mentoring matters - university of maine

Mentoringmatters

2 ReversetechnologyPer Garder’s research on improvingpedestrian and highway safety nowfocuses on Intelligent TransportationSystems and their potential to createsafer urban environments, particularlyfor children and the elderly.

6 Devising devicesMicrosensors and analytical microinstruments developed byRosemary Smith have the potential tomove medical research forward and,ultimately, improve public health.

14 Being thereA key priority of the College ofEngineering is to connect studentswith meaningful internships and co-ops. In worksites statewide,UMaine engineering students are mentored by alumni.

26 ManagingenergyFor the past 12 years, Scott Dunninghas provided AEE training the worldover, teaching short courses in how tomanage energy expenses. From hisperspective, energy efficiencies beginwith understanding costs — even thelabor to replace a lightbulb.

28 Value addedWhether researching how cellmembranes interact with certainproteins or prototyping golf balls madefrom lobster shells, David Neivandt isfocused on problem solving throughproduct development.

8 AttractingattentionWith funding from the National ScienceFoundation, Robert Meulenberg isexploring how manipulating surfacechemistry can produce unique magneticproperties in quantum dots.

10 Biological flowsXudong Zheng has developed a high-fidelity fluid simulation computertool to model the human larynx. Thecomputational modeling advanceshuman phonation research.

Contents

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IT’S AN EXCITING TIME to be an engineering student at the University of Maine, and even more so to

be an engineering graduate working in Maine and throughout the world. Students are studying

renewable energy to innovate practical solutions to our energy challenges, including biofuels and

offshore wind, as well as robotics, biomedicine and nanomaterials. Our students work with world-

class research facilities, including the nation’s first Cellulose Nanofiber Pilot Plant and the nation’s first

offshore floating wind platform. Future plans include a pioneering offshore wind-wave generating system.

The pathway from being an engineering student to an employee often includes at least one internship

or co-op experience to help him or her along the way. At UMaine, we’ve been fortunate to have upward

of 80 percent of our engineering students expand their knowledge, networking and team-building skills

through internships and co-ops at top companies in Maine and beyond. We are very grateful for the

opportunities that these companies provide our students. These solid internship experiences are part of the

UMaine engineering brand, resulting in high demand for our graduates, with 97 percent reporting full-

time employment or being full-time graduate students within six months of earning their bachelor’s

degree. In this issue, we take a deeper look at the students, faculty, alumni and employers who make our

co-op and intern programs work.

Finally, we are proud to report record enrollment again this year, with more than 500 new students

coming to UMaine Engineering. However, even further growth is needed so that Maine can reach the

national average for per capita graduation of engineers.

As we continue to grow engineering enrollment and make pioneering advances through our research,

it is critical that the university and the state of Maine invest in the faculty and facilities that are needed to

meet the increased demands for engineering graduates and new products for businesses in Maine and

the nation.

Dana N. Humphrey

Dean, College of Engineering

Student Focus 5, 20

Legends 12

Alumni Focus 25

Spotlight 31

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

ON THE COVER: Allie Hayford of CapeNeddick, Maine, has interned threesummers at Pratt & Whitney’s NorthBerwick, Maine, facility. This summer, shewas an engineering structures interninvolved in engine testing. She is amongthe 80 percent of UMaine engineeringstudents who participate in internshipsand co-ops as part of their academicexperience. A related story is on page 14.

2 UNIVERSITY OF MAINE

CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING 3

TODAY’S AUTOMOBILES have gadgets once onlyfound in James Bond’s vehicles and the Batmobile,including a rear-facing camera and remote-controlled driving.

A University of Maine engineer says such technologycan make transportation safer for both drivers and pedestri-ans, particularly children and the elderly.

Per Garder, a professor of civil and environmental engi-neering who has studied and promoted pedestrian safety,roundabouts and highway rumble strips, is now research-ing how to improve pedestrian safety using IntelligentTransportation Systems (ITS). ITS devices utilize commu-nication technologies inside vehicles, from vehicle to vehi-cle, and between automobiles and infrastructure.

