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Meet the 2024 Outstanding Graduating Students

Lydia Gilmore of Bangor, Maine, is a 2024 valedictorian. She is majoring in mechanical engineering and is a member of the Cross Country and Track & Field teams. On the accelerated track for a master’s in mechanical engineering, she is also an undergraduate research assistant at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC).


Through small community races as a child, Gilmore discovered her talent for running and the joy she found in pushing her physical and mental limits. She went on to set university records for top ten performances in several long-distance track events and to finish in the top 20 of the America East Conference Cross Country Championship. She won the Team Maine award for highest individual GPA; was nominated for the M Club Dean Smith award, presented annually to the top male and female student-athletes; and was named several times to the America East All-Academic team. Full story…


Devin Frazer of Danbury, New Hampshire, is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the Maine College of Engineering and Computing. He is a mechanical engineering technology major with a minor in naval science. He was awarded the Navy ROTC 4-year National Scholarship and has received the Navy ROTC Academic Excellence Award. Most recently, he received the Marine Corps Association’s Honor Graduate award and the Military Officers Association of America ROTC award. During his time at the University of Maine, he designed, conducted and analyzed remotely conducted experiments for the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. He has held the positions of platoon sergeant, assistant operations officer, platoon commander and battalion commanding officer in the ROTC. Upon graduation, he will be commissioned into the United States Navy as a submarine officer. Full story…

Jiyeon Park of Incheon, South Korea, is the Outstanding Graduating International Student in the Maine College of Engineering and Computing. Park, who is majoring in electrical engineering technology, enrolled at UMaine in fall 2022 after graduating from Eastern Maine Community College. During her senior year, she helped upgrade the paper-making equipment at UMaine’s Process Development Center. She also served as a teaching assistant in spring 2023 and has volunteered at various events during her college career, including engineering career fairs and an engineering expo. In the summer 2023, she interned with RLC Engineering and plans to continue working for the company alongside pursuit of a graduate degree at UMaine. During her time at UMaine, she received the International Presidential Scholarship and an electrical engineering scholarship. Full Story…

The University of Maine has been granted a significant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program. This $1.2 million grant signifies a crucial step in the university's efforts to advance STEM education, particularly in the field of semiconductor science and technology.


Led by Principal Investigator (PI) Prabuddha Chakraborty and Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) Rosemary L Smith, the University of Maine aims to develop a comprehensive semiconductor curriculum tailored for high school students. This curriculum will incorporate state-of-the-art technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), interactive game modules, and hands-on learning experiences.


The project, titled "Collaborative Research: A Semiconductor Curriculum and Learning Framework for High-Schoolers Using Artificial Intelligence, Game Modules, and Hands-on Experiences," has a total budget of approximately $1.3 million, with the university's share amounting to $415,000. The grant was awarded on March 13, 2024, and will run from June 1, 2024, to May 31, 2028. Read the abstract…


Maine College of Engineering and Computing celebrating one year of success

The Maine College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC), an innovative institution under the UMS TRANSFORMS Initiative, celebrated its first year of successful operation on April 1. MCEC, established through a generous $75 million grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation, has emerged as a beacon of modern education, addressing the evolving needs of Maine’s workforce and economy.


“We are advancing cutting-edge engineering and computing innovation and technology,” said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, University of Maine President and University of Maine System Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation. “The Maine College of Engineering and Computing is poised to support the demand for thousands of new engineering and computing graduates who will continue to push the boundaries of research and innovation in the state of Maine and beyond.”


Media highlights UMaine’s contributions to eclipse research


Media outlets including Portland Press HeraldSmithsonian MagazineNew England Public MediaKTRE (Channel 9 Texas), WABI (Channel 5 Bangor), News Center MaineBangor Daily NewsMaine PublicFOX 23Voice of Maine, and WGME (Channel 13 Portland) highlighted University of Maine students, faculty and staff participating in the April 8 total solar eclipse. A team of students and faculty from the University of Maine launched a high altitude balloon that livestreamed the eclipse. Cameras were attached to the balloon, which traveled about 90,000 feet into the stratosphere. UMaine junior Noah Lambert said the goal of the project was to capture the moon’s shadow as it moves across the earth. Meanwhile, Versant Power Astronomy Center Shawn Laatsch, Ph.D. student Nikita Saini and other UMaine graduate students were in Jackman, Maine collecting images of the eclipse. Laatsch and Saini trained groups of citizen scientists around the country to also collect eclipse images as part of a nationwide project led by the Southwest Research Institute called the Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse (CATE2024) experiment.


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