public Engagement Achievement Award.
• Jay Wason, Presidential Outstanding Teaching Award.
• Melissa Ladenheim, Black Bear Award for Extraordinary Impact.
• William Davids, Presidential Innovation Award.

“These awards recognize the very best of the 91±ŹÁÏ,” said President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. “Each of these individuals demonstrates a deep commitment to excellence, innovation and service. Their work strengthens our university, advances knowledge and makes a meaningful difference for the people of Maine and beyond.”

Mehdi Tajvidi

Presidential Research and Creative Achievement Award

Mehdi Tajvidi, professor of renewable nanomaterials in the School of Forest Resources and Advanced Structures and Composites Center, is recognized for internationally distinguished research and scholarship. The award honors faculty whose work contributes knowledge to issues of local, national and global significance.

Since joining 91±ŹÁÏ in 2013, Tajvidi has focused on the production, characterization and performance of renewable nanomaterials and their composites. His research centers on cellulose nanomaterials for applications including coatings, packaging and building products, spanning work from foundational science to industrial trials.

“Mehdi’s work reflects research leadership that brings global visibility to 91±ŹÁÏ while delivering real value to our state,” Ferrini-Mundy said. “His focus on sustainable innovation is helping address important challenges in materials and manufacturing.”

Tajvidi’s lab has developed bio-based alternatives to synthetic materials, including technologies to replace formaldehyde-based resins in building products and PFAS in molded fiber packaging, as well as foam products used in packaging. He has also launched a line of research in mycelium-based biocomposites, using fungal materials to produce low-density insulation and packaging products.

His work supports collaborations with Maine-based and national companies and contributes to new product development in the forest products industry. He also mentors graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and undergraduates who have gone on to careers in academia, industry and national laboratories.

Darren Ranco

Presidential Public Engagement Achievement Award

Darren Ranco, professor of anthropology, faculty fellow in the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, and chair of Native American Programs, is recognized for public engagement that applies academic expertise to enhance the public good.

Since returning to Maine in 2009, Ranco, a Penobscot Nation citizen who grew up in Orono, has worked with Wabanaki Tribal Nations on environmental and cultural issues. His work includes leadership on responses to the emerald ash borer, an invasive species that threatens ash trees used in traditional basket making. His efforts contributed to agreements among tribal nations, the state and federal agencies.

“Darren’s work reflects a deep commitment to partnership and to connecting the university’s expertise with community needs,” Ferrini-Mundy said. “He builds relationships that lead to meaningful, lasting impact.”

He has also supported tribal climate resilience and land return efforts, working with communities to develop priorities, establish baselines and create plans to address environmental change. 

Ranco has contributed to strengthening relationships between the university and tribal communities, including efforts to support collaboration and culturally informed research practices.

His public engagement includes educational initiatives supporting the development of Wabanaki studies curriculum, public talks, working with legislators to support environmentally and culturally sound legislation, and participation in projects that address community needs.

Jay Wason

Presidential Outstanding Teaching Award

Jay Wason, associate professor of forest ecosystem physiology in the School of Forest Resources, is recognized for advancing student learning through teaching and mentorship.

Since joining 91±ŹÁÏ in 2018, Wason has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in forest biology, plant structure and function, and research methods. His teaching emphasizes scientific thinking and applying knowledge to new problems.

“Jay’s teaching reflects a commitment to student learning that both challenges and supports students,” Ferrini-Mundy said. “He helps students build confidence and apply their knowledge in meaningful ways.”

His courses incorporate hands-on laboratory work, group activities and opportunities for students to design experiments and analyze data. These approaches support active learning and encourage students to engage directly with course material.

Student evaluations consistently highlight his preparation, clarity and enthusiasm, as well as his ability to help students understand complex topics.

In addition to teaching, Wason mentors undergraduate and graduate students and contributes to instructional development within his department.

Melissa Ladenheim

Black Bear Award for Extraordinary Impact

Melissa Ladenheim, associate dean of the Honors College, is recognized for exceeding expectations and making an extraordinary impact through service and leadership.