During his fall 2012 sabbatical at VTT TechnicalResearch Centre of Finland, Garder conducted a case studyon backup warning systems that alert drivers when pedes-trians, children and objects are behind their automobiles.

It’s a timely study. Each year,about 300 people in the UnitedStates die after being struck by vehi-cles traveling in reverse, according tothe Insurance Institute for HighwaySafety. In Maine, such a tragedyoccurred in March when a father

ReversetechnologyStudies of smarter transportation could help drive improvements in pedestrian safety

backing up a plow truck hit his 6-year-old son playing inthe driveway. The boy later died.

According to kidsandcars.org, each week two peopledie and more than 50 — mostly children younger than 5and adults older than 70 — are injured in accidentsinvolving vehicles traveling in reverse. In about 70 per -cent of the crashes, the drivers are related to the peoplethey hit.

While reverse sensor technology has been standard inmotor vehicles in some countries for about a decade,that’s not yet the case in the U.S. In February 2013,though, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administra-tion mandated all U.S. automobiles have a rear-viewcamera by 2014.

The case study done by Garder, Lars Leden and AnnaSchirokoff indicates if all vehicles had backup warningsystems, these types of crashes would decrease from 60percent to 80 percent.

Each year, about300 people in theUnited States dieafter being struckby vehicles travel -ing in reverse,according to theInsurance Institutefor Highway Safety.

“It’s clear we need to offer an acceptablelevel of convenience, effici ency, comfort,safety and security to pedestrians, but itis less clear if society will prioritizeresources toward this.” Per Garder


In the study, traffic experts from several countries, aswell as Finnish taxi drivers who operate vehicles withbackup warning systems, and engineering students at AaltoUniversity in Finland, were told that nationwide therewould be 100 crashes involving vehicles without backupwarning systems in three different scenarios.

With a backup warning system, the groups concludedapproximately 40 percent of crashes would occur in thesame situations.

In a second round of estimates, when participantsreceived additional information about the system, the engi-neering students estimated 20 percent of crashes wouldoccur. This estimated 80 percent improvement wouldtranslate into a reduction of fatalities in the U.S. from 300to around 60 per year.

Garder says the research team will compare its casestudy data with actual crash data.

The researchers’ findings are detailed in a draft paper,“Methodology to Assess ITS systems: Case Study BackupSystems.”

Garder also recently conducted a study that askedexperts whether additional ITS could be utilized so citieswould be safer for child pedestrians.

In order to have a more sustainable society and ahealthier populace, Garder says children need to be able tosafely walk in cities, rather than be routinely bused orchauffeured.

Experts surveyed by Garder and the research team ofLeden, Schirokoff, Hector Monterde-i-Bort, CharlottaJohansson and Socrates Babas, ranked 15 city transporta-tion problems related to child pedestrians. Then they prior-

itized ITS services that might remedy the situations.Among the 15 problems ranked in terms of impor-

tance: No. 2 was drivers not yielding to pedestrians incrosswalks; and No. 8 was operators not seeing childrenwhile driving in reverse.

Experts cited emerging use of in-pavement flashinglights that alert drivers they are approaching a crosswalkwith people in it. Garder also pointed to Volvo’s S60 modelwith pedestrian protection with auto brake. When travel-ing 19 mph or slower, the vehicle comes to a complete stop— without the driver using the brake — when a pedes-trian is in the roadway in front of the car. Since 2011,Volvo has offered the system as part of its optional packagein the United States.

As for difficulty seeing children when driving in reverse,experts suggested a backup camera with sound alarm.Garder says the camera and alarm together are much moreeffective than each one is separately.

Experts added that children’s safety shouldn’t bedependent on technological devices. They said motor-vehi-cle operators should be fully accountable for their drivingand not believe technology will bail them out if they drivedistracted. They also said technological devices should notbe substitutes for parental responsibility of child pedestri-ans.

