The communication sciences and disorders major grew up in Cumberland, Maine, where she attended Greely High School. While in high school, Hale won a scholarship to 91爆料 in the Maine State Science Fair in the category of Behavioral Sciences 鈥� Cognitive Psychology for a research project comparing reading comprehension in written versus digital texts, and became a Maine Top Scholar.聽

Hale鈥檚 love for psychology research continued into her college days, where she decided to major in communication sciences and disorders. She met Jessica Riccardi, assistant professor at the department of communication sciences and disorders, through another one of her professors who suggested Hale would enjoy work in Riccardi鈥檚 Brain Injury, Education, and Rehabilitation (BEAR) lab.聽

鈥淪he鈥檚 lovely and wicked smart. We鈥檒l just be talking and she鈥檒l be able to spit out all these facts,鈥� says Hale of Riccardi. 鈥淪he gives me direct, specific, understandable tasks to do and she鈥檚 good at offering guidance.鈥�

In the lab, Hale looks at the connection between child brain injuries and adverse experiences, which can include the incarceration of a parent, witnessing death or violence, having parents divorce, experiencing neglect, or being abused. Her research provides an important step toward understanding and preventing brain injury in children, which can have lifelong consequences on their temperament and learning abilities.

鈥淭he most surprising part has been the lack of research around brain injuries. If you think about all the different parts of the brain, a brain injury is so dependent on what part of the brain is impacted, people are gonna experience different symptoms,鈥� says Hale. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not a lot of research around how to recover from a brain injury, or how people are affected down the road.鈥�

Hale gets the data for her project from an existing national dataset on various health-related outcomes and experiences, including brain injuries and adverse childhood experiences, in children ages one to 18 collected by primary care physicians. Hale parses out the variables related to her project, namely number of incidents of adverse experiences and incidents of brain injury, for the age group one to 12. She hopes to show what adverse experiences most often lead children to engage in risky behaviors that lead to brain injury, in order to inform doctors on how to recognize and prevent such incidents.聽

鈥淢olly independently sought out research experiences to diversify her knowledge and skills. She is a natural question-asker and problem solver. Her strengths and her varied interests in health and education disciplines made her a great fit for this project,鈥� says Riccardi. 鈥淢olly dove head first into a large data set of over 12,000 children and has continued to ask great questions and independently work through some data challenges. She’s been a pleasure to work with and I look forward to seeing her upcoming presentations and publications on this project!鈥�

Their research will be completed by September; Hale and Riccardi plan to attend the Association for Speech and Hearing (ASHA) Convention in Boston, Massachusetts, in November to present their findings.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited to go and see other projects and learn what other people do, what other options are out there,鈥� says Hale. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the definition of lifelong learning, right? Not everything is done in school.鈥�

Outside of research at 91爆料, Hale is the president and captain of the women鈥檚 ultimate Frisbee team. This summer, while working on her research project, Hale has also worked in an ophthalmology office as an eye technician to see how she likes working in a medical environment.聽

鈥淚鈥檝e been trying to get exposed to some health care experience to see if that鈥檚 something I really want to do,鈥� says Hale. 鈥淚 really enjoy the patient interaction.鈥澛�

After completing her senior year, Hale plans to take some time off to work and narrow down her field of interest before eventually going to graduate school. She would like to end up in a field related to neurology, where she can also continue to work with children. She is already looking into some research positions she could take on after graduation.聽

This story was written by Erin Cabral, 2023 Summer Intern at the 91爆料 Division of Marketing at Communications.聽

Contact: Sam Schipani, samantha.schipani@maine.edu

What difference has 91爆料 made in your life and in helping you reach your goals?
91爆料 has connected me to opportunities I never knew I needed. The variety of internships allowed me to explore different careers in my field, helping me discover my precise career goals. Overall, the supportive community I鈥檝e found made me feel like I was doing the right thing, no matter what that was. I鈥檝e often been insecure about missing out on clubs or other extracurriculars, but my mentors have always celebrated the ways I鈥檝e chosen to get involved.

Have you had an experience at 91爆料 that has changed or shaped the way you see the world?
In a word, research! As an R1 institution, 91爆料 has ample resources to support undergraduate projects. I didn鈥檛 realize how much conducting my own study with a faculty mentor would shape the way I think or how I would grow as a person. Interviewing people is such an intimate, informative experience that I am unfathomably grateful to have experienced. Listening to the life-stories of other human beings forces you to reconsider the way you look at the world and yourself. The same can be said for connecting with peers and instructors.