She coordinates the Maine Day Meal Packout, a campus-wide initiative that provides meals to food-insecure communities across the state. A central part of Maine Day Week of Service, the effort engages approximately 400 to 500 volunteers each year. Since its early years in the 2010s, the initiative will surpass 800,000 meals packed and distributed with the culmination of this year’s event.

“Melissa’s leadership shows how service can bring people together while creating opportunities for students to lead,” Ferrini-Mundy said. “Her work inspires a strong culture of engagement on campus and beyond.”

The Maine Day Meal Packout is student-driven, with a leadership team playing key roles in fundraising, logistics and partnerships, while Ladenheim oversees and coordinates the initiative. Through that work, students gain experience in leadership, project management and community engagement while contributing to a statewide effort to address food insecurity.

Ladenheim is also involved in the Servant Heart Research Collaborative, which develops educational initiatives addressing social and learning challenges in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Haiti and Uganda. Through this work, she helped create and build the National Education Test Tool, an online platform that prepares students in Sierra Leone for national exams, as well as the Attachment Theory Workshop, a caregiver training program focused on fostering healthy attachments in children who have experienced trauma.

Her work reflects a sustained commitment to service and student development, with impact across campus, throughout Maine and internationally.

Bill Davids

Presidential Innovation Award

Bill Davids, Bodwell University Distinguished Professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering, is recognized for translating research into technologies with economic and societal impact.

Over nearly three decades at 91±ŹÁÏ, Davids has focused on engineering research that supports innovation and real-world application. He is a co-inventor of the CT Girder, a fiber-reinforced polymer bridge beam that is significantly lighter than steel and resistant to corrosion. The technology has been used in bridge construction projects in Maine, Rhode Island and Florida.

“Bill’s work demonstrates how research at 91±ŹÁÏ can translate into practical solutions that strengthen infrastructure and support economic development,” Ferrini-Mundy said. “He connects innovation with real-world impact.”

He has also contributed to the development of the Continuous Forming Machine, a manufacturing technology for fiber-reinforced thermoplastic materials. This work has supported the creation of a startup company that is generating revenue, attracting investment and building a manufacturing facility in Maine.

His research has also contributed to improved methods for evaluating and maintaining bridges, helping extend the service life of infrastructure and reduce the need for repair and replacement.

Through collaboration with students and industry partners, Davids’ work has produced practical outcomes that advance engineering practice and support infrastructure solutions.

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

Those meals will be assembled during the Maine Day Meal Packout (MDMP) on Wednesday, April 29, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in the New Balance Field House. 

“Hundreds of volunteers — spanning individual students and faculty, community partners, sports teams and entire classes — show up to work together and accomplish an incredible amount of work,” said Valleli, an ecology and environmental sciences major who serves as the MDMP marketing and communications chair. “What the Maine Day Meal Packout initiative does communicate is that countless people — from the hundreds of individual volunteers packing each meal to the devoted student leaders or the philanthropic backers of the event — are willing to show up and make a difference together.”

Led by the members of the MDMP student leadership team, which includes Valleli, the initiative is on track to exceed last year’s goal of assembling and distributing over 50,000 meals in just a few hours. By the end of the event, the MDMP will mark the 800,000th meal packed at 91±ŹÁÏ since the initiative launched.

The project originated in 2017 as the “Hungry 100K,” after students were challenged to surpass Harvard as the top meal-packing university in New England. Spearheaded by Melissa Ladenheim, associate dean of the Honors College, the initiative rebranded as the Maine Day Meal Packout in 2018. Since then, it has maintained a consistent impact, even continuing through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and campus cancellations.

“The Maine Day Meal Packout is a truly extraordinary, transformative event that brings the campus together in service of a key element of 91±ŹÁÏ’s land-grant mission: to have a positive impact on the broader community of which we are a part,” said Honors College Dean Ellen Weinauer. “Thanks to the remarkable and enduring effort on the part of student leaders and their mentors, the Maine Day Meal Packout has justifiably become one of the 91±ŹÁÏ initiatives of which we can be most proud.”