“It’s clear we need to offer an acceptable level ofconvenience, efficiency, comfort, safety and security topedestrians, but it is less clear if society will prioritizeresources toward this,” Garder and his team wrote.

“Is ITS the solution to creating a safe city environmentfor children?” is the title of the draft paper. n

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Backup sensor on a recent model Volvo


STUDENT FOCUS

GROWING UP in Cooper, Maine,Anthony Viselli worked in hisfather’s masonry business, learn-ing how to create and build with

concrete. He became interested in the designaspect of construction and at the University ofMaine, earned his bachelor’s degree in civilengineering in 2006 and master’s in 2008.

Viselli is now pursuing his Ph.D., and work-ing as a full-time research engineer atUMaine’s Advanced Structures and CompositesCenter. He is the lead design engineer at thecenter for a novel floating offshore windturbine platform called VolturnUS, whichcombines a concrete hull with a compositetower. The design was demonstrated at one-eighth scale this spring off Castine, Maine, andViselli is now leading efforts to design a full-scale offshore wind turbine.

“I worked for my father for years, workingwith concrete, and now I’m designing floatingconcrete hulls. It has been a full circle,” he says.

The smaller-scale turbine, VolturnUS 1:8,developed by the UMaine-led DeepCwindConsortium, was launched in Brewer at the endof May and deployed off Castine in June. It is

Ph.D. student servesas VolturnUSdesign manager

the first grid-connected offshore wind turbineto be deployed in the Americas.

Viselli is responsible for leading his team inthe design of a cost-effective hull and tower tosupport the turbine, all of which must be ableto endure extreme conditions off Maine’s coast,including hurricane winds, large waves andicing.

“We work together to make that happen,”says Viselli, noting that the team involvesUMaine researchers and students, and morethan two dozen companies, including Cianbro,a major partner in the project. “It involves theconcrete hull, the composite tower, theanchoring systems, the soil conditions,wind/wave environment, instrumentation andthe turbine itself. All those pieces have to beintegrated and accounted for. We have anexceptional team here pulling together allthese pieces.”

Viselli says the research at the center isfocused on designing floating platform systemsfor harnessing the resources that exist faroffshore Maine and beyond.

Waters off the coast of Maine offer someof the best wind on the continent for producing

Floating concrete ideas

energy. But placing a turbine offshore requiresfloating the device because of the water’sdepth. The floating offshore wind turbine iscutting-edge technology and being researchedby only a handful of groups in the world. Hesays the university-led team is laying thegroundwork for a possible commercialendeavor.

“We have a great resource offshore Maineand there’s exists a huge market to sell thatelectricity down the coast,” Viselli says. “Maineis close to huge population centers such asBoston, New York and New Jersey, which areexpected to have increased demand for renew-able energy sources in the future.”

In addition to business opportunities,Viselli says Maine has the potential to capturethis energy to help reduce the state's depend-ency on fossil fuels. Home heating systems andvehicles could transition in the future to takeadvantage of the steady offshore windresource at competitive prices.

The one-eighth scale turbine deployed inJune is paving the way for a full-scale unit nowbeing designed. The goal is to eventually createan 84-turbine, 500-megawatt wind farm. n

“The constructionof these units willbe one of thelargest construct -ion projects takenon in this region.Each structure isenormous. Thefloating platformis over 120 feettall, the tower isover 300 feet tall,and the turbineblades are eachbigger than thewingspan of aBoeing 747.”

Anthony Viselli


ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

ROSEMARY SMITH originally enrolled in artclasses in college, but was soon drawn tobioengineering. Today, the professor of electricaland computer engineering at the University of

Maine regularly taps into her creative side to design andbuild analytical microinstruments.

Scientists use Smith’s micro devices for a variety ofapplications — from biomedical to environmental to aero-nautic. Improving public health is a priority for Smith,who is excited that two current research projects utilizingdevices she built may help move medical science forward.