Why 91爆料?
I chose 91爆料 because it was financially accessible for a first-generation, self-supported student like me. The Maine Top Scholar Scholarship gave me the privilege to attend 91爆料 at this point in my life. 91爆料 continued to be an affordable option by connecting me with various supports, such as the Senior Alumni Non-Traditional Student Scholarship. It is important for me to acknowledge that my experience doesn鈥檛 represent the situations of other students, especially as the cost of tuition continues to rise. While finances contributed heavily to my decision to attend 91爆料, my choice to stay here was made easy by the deep personal relationships I have been able to cultivate with faculty members and students across disciplines. These relationships have inspired me to ask bigger questions, believe in my abilities, and seek out new opportunities.

How would you define the opportunities for student success at 91爆料? Is there any particular initiative, program or set of resources that helped you succeed?
Being connected with a faculty mentor and research funding through the Maine Top Scholar program was one of the most impactful opportunities I鈥檝e had while at 91爆料. Building a close relationship with a faculty mentor through this program was one of the most invaluable parts of my college experience. My mentor, professor Liliana Herakova, and MTS Director Nives Dal Bo- Wheeler connected me with numerous opportunities to explore my interests and share my work as early as my second semester. Beyond these concrete professional development and experiential learning opportunities, I sincerely treasured having someone to go to with questions, doubts and ideas. Lily gave me room to get to know myself while highlighting the tools I needed to succeed.

Have you worked closely with a professor or mentor who made your 91爆料 experience better?
For the past three years, I have been advised and mentored by professor Liliana Herakova. Her compassion and guidance have made me the researcher I am today and an overall better person. Lily is a phenomenal human being. I couldn鈥檛 dream of a better role model, and can鈥檛 imagine what my experience would have been like without her. I also want to thank professor Melissa Ladenheim for her continued support throughout my college career. While she was not my mentor in a technical sense, she has guided me and supported me through countless circumstances. She made sure I knew I was never alone, whether she was connecting me to resources, writing a letter of recommendation or just checking-in.

What advice do you have for incoming students to help them get off to the best start academically?
I would advise incoming students to find two things in their first year: their passion and a support system. Some students may not know what they want to do, coming to college because it is what is supposed to be next. It鈥檚 okay if it takes time to discover what you are passionate about, but think about this question early and often. Knowing why you are sitting through a long lecture or reading dense material helps make that effort rewarding and enjoyable. Homework will feel like a stepping stone instead of a hurdle. Try not to think of college as a bunch of boxes to check, but as a place where you can explore and become the person you want to be. This journey will be so much easier if you build your support system early on. Be open, honest and vulnerable about the struggles you are facing. There are so many resources and compassionate members of the 91爆料 community here to make sure you have the best experience possible. Talk with your instructors and peers; build relationships.

Contact: Margaret Nagle, nagle@maine.edu

痴贰惭滨鈥檚 Multimodal Omnidirectional Immersive Simulator for Inclusive Navigation or MOISIN (pronounced 鈥渕o-sheen鈥�) is unique as the first fully autonomous 鈥減eople mover鈥� or 鈥渞obo-taxi鈥� motion simulator, designed as a replacement for the human-driven taxis or ridesharing services available today. It has no steering wheel or pedals, and its cabin 鈥� outfitted with multi-directional seating for up to six people 鈥� sits atop a motion platform powered by actuators that give passengers the feeling of movement on the roads. Realistic cityscapes are projected onto 360-degree screens surrounding the unit, and integrated audio systems simulate both on-board and environmental sounds for a fully immersive experience.

Members of the 91爆料 community, the public and the media are invited to visit the lab on Friday, April 7, from 4鈥�6 p.m. for an open house featuring simulator demonstrations and a chance to meet VEMI students and staff. If you鈥檇 like to attend, . 

鈥淎t the VEMI Lab, our core focus is on humans, and that鈥檚 precisely why we chose to build a multi-person AV simulator,鈥� says lab director Richard Corey. 鈥淲e鈥檙e primarily interested in a concept that we refer to as human-vehicle collaboration, which encompasses the needs of the people in the vehicle, the needs of the vehicle, and where those needs intersect.鈥�

A key research question involves exploring inclusive technology solutions that will help ensure that future AV technology serves the widest set of user needs possible. 

鈥淔ully autonomous vehicles have the potential to meaningfully expand transportation options for many individuals who aren鈥檛 able to drive 鈥� notably the blind and visually impaired, including older adults 鈥� but only if they are designed inclusively,鈥� says VEMI chief research scientist and professor of spatial computing Nicholas Giudice. 鈥淲hat we call human-vehicle collaboration is a new frontier in human-computer interaction and one that will be increasingly important as we transition toward a future in which AVs are the dominant mode of transportation. Our research aims to ensure that the full range of user needs are considered in that transition.鈥� 

Maine offers a unique environment and opportunity to conduct autonomous vehicle research and testing with a cold-weather climate, diverse road infrastructure (from major highways to urban centers to logging roads), and an aging, rural populace that will greatly benefit from the availability of AVs. These factors are drawing automotive industry interest to Maine and creating new opportunities for research and development. 