In addition to bake sales, the student leadership team fundraised for the event through soliciting individual donations, garnering support from philanthropic organizations, participating in broader initiatives like the Maine Credit Union League’s Campaign for Ending Hunger and securing grants such as the Alton ’38 and Adelaide Hamm Campus Activity Fund.

“Maine is a small and tight-knit community, so when I’m presenting to fellow Mainers, everyone I’m speaking to has seen the impact of hunger,” said Ruth Griffith, a senior majoring in economics and the 2026 Valedictorian. Griffith serves as the MDMP fundraising chair and overall student coordinator. “When speaking with corporate donors who may not realize the scope of the Maine Day Meal Packout, I focus on the scale of their contribution. For example, I discuss how a $1,000 donation could feed 2,500 people, and how that goes a long way toward feeding hungry Mainers.”

Most participating food pantries pick up the meals at 91±ŹÁÏ, but students have delivered them to those that cannot come to campus to ensure people gain-access to much needed sustenance. Pantry operators sometimes join other volunteers in packing meals during the event. 

“The pickup and distribution of the meals is definitely the hardest part because some of our partners have a three-hour commute each way,” said Jasper Makowski, a senior majoring in microbiology who works directly with the food pantry recipients. “Taking the time to get to Orono is a huge challenge, especially for some of the mom-and-pop operations. Luckily, we have a great number of supporters who are willing to drive and deliver to some of these rural locations, but a significant challenge every year is making sure we can actually get the meals to the food bank.”

Students drive the success of the MDMP, gaining leadership skills through a committee system covering fundraising, outreach, partnerships, communications and logistics. For student leaders like Makowski, Griffith and Valleli, the event offers a tangible way to support fellow Mainers while developing professional expertise in project management.

“The Maine Day Meal Packout is a ‘win-win-win’—it’s a win for our students, it’s a win for the campus and it’s a win for the community,” said Ladenheim. “I am incredibly grateful for this year’s student leadership team. This group has been the most cohesive, collaborative and effective team I have ever worked with.”

Story by Alexa Rose Perocillo, news intern

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

“Rachel and Kalli are exceptional students who have achieved great things not only in the classroom, but across campus and our community,” said 91±ŹÁÏ Machias Dean Megan Walsh. 

D’Alessandro works as a phlebotomist, and plans to enter a medical lab technician program. Immersing herself in health sciences during her undergraduate career, she attended a week-long course at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, during spring break in 2025.

“I plan to use my experience and the degrees I am receiving at 91±ŹÁÏ Machias to continue and further my career in the medical field,” D’Alessandro said. 

With a passion for the outdoors, D’Alessandro worked for Project SHARE, an organization dedicated to Atlantic Salmon conservation, in the summer of 2023 and 2025. She participated in several Outing Club events, including a hike at Tunk Mountain, a canoe paddle at Six Mile Lake and a ski trip at Big Rock Mountain, where she learned how to snowboard.

“I also enjoyed regular events on campus like intramurals, bingo, paint and sips, terrarium building and all kinds of other events,” she said. 

Deeply connected to her hometown, Sternberg, who also pursued a concentration in elementary education and a minor in creative writing, recently completed her student teaching at Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School in Machias. Sternberg worked under Caitlyn Roy, who was her own teacher in fifth grade. While studying at 91±ŹÁÏ Machias, she earned her Wilderness First Responder license during one of her courses. 

“I hope to give back to my Washington County community by teaching locally!” Sternberg said. “Eventually, I plan to pursue a master’s degree in the educational space and perhaps earn a graduate Certificate in Outdoor Education and Leadership.” 

She volunteers with Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG), the only non profit organization in Maine that offers support for students as they transition from middle school to high school, through high school graduation and onto post-secondary education. By partnering with Maine’s middle and high schools, community colleges and the 91±ŹÁÏ System, JMG promotes degree attainment and pathways to careers.

Sternberg is also the student representative for the 91±ŹÁÏ Machias Curriculum Committee, which is responsible for developing recommendations to add, drop or restructure academic programs and individual courses. 