Scott Collins, a chemistry professor at UMaine, GregCox, associate professor at Jackson Laboratory, and Smithare leading one project researching neural stem cell differ-entiation.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is funding thestudy that examines how these cells are triggered by specificchemicals to develop into motor neurons.

Smith and Collins have designed and built a “cells onchips” device, in which cells are exposed to various chemi-cal combinations.

A similar microinstrument is being utilized in a toxi-cology research project that explores how mammalian

Devising devicesAn interdisciplinary approach to creating nano technology to improve biomedical applications

cells are impacted by environmental toxins.“We know what the lethal dose of arsenic is,” she says.

“But what about if it’s present in combination withmercury? In Maine, we have naturally occurring arsenic,radon and mercury. What if they’re all present in a home inlevels that are considered to be safe independently? Ifthey’re all present together, are the levels still safe?”

The devices allow for simultaneous and parallel experi-mentation, and help speed up what can be tedious, time-consuming medical research, she says.

Smith began microfabricating devices at the Universityof Utah, where she earned her master’s and doctorate inbioengineering. Her adviser, an electrochemist specializ-ing in chemical sensing, tasked Smith with making thefield-effect transistor-based devices for his other students touse in their experiments.

She and Collins also helped design the clean roommicro/nanofabrication facility at the University of Maine.“It was a nice opportunity to put together a facility with awide variety of capabilities,” she says. “This facility isextremely flexible.”

These days, semiconductor manufacturing methods areonly some of the tools, which are part of an ever-growing

toolbox to manipulate and createinstruments at the nanoscale.

It’s difficult to predict beyondevolutionary technology — the regu-lar progression of technologicalimprovement — what discoveriesmight be on the nanotechnologicalhorizon, Smith says. What impactsus the most is revolutionary technol-

It’s difficult to predict beyond evolutionarytechnology — the regular progression of techno -logical improvement — what discoveries might beon the nanotechnological horizon. What impacts usthe most is revolutionary technology — disruptionsthat move us by leaps and bounds. Rosemary Smith


ogy — disruptions that move us by leaps and bounds.That’s the exciting part, she says — never knowing what’scoming.

Consider, she says, in the late 1800s, that a New Yorkerestimated that by 1930, manure from horses used fortransportation would pile up to third-story windows inManhattan.

Then automobiles were invented.Or, she says, consider how the invention of computers

has changed nearly everything.“Scientific discovery is really exciting,” Smith says. “It’s

what keeps me interested in research in a mix of disci-plines.”

As associate editor of the Journal of Biomedical Micro-devices, Smith is up to date with other scientists’ excitingdiscoveries as well. And she’s adamant that budding futurescientists become familiar with nanotechnology. To helpensure that, she obtained an NSF Nanotechnology inUndergraduate Education (NUE) grant to strengthen

nanotechnology education at UMaine, as well as introduceit to area youth, from pre-K through high school.

At UMaine, basic concepts, applications and implica-tions of nanoscale science and engineering are now introduced to all first-year engineering students. In addition,a College of Engineering minor in nanotechnology and anupper-level course in nanoscience have been added.

Outreach activities focus on increasing high school girls’interest in engineering careers with projects that applynanotechnology to biomedicine and energy.

And Michael Mason, associate professor in chemicaland biological engineering and a co-principal investigatoron the NUE grant, regularly presents nanotechnologyconcepts to elementary and middle school students atCenter Drive School in Orrington.

It’s a logical introduction, Smith says, consideringnanotechnology is part of their everyday lives — fromsunscreen to lightweight, rugged bike frames and tennisracquets. n

Scientists useRosemary Smith’smicro devices for avariety ofapplications —from biomedical toenvironmental toaeronautic.Improving publichealth is a priorityfor Smith.