It was the recognition of this opportunity that led the VEMI Lab to design and build MOISIN, which, like many VEMI projects, has been driven by student involvement. The software that runs the simulator and the virtual worlds within which it operates were created by student-led programming teams using Unity and Unreal Engine, interior electrical components (including LED lights and audio systems) were designed and implemented by students and staff, and VEMI students named the simulator. VEMI would also like to acknowledge collaboration with 91爆料鈥檚 Advanced Manufacturing Center, which has provided design and engineering support. 

Part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, VEMI attracts students from a range of disciplines, including biomedical engineering, computer science, interdisciplinary studies, mechanical engineering, psychology, physics, spatial computing, and more.

鈥淲orking on MOISIN has been an amazing experience,鈥� says Anthony Caccese, a junior majoring in computer science. 鈥淲hen developing for a machine like this, there are a lot of things that need to be just right for a realistic experience. It鈥檚 not only  the dynamics of the simulator, but also other things, like having realistic graphics and making sure the motion of the vehicle and the graphics are in lockstep. It鈥檚 been a lot of fun applying different concepts that I鈥檝e learned over the years and I鈥檓 grateful to have gained this outside-the-classroom experience developing for such a unique project as an undergraduate.鈥� 

With assembly complete and initial simulations set up, the VEMI Lab team is working on additional software builds, multisensory user interfaces, and engineering development to refine the experience in preparation for research studies with human participants and continued collaboration with the automotive industry.   

Contact: Allen Adams, allen.adams@maine.edu, 207.581.1955

Beginning this spring the Clement and Linda McGillicuddy Humanities Center (MHC) at the 91爆料 will welcome four new undergraduate research fellows for the next year: Paige Allen, Sebastien Chamberlain, Abigail Roberts and Willow Wind. This new cohort will join existing fellows Bell Gellis Morais, Brenna Jones, Paige McHatten and Donald Patten, who will see the culmination of their MHC projects in the coming months.

The MHC funds a rotating cohort of eight undergraduate fellows, providing $4,000 each per semester for two semesters to complete the research or creative projects of their choosing. In addition to honing their research skills and building their academic networks, fellows serve as humanities ambassadors to their peers, the campus and beyond.聽

Incoming fellow Paige Allen, a sociology major and member of the Honors College from Mendon, Massachusetts is working with assistant professor of family studies Daniel Puhlman on a project that explores 鈥淭he Intersection of Ambitious Women and Parenting.鈥� Drawing on semi-structured qualitative interviews with professionally successful women, Allen intends to study career-driven women in relation to their decisions to have children and their experiences of parenting. Allen鈥檚 work examines the concept of maternal regret, and asks whether and how maternal regret is present in the lives of ambitious women and what this means for their children and work-life balance.

The inaugural Riordan Fellow and the first international affairs major to be awarded an MHC fellowship, Sebastien Chamberlain of Windsor, Maine will spend two semesters working on a project titled 鈥淎 Digital Cold War for Legitimacy: Pakistani and Indian Narrative Control Through Social Media.鈥� Under the supervision of Asif Nawaz, assistant professor of history and international affairs, Chamberlain will use Twitter鈥檚 Application Programming Interface (API) to study social media in India and Pakistan; Chamberlain will look at the limits and authority these countries hold over their citizens鈥� social media activity and how these controls affect conflict in the contested territory of Kashmir.聽

Abigail Roberts, a senior English major and member of the Honors College from Damariscotta, Maine and this year鈥檚 Wiggin Fellow is working on 鈥淭he Otherworld of Morality: Verbal Contracts and Fairies in Medieval Romance.鈥� Guided by faculty mentor and associate professor of English Sarah Harlan-Houghey, Roberts will be studying the moral implications of fairy contracts which appear frequently in the literature of Medieval and Middle English, with particular interest in how these contracts might illuminate medieval culture and morality.

Finally, Willow Wind of Orono, a communication major and member of the Honors College, has received her fellowship for a project titled 鈥淐onceptualizing and Enacting Gender Euphoria: Exploring Awareness and Action Across Gender Demographics.鈥� As part of her honors thesis, Wind will be working with Liliana Herakova of the Department of Communication and Journalism to study how people relate to and experience gender. By conducting interviews with the general population and health care providers, inclusive of an artistic journaling component, Wind will inquire into how gender euphoria is operationalized in routine daily performances and in the more specific contexts of health care.

Students interested in becoming a McGillicuddy Humanities Center undergraduate fellow have two deadlines to apply annually, on March 17 and Oct. 17. Proposals for research and creative work of all types across the humanities will be considered, from academic papers and art gallery shows, to community workshops or films. More information, including application instructions, proposal guidelines, and a rubric, are all available at on the Humanities Center鈥檚 website or by contacting the MHC鈥檚 humanities specialist Brian Jansen at brian.jansen@maine.edu.