Recently, she met with the Maine Department of Education to discuss 91±ŹÁÏ Machias’ Rural Education program. 

“I enjoy being a student ambassador and  talking to prospective students about the program!” she said.  

Contact: Jacqueline Leonard, jacqueline.leonard@maine.edu 

These questions serve as the inspiration behind the latest book from Caroline Bicks, professor of English at the 91±ŹÁÏ, which delves into the creative methodology of 91±ŹÁÏ’s most famous literary alumnus, Stephen King, by leveraging unprecedented access to his archives.

“Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King” is an exploration of King’s process through an examination of five of his earliest works: “Carrie,” “Salem’s Lot,” “The Shining,” “Pet Sematary” and “Night Shift.” The public launch party for “Monsters in the Archives” will take place at 6:30 p.m. today  at Orono Brewing Company and will feature a conversation between Bicks and Justin Soderberg.

Through close readings of early drafts and comparisons to the final products, Bicks shows us how editorial choices and changes, whether large or small, can impact the flashlight-illuminated pages under the bedcovers that we ultimately experience.

But the book is also a story about Bicks’s own relationship with King’s work, from her discovery of the author’s work at a local library as a teenager through her 2017 appointment as the inaugural Stephen E. King Chair in Literature at 91±ŹÁÏ and the writing of this book. The result is a blend of the personal and professional that is simultaneously scholarly and eminently readable.

Four years into her time at 91±ŹÁÏ, she received an unexpected phone call from King.

“I was pretty flabbergasted; it turned out he just thought it was time we meet,” said Bicks. “I invited him to come talk to the students on campus about ‘Lisey’s Story’ and ‘On Writing,’ and he said yes, and it was just this magical first meeting I had with him. Seeing how passionate he was about talking to the students, how much he wanted to come back, and how much pleasure he took from it. It was really just a lovely way to meet him.”

Bicks was a longtime fan of King’s work, having read it since discovering and falling in love with it in the Castine Public Library when she was 12 years old (coming to the author’s work perhaps a touch early, as so many of us do). And while the old adage might say “never meet your heroes,” Bicks had the opposite experience. In fact, his generosity and kindness were a big reason why, when her year-long sabbatical approached, she reached out about this project.

“I felt comfortable enough to ask him and Tabitha,” she said. “I knew that they had just collected his manuscripts, a lot of them for the first time, and put them in a climate-controlled space attached to their home in Bangor, but that they hadn’t opened it up yet to people. I thought, ‘Well, this is opportunity knocking.’ An amazing opportunity if they say yes.”

It’s worth noting that Bicks wasn’t certain what this book was going to be when she made the ask. In essence, she had an idea to write about the books that scared her the most as a teenager and to try and understand how he crafted them.

“How did he craft these moments that are so iconic, that have stuck in the heads of so many people?,” Bicks said. “Fifty years after the fact, I can still talk to people my age who vividly remember Danny Glick at the window in ‘Salem’s Lot.’ And not just because of the movie. They actually remember the phrases that he wrote.

The question surrounding how he wrote these memorable moments was the seed that would eventually grow into “Monsters in the Archives.” Bicks narrowed her focus to the five aforementioned King works, the ones that hit her hardest and scared her the most when she first read them as a teenager.

“As a scholar, you’re taught not to bring your personal feelings into your work,” she said. “And I see the value in that to a point. But at the same time, I study gender and Shakespeare because I care about issues of gender. I really felt liberated to go in and say, ‘I’m just going to look at these because they’re the ones that scared me the most.’ I’m going to go revisit these stories. I’m going to reread them. I’m going to look at them with the eyes of a literature scholar.

“I’m bringing that view that I have that I didn’t have when I was a teenager,” she continued. “But I’m not going to lose my childhood reactions to it. I don’t want to lose what makes these such compelling stories, which is that they connect to our deepest fears. And everyone reacts differently. Everyone has a different story that scared them the most. At the same time, certain ones have staying power because they connect to issues we all face and fears we all have.