ENGINEERING PHYSICS

Attractingattention

Research in quantum dot-based magnetic materialscould lead to new nanotechnology applications



A TOMIC MICROSCOPES are needed thesedays to see the trails that researchers blazeon the nanoscale science frontier.Robert Meulenberg, University of Maine

assistant professor of physics, studies magnetism at thenanoscale level. With a $371,000 National Science Foun-dation grant, he’s exploring how manipulating surfacechemistry can produce unique magnetic properties inquantum dots.

His nanomagnetism research could lead to new usesfor nanotechnology — building structures with atomic-level control. Meulenberg is searching for a breakthroughin quantum dot-based magnetic materials that mightresult in novel magneto-optical devices based on ultravio-let lasers.

For instance, he says, quantum dot-based magneticmaterials could act as magnetic storage platforms (harddrives in computers) or as qubits (encoded information) ina quantum-computing device.

“A lack of comprehensive knowledge about magneticbehavior is often a major limitation in utilizing nanomate-rials to their full potential,” Meulenberg says.

UV lasers, which generate invisible light wavelengths,are commonly used for corrective eye surgery, dentalprocedures and electronics manufacturing.

Meulenberg, who is also a cooperating assistantprofessor of chemistry, conducts his research in theuniversity’s Laboratory of Surface Science and Technology(LASST), an interdisciplinary research center that bringstogether researchers from physics, chemistry, electrical andcomputer engineering, and chemical and biological engi-neering.

He frequently uses the $600,000 SQUID (Supercon-ducting Quantum Interference Device) magnetometer forhis research. The device, obtained with a NSF grant he

wrote, is cooled with liquid helium and measures extremelysmall magnetic fields.

Meulenberg has been interested in nanoscienceresearch since he was introduced to it in graduate school.“I enjoy trying to understand what happens to materialswhen you make them so small that you cannot even seethem,” he says. “It is the world of applied quantummechanics, where those theoretical ideas learned in classactually take place.”

Meulenberg is also excited about the research ofUMaine students, including physics doctoral candidateJoshua Wright from Bavaria, Germany, and Ellsworth,Maine.

Wright’s research, says Meulenberg, has added anotherknob at the nanoscale level to tune electrical properties ofmaterials. Wright calls his discovery the orbital hybridiza-tion theory.

Wright’s research involves chemical doping — a differ-ent variety from the chemical doping investigated inconnection with Le Tour de France racers and MajorLeague Baseball sluggers. Wright introduces chemicaldefects or impurities to pure materials to alter their proper-ties, including copper to cadmium selenide, a semicon-ducting material. By adjusting the amount of copper addedto a substance, Wright can determine the amount ofenergy required to make the substance conductive.

Wright has gone to Canadian Light Source Inc.,Canada’s national synchrotron research facility, and theBrazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory to conduct hisresearch, which was recently published in Applied PhysicsLetters.

After earning his doctorate at UMaine, Wright isconsidering postdoctoral research and work at a synchro-tron facility.

Meulenberg also hails the efforts of junior StuartLawson of Wilton, Maine, who is majoring in physics andmathematics.

The graduate of Mt. Blue High School in Farmington,Maine, tests magnetic properties of dried film coatings ofnanoparticles. The research, Lawson says, could yield bene-fits in the medical field, including cancer treatment. n

RobertMeulenberg issearching for abreakthrough inquantum dot-based magneticmaterials thatmight result innovel magneto-optical devicesbased onultraviolet lasers.

At left: Ph.D.candidate JoshuaWright

“A lack of compre hensive knowledgeabout magnetic behavior is often a majorlimitation in utilizing nano materials totheir full potential.” Robert Meulenberg


MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

WHEN IT COMES to the biology of thehuman body, Xudong Zheng doesn’t thinkof flesh, bones, blood and organs. Hismind immediately goes to a slew of fluid

mechanics examples in action. Every biological flow in thebody — from how the heart pumps blood to how voicesare produced — fascinates Zheng, an assistant professor ofmechanical engineering at the University of Maine. Hehopes to use computer simulations to study how thehuman body works through the application of fluiddynamics.

One of Zheng’s main research areas focuses on humanphonation — voice production inside the larynx thatresults from a complex biomechanical relationship betweenglottal aerodynamics and vocal fold vibrations.

Computational modeling of fluid dynamicshopes to advance human phonation research

He uses computer simulation of the fluid dynamics ofhuman phonation to model both glottal aerodynamics andvocal-fold deformation and vibration, which can be chal-lenging.

“We’re talking about flow, solids and acoustics coupledtogether. It’s very difficult to study those types of problemsbecause everything is very complex,” Zheng says. “It’s notjust fluid dynamics, but also solid dynamics.”

As a child, Zheng had an interest in aerospace engineer-ing and aspired to be the first astronaut in China. Whilestudying thermal power engineering at the Beijing Univer-sity of Aeronautics and Astronautics, he was introduced tofluid dynamics while working on a jet engine. In his Ph.D.research in mechanical engineering at George WashingtonUniversity, Zheng renewed his interest in fluid dynamics

Biological flow


— this time in relation to human voice production. “It’s totally different but it has the same fluid dynam-

ics,” he says. “I started with rocket science and moved tobiomedical science, but everything is related by fluiddynamics.”

Zheng began studying human phonation in 2005when Rajat Mittal, his adviser at George WashingtonUniversity, received funding from the National Institute onDeafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)for a four-year project on human phonation.

According to NIDCD, 7.5 million people suffer from avoice disorder each year in the United States, and voiceproduction research could lead to better healthcare andbenefits for those affected.

The aim of the project was to improve the effectivenessof vocal cord implant surgeries by using a computerizedsimulation tailored for each patient.

People with vocal cord paralysis require an implant tocorrect the damaged cord and repair the voice. However,there is no one-size-fits-all implant for human vocalcords.

During the implant surgery, the patient is kept awake.The surgeon makes an incision in the patient’s neck,inserts an implant onto the vocal cord, then asks thepatient to match the surgeon’s tone ofvoice to determine if the size or shape ofthe implant needs to be adjusted. Theimplant is removed, reshaped and re-inserted until the tones match. Thisconstant stress on the vocal cords causesswelling that can skew results and be painful for patients,Zheng says.

“We’re trying to build a high-fidelity computationalmodel because we want simulation to predict for eachperson what kind of shape or size could be used for thistype of surgery,” Zheng says.

When the researchers began their study, there was nohigh-fidelity fluid simulation computer tool available, soZheng and his team started from scratch.

“We didn’t have enough tools or computational powerwhen we started,” Zheng says. “We waited seven years tofinally do this.”

By importing a CT scan into a computer program thatuses biomedical imaging software, the researchers can

create a geometrical reconstruction of the patient’s vocalfolds. The larynx model is then fed into the researchers’physics models, which includes tissues, fluids and acousticsto create a patient-specific simulation of human phonation.

Past human phonation research, especially collegiatestudies, was too simplified due to the multiphysics natureand highly complex geometry of human airways, Zhengsays. These studies on both fluid and solid mechanicsadvanced the understanding of human phonation, butlacked information related to the nonlinear coupling of theglottal flow and vocal fold tissue.

Zheng’s team believes they have created the first flow-structure interaction modeling of human phonation in apatient-specific larynx model. This model allows the effectsof geometry on vocal fold vibrations and glottal flow to beextensively examined for the first time, Zheng says.

In June, Zheng and his team successfully completedtheir first simulation on a patient’s larynx. Working withdoctors at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor,Zheng hopes to soon complete a full computational modelon 10 patients. Researchers would measure the flow,acoustics and vocal fold vibration of the patients and usethem to validate the computer simulation that could beused for voice disease diagnosis and surgical planning.

Zheng’s team believes they are almost at the stage wherethey can apply these techniques in a clinical setting.