When Bicks finally ventured into the archives, the materials, particularly those that had yet to be examined, were “beyond my wildest dreams,” she said. 

What followed was months of research, with Bicks making the trip to visit the archives for at least a couple of eight-hour days per week, focusing on one of the five works at a time. 

Among the many joys Bicks derived from the process was the discovery of just how many different versions of these stories existed. Just as one example, there were three complete versions of “Pet Sematary,” all of which she worked her way through. Bicks — a self-professed slow reader — took something like three weeks to work her way through those three versions of “Pet Sematary.” After that? Right back into it.

“My days were filled with close reading, just going through these different versions,” she said. “First off, I just have to read and take notes and see what’s what. You can’t take photographs, so a lot of notes.”

One such change in “Pet Sematary” really captured Bicks’s imagination, as a slight alteration turned a good line into an iconic one, among the most memorable in the book.

“‘Dead is better,’ which is almost the hallmark of that book,” said Bicks. “It started as ‘Death is better.’ ‘Death is better’ is so different from ‘Dead is better.’  It still gives me chills. It is so much better and it’s one little change, right?

“And you can see why it became ‘Dead is better.’ It echoes, right? I was so pleased to find out that he still considers that the line that is the one that sticks with him the most from that novel,” she said.

Not every deep dive played out in the same way, however. For some, like “Night Shift,” the process involved following the collection’s various short stories through their publication histories. King was a working writer, selling stories to whatever outlets would take them, including a number of men’s magazines, which were once quite prolific publishers of short fiction. For others, like “Carrie,” Bicks would see a first draft that was significantly different from the book as it would ultimately be published.

But while some aspects of the editorial process varied somewhat from book to book, Bicks would discover that the writing process itself stayed largely the same. That included some surprising discoveries about the physical act of writing and the logistical and financial realities of such, including learning that King made a conscious effort to use as much of each sheet of paper as possible.

“He’s fitting it in as few pieces of paper as he can, because he had to,” she said. “I don’t think people today fully understand that. Paper costs money; he had to consider the materials needed in the creation of a book. The act itself had financial issues tied to it. You couldn’t just store it on a computer or in the cloud.”

That physical necessity also meant that there would occasionally be issues. Pages could get misplaced or ruined. There are a couple of incidents recounted in the book that feel genuinely harrowing, particularly to a fan of King’s work, tales of one book’s ending or another entire draft lost due to circumstance. The analog nature of it all is easy to forget until we’re confronted with the idea that a beloved horror classic might have simply disappeared because a briefcase got left in a cab or on a plane.

This book couldn’t have happened without the approval of the Kings. Bicks considers herself fortunate to have been given the opportunity — she’s the first scholar to be granted this kind of long-term ongoing access to the archive, something that simply would not have been possible without trust and transparency.

“I think he and Tabitha understood what I was trying to do,” she said. “I said to them, ‘I’m not interested in exposing your family secrets or psychoanalyzing deep, dark things.’ I’m coming at this as a literary scholar and as a fan. I really just wanted to look at these five works. I was very clear about my parameters. I wasn’t going in there to just paw through boxes.”

The end result of this lengthy literary odyssey is a very special book. It’s a work of thoughtful and compelling scholarship that is also reflective of one person’s personal journey with a beloved author. It is bibliographic and biographical all in one. “I’d like to think I did him proud,” said Bicks. “I know he likes the book. He read it and he said it’s ‘like a breath of fresh air,’ so that makes me feel really good. Like I got it right.”

Contact: Allen Adams, allen.adams@maine.edu

Mark Bolduc ’84 and his daughter Natalie Bolduc Nicols ’17, ’22G have gone on many outdoor adventures together, but in the spring of 2025, they embarked on their longest and most challenging journey to date: a thru-hike of the famous Appalachian Trail (AT). 

A continuous footpath that measures about 2,200 miles long, the AT offers an arduous journey as it follows the Appalachian Mountain Range from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. On average, the trek takes five to seven months to complete — for those who get that far. 

“With thru-hiking together, if you’re not compatible, it’s not going to work,” Mark Bolduc said. “If you aren’t the same speed, same attitude, same goals 
 So to be able to do it with my daughter is just tremendous, just a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Of the hundreds of hikers who set out to hike the entire trail each spring, only about a quarter of them make it to the end. Illness and injury cause many to stop early, while other challenges such as lack of funding and plummeting morale take others off the trail. 

“It’s a really big commitment,” Natalie Nicols said. “But sometimes in life you just have to commit to things and not look back.”

The two had toyed with the idea of hiking the AT for years. In the winter of 2024, the stars aligned. Natalie Nicols, who earned her degree in nursing, was between jobs in healthcare, and Mark Bolduc, president of The Fitch Company engineering firm, could plan ahead to take time off of work. Perhaps most importantly, both were in good physical health for the long-distance trek.

“I was totally on board with it,” said Kim Archambault Bolduc ’84, wife of Mark Bolduc and mother of Natalie Nicols. “It’s something they’d been talking about for years. They’re both very determined, and they love the outdoors.”

“Life goes by,” Natalie Nicols said. “You can always talk about things, but sometimes you have to just send it.”

Going the distance

Mark and Kim Bolduc of Dixfield met at 91±ŹÁÏ in 1983, and both graduated the following year. All three of their children are also 91±ŹÁÏ graduates.

The family has always done outdoor activities together like camping, skiing and hiking, but when it comes to endurance outdoor sports, Mark Bolduc and Natalie Nicols take things to the next level. Together, they ran the 2014 Sugarloaf Marathon and did so well that they qualified for the prestigious Boston Marathon, which they ran in 2015. 

In more recent years, they both raced in the 2023 Big Brad 50K Ultra Trail Race at Bradbury Mountain State Park in Pownal. They also completed the 2024 Northwoods Gravel Grind, a 70-mile bike race on logging roads northwest of Rangeley. And they participated in the 2024 Uphill Will SkiMo event, a 24-hour uphill ski event during which the two hiked over 22,000 vertical feet together in a blizzard. (Natalie Nicols tied for first for the women, and they came in ninth place overall.)

“Basically they’re the same person,” said CĂ©line Bolduc Weeks ’20, ’22G, who is Natalie Nicols’ sister and Mark Bolduc’s daughter. “Me and my brother call our sister ‘Mini Mark.’ They’re similar in so many ways. When one of them wants to do something, the other one has to do it.”

In February 2025, while preparing for their Appalachian Trail trek, the two participated in Last Skier Standing, an unusual endurance event held annually at Black Mountain of Maine in Rumford. Participants hike up the mountain on skis, then ski down, once per hour — until they decide to quit. The last skier standing wins. 

Mark Bolduc completed 18 laps, then tapped out to address an electrolyte imbalance. Natalie Nicols completed 38 laps, winning the women’s event.  

“I really enjoy having something to train for, and then just getting to the event and seeing how much we can push ourselves physically and mentally,” Natalie Nicols said. “It makes me feel so good. It’s like a drug, honestly.”

“I’ve created a monster,” Mark Bolduc said. 

Prepping for the long journey

After deciding to hike the Appalachian Trail, the duo had over a year to plan and prepare. 

“It was something to really look forward to and we felt really prepared going in — though a little anxious,” Natalie Nicols said. “[My dad] had never really backpacked before, and I’d only done a total of three one-night backpacking trips in Maine.”

Backpacking involves carrying the gear you need to survive in the backcountry for multiple days and nights. Usually that includes a tent, cookstove, sleeping bag, water purifier, food, extra clothing and other necessities. For tips, they listened to podcasts about long-distance hiking, and they tested out their camping equipment by tenting in their backyard.

“We slept horribly,” Mark Bolduc said, chuckling. “The next week, Natalie ordered us zero degree, zipper quilts, and we got sleeping bag liners.”

When the father-daughter team arrived in Georgia to start their hike on February 28, 2025, they visited the visitor center at Amicalola Falls State Park to register as thru-hikers. They also took a lesson on how to safely hang their food in a tree so it wouldn’t be eaten by bears at night. 