“It’s important for fluid mechanics to finally merge intoclinical applications,” he says.

In the past decade, the understanding of humanphonation has been enhanced by technological advancesand new experimental techniques. Zheng hopes thecomputer simulation tool can be used with CT scans orMRIs for treatment and further understanding of allbiomedical problems, including phonation, coronary flowsand aneurysms.

“Using this model, we can also study other fundamen-tal human phonation problems that have gone unansweredfor a long time,” he says. n

“It’s important for fluid mechanicsto finally merge into clinicalapplications.” Xudong Zheng


R ICHARD C. HILL joined the College of Engi-neering faculty in 1946 with a degree inmechanical engineering from Syracuse Univer-sity, four years of industrial experience in steam

and gas turbine design with General Electric, and a passionfor being “academically responsible and socially useful.” Inhis nearly half-century of service to UMaine, he helpedestablish the rigorous academic inquiry and excellence ofthe College of Engineering, provided economic develop-ment leadership through the university’s Department ofIndustrial Cooperation and contributed exceptionalexpertise at all levels of government. The people of Maineknow him for his vast knowledge of energy-related topicsthat he enthusiastically shared for years via print andbroadcast media.

How did you leave your mark on UMaine engineering?

In my career at the university, I did a great deal of problemsolving — from working with Maine Yankee and the StateFire Marshal’s Office to testing fire extinguishers, and writ-ing the exams for oil and solid fuel burner technicians. Wewere deeply immersed in the workaday world of the stateof Maine. Then the federal government poured a greatdeal of money into engineering education after discoveringthat engineering is really a clumsy, old science (in the ageof Sputnik), and they started graduate programs. Aboutthis time, grants and contracts also began to flow into theuniversity. For two or three years, I handled the contractualpaperwork. And I served as dean for two years.

What was your favorite topic to teach — and why?

I mean this seriously: watching a sock dry on the clothes-line. You have several things going on. The air is in

Fivequestionsfor Dick Hill

contact with the sock. Because of the evaporation of thewater on the sock, the sock gets cold. The air contactingthe sock gets cold and as it does, it increases humidity andthe amount of moisture absorbed in the sock. Thatdecreases the amount of heat transfer. At the same time,capillary action is pulling the moisture back up the sockagain. So you can look and pinch the sock to see if it isdrying from the top down or from the bottom up. You canmatch this heat transfer rate, the diffusion of water fromthe sock into the atmosphere, the temperature gradient ofthe boundary layer between the air and the sock, and seewhat effect this is having on the rate at which a sock dries.

This interest of mine has given rise to a lot of work thatI’ve done. In the laboratory, I spent a lot of effort on thiswhole arena of understanding moisture migration in theatmosphere and the active condensation, mildew, etc. Ibuilt a lot of apparatuses so we could saturate the atmos-phere and determine the dew point. I was very interestedin that as a teaching device.

Similarly, I’m also very interested in the frost thatappears on the windows. Why does frost appear the way itdoes? What is the physical phenomenon that differentiatesfrost from ice? That’s a subject of interest to me because I’vebeen an expert witness in several cases having to do withhow this moisture migration causes mold and I have beenhired to do this kind of research for attorneys. That entireidea of interaction between atmospheric moisture with itssubstrates is something that is of great interest to me.

What’s your favorite story about a student project gone awry?

The present generation won’t believe this at all, but one ofthe things we did was run a big coal-fired burner — a 200-horsepower boiler — that burned several hundred pounds

Professor Emeritusof MechanicalEngineering Dick Hill is as wellknown for his 46 years in theclassroom andlaboratory as he isfor his publicoutreach effortsthat tapped hisexpertise in energy.

ENGINEERING LEGENDS

The importance of a wet sock and other reflections

of coal per hour. We ran it for 24 hours. Some studentswere assigned to measure the Orsat apparatus — the CO2

in the stack. Some would weigh coal, some would shovelcoal and some would measure the amount of steam powergenerated per hour. As the data emerged over 24 hours, thestudents would be putting down pounds of coal per hour,pounds of steam per hour, stack temperature, carbon diox-ide concentration, etc.