“We were complete novices,” Mark Bolduc said. “We went from zero backpacking experience and within two weeks, we had it pretty much figured out.”

Snow, snakes, and aches

Though the father-daughter team was physically fit and well prepared, the AT tested them from the beginning. About a week into their trek, they ran into a blizzard at about 5,000 feet above sea level and had to hunker down for the night.

“I’m like, ‘OK, this is real,’” Natalie Nicols said. “We were very happy to have our zero-degree sleeping bags 
 Setting up the tent, my hands were very cold and I was almost in a state of shock.”

Inside their tent, they shared a warm meal (thanks to their tiny backpacking stove) and tried to sleep as snow accumulated outside. In the morning, they laced up frozen boots and continued onward. 

“The sun came up, and it was gorgeous,” Natalie Nicols said. “When the sun hit our faces, it felt like a little heater. We finally felt warm.” 

The two quickly adapted to life on the trail. While they didn’t run into any trouble with bears, they constantly kept an eye out for venomous snakes and disease-carrying ticks.

Though they experienced the typical aches and pains that come with hiking every day, they were lucky to avoid any major injuries or illness. Natalie Nicols, with her education in healthcare, constantly monitored their health, and the two prioritized good nutrition and hygiene. Every few days, they’d leave the trail and travel into town to do laundry, eat fresh food, shower and sleep in a real bed.

“We definitely depended on each other,” Mark Bolduc said. “We both had a ‘no quit’ mentality. Quitting wasn’t an option.”

They also depended on their family back home. Each night, they’d video chat with various family members, telling stories from the trail and getting updates about the “real world.” Natalie Nicols wrote in a blog daily, and Mark Bolduc planned the days ahead.

Crossing state lines

The AT travels through 14 states as it traces the spine of the Appalachians. Some highlights along the way include the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee, Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

“We loved the whole trail, but obviously we had our favorite sections,” Mark Bolduc said. “We absolutely loved Georgia. Every mountain had these beautiful campsites.”

The two moved fast, hiking about 20 miles a day. By starting early in the season, they aimed to stay ahead of “the bubble,” a large cluster of hikers that naturally forms on the AT each season. While this group offers companionship and camaraderie, it also means crowded campsites and hiker hostels. 

In 2025, more than 3,600 hikers registered to thru-hike the AT. The father-daughter team managed to stay ahead of most of them.

“We were so far ahead of the bubble that it was quiet on the trail,” Mark Bolduc said. “We went full days sometimes without seeing any hikers. We didn’t mind.”

Of the hikers they did meet, they quickly formed friendships. They also connected with “trail angels,” locals who help thru-hikers by offering food, rides into town and places to sleep. 

“We met so many people that we’re still in touch with,” Mark Bolduc said. “There are people who’ve already stayed with us in Rangeley since [finishing the trail].”

Long-distance hikers usually adopt trail names. On the AT, Natalie Nicols became “Glam Girl,” a name bestowed on her by a Georgia local in response to her well-manicured nails. Mark Bolduc became “Hunger Pains,” a nod to his greatest challenge on the trail: consuming enough calories. Due to his fast metabolism and their constant hiking, he sometimes had to eat up to 6,000 calories a day.

The two stuck together, never hiking separately. This gave them ample opportunities to chat and laugh — and on rare occasions, argue.

“We’d go off on some really funny conversations,” Natalie Nicols said. “It’d just be us, talking in the middle of the woods.”

If they needed a break from each other, they’d simply pop in headphones and listen to music or podcasts. Doing this would help them break up the monotony of hiking day in and day out.

“The trail taught me to be a little more resilient and roll with the punches,” Natalie Nicols said. “I’m a very type A kind of person, so if something doesn’t go my way, I get antsy. The AT taught me to simmer down a little and everything will be OK.”

“It also teaches you that the human body is incredible,” Mark Bolduc said. “Every night when we were done hiking, we were sore 
 Then we’d get up the next day, put on our packs, and hike 20 miles, and it was fine.”

Walking homeÌę

Once the two reached Maine, they were back in familiar territory. But they had one last major challenge: Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness, the longest span of the AT that doesn’t cross any paved roads or pass through any towns. In mid-June, it was brutally hot and buggy.

“I was the most miserable I’d been on the whole trail,” Natalie Nicols said. “Mosquitoes, blackflies and horseflies — I was just covered.” 

They were joined by Natalie’s husband, Ryan Nicols ’18, who had provided off-trail support throughout their journey.

“When the going gets tough, (Natalie) has always been one to bear down and just keep chugging along and get it done, and I think that mentality carried her through on the Appalachian Trail hike,” said Ryan Nicols. “Mark’s the same way. They’re both very strong-willed.”

Joined by a small group of family and friends, the father-daughter team finished the AT atop Katahdin, Maine’s tallest mountain, on June 26. It took them 119 days — or about four months. 

“It was just one of the most special moments of my life,” Natalie Nicols said. “We started and finished together, side by side. I wouldn’t have been able to do that alone, and I’m OK with admitting it. I wouldn’t want to. I just always felt safe with my dad there.”

The AT taught them to cherish the small things in life — things like shelter, good food and the company of family and friends. And while the journey was certainly a physical challenge, it was their grit and optimism that carried them to the end.

“I’d say it’s 80 percent mental,” Natalie Nicols said. “We really did have positive vibes, and we were so motivated to get it done, to walk home.”

By Aislinn Sarnacki ’10

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

Standing at a table lined with maroon shirts and other gifts and a standup banner showcasing facts about her department and a logo of its mascot — an eagle — Chan was among many representatives from nearly 40 districts statewide vying for 91±ŹÁÏ talent during the College of Education and Human Development’s annual Education Career Fair on April 16 in the Wells Conference Center. 

Schools in Maine, like in many other states, are experiencing in a variety of areas, and are also seeking candidates for educational technician and substitute teacher roles. Education , and the College of Education and Human Development is the largest and most comprehensive teacher preparation and education program in the state.Ìę

Chan said 91±ŹÁÏ preservice teachers’ professionalism and preparation for classroom vacancies they seek to fill make them attractive candidates for school districts like hers. 

“They dress, speak, and introduce themselves professionally,” she said, adding the career fair is “a really valuable event to be a part of, not just for the students, but for the districts.”

Graduates of 91±ŹÁÏ’s state and nationally accredited teacher preparation programs are automatically recommended for initial teacher certification in several shortage areas, including general elementary, mathematics (middle and secondary levels) and . Students in these programs complete a variety of hands-on field experiences and observations in K-12 classrooms and other educational settings.Ìę

Experience working as pre-service teachers in Maine classrooms is a key reason why Chelly Schildroth, the curriculum director at Regional School Unit (RSU) 24 in Sullivan, was working to recruit 91±ŹÁÏ students for her district at the career fair. 

“I think a lot of students who attend 91±ŹÁÏ understand the types of schools that we have in Maine,” she said. “They aren’t big city schools, they are rural and a lot of kids who go to 91±ŹÁÏ are excited to work at smaller schools.” 

The College of Education and Human Development offers several programs that lead to teacher certification in Maine, including the undergraduate majors in elementary and secondary education, the early childhood education concentration in the child development and family relations major, and the health and physical education concentration in kinesiology and physical education.  

Sophia Ouellette, an elementary education major who attended the fair, said the field experiences she had while studying at 91±ŹÁÏ prepared her to have a classroom of her own after graduation. During her final semester, Ouellette completed her required 15-week student teaching internship in a first-grade classroom at Leroy H. Smith School in Winterport, Maine.

“I also did my 100-hour practicum at the same school in the same classroom last semester,” said Ouellette. “It’s honestly given me the best knowledge and the best experience I could have asked for as I’m graduating.”

Ouellette, who is from Scarborough, Maine, said she plans to return to southern Maine after she graduates to teach in an early elementary classroom near where she grew up.

“That’s the ideal situation, but I’m open to new opportunities and very excited to see where 91±ŹÁÏ will take me,” she said.

Story by Rowan MacDonald, news intern

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