One of the things the students had to do was fill awheelbarrow with coal and weigh it. Another group ofstudents shoveled the coal into the boiler. The faculty even-tually noticed that the efficiency was not as good as it hadbeen in the previous years. The CO2 looked all right. Stacktemperature seemed reasonable, as did pounds of steam perhour. We couldn’t figure out what was causing the ineffi-ciency. It turned out that those weighing the coal didn’tsubtract the weight of the wheelbarrow. Once we got thatstraightened out, everything proceeded reasonably.

Advice to today’s engineering faculty?

Take field trips, be involved in the world.

Advice to the next generation of engineering students?

People with a liberal education can look at the world andsee “connection” not discernible to others. The life of anengineer is also enriched by the ability to make connec-tions. Why doesn’t the hydrant burst as water freezes in thewinter? The bricks in Little Hall have an essentiallyrandom color distribution, except around windows. Whyis that? That discomfort when sitting by a window in thewinter: outdoor air leakage, convection or radiation? To theengineer, the world is full of enriching experiences — likebeing able to distinguish between a Monet and a Manet. n

“In my career at the university, I did a great deal

of problem solving.”



COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

GROWING UP in Saco, Maine, FrancieFoehrenbach was determined to figure outhow things worked.

“I loved to build stuff and there was no toythat I hadn’t ripped apart,” says Foehrenbach, now a seniormechanical engineering major at the University of Maine.

She’s resolutely pursued her interests and strengths.Foehrenbach learned AutoCAD (software application forcomputer-aided design and drafting) at vocational schooland, prior to her senior year at Thornton Academy, sheattended Consider Engineering —UMaine’s Pulp & Paper Founda-tion’s free four-day summer programon campus.

Foehrenbach earned a scholarship

Being thereEngineering students, alumni mentors know the differenceinternships and co-ops make in academic and professional careers

to UMaine and is now gaining hands-on training atWoodard & Curran, a 700-employee engineering, scienceand operations company that specializes in projects formunicipalities, industries, colleges, real estate companies,and food and beverage manufacturers.

“It is the best experience you can have and the knowl-edge gained far surpasses any theoretical knowledgetaught in a lecture,” she says of the internship, which hasled to a full-time engineering job at Woodard & Currannext summer.

FrancieFoehrenbachearned ascholarship toUMaine and isnow gaininghands-on trainingat Woodard &Curran.

“Given how many companies come backyear after year for more interns, theyclearly like UMaine graduates.” Dana Humphrey


Dana Humphrey, dean of the College of Engineering,says a key priority of the College of Engineering is toconnect students with meaningful internships.

“This allows students to apply their engineering skills inthe real world and to ‘test drive’ a company to see if theywould like to make their career there,” Humphrey says.“Moreover, the companies get to ‘test drive’ our students.

“Given how many companies come back year after yearfor more interns, they clearly like UMaine graduates,”Humphrey says. “Companies report that they have 80percent long-term retention of UMaine engineers whostarted as interns. This is clearly a win-win for our studentsand employers.”

And a lot of UMaine students are getting in on theaction. In the UMaine College of Engineering, upward of80 percent of undergraduates are involved in internshipsand co-ops as part of their academic experience.

UMaine senior Christopher Cronin is part of that 80percent. He works a few cubicles away from Foehrenbachin Woodard & Curran’s fifth-floor office overlookingdowntown Bangor.

“Meeting other engineers, whether they have one yearof experience or 30, is extremely helpful because I am ableto learn something new every time,” says Cronin, a civilengineering major and construction management minor.

The Canton, Maine, native has participated in anumber of projects at Woodard & Curran, including sizingstorm water pipes, working on erosion control plans, call-ing state agencies and assisting with the renovation of abuilding.

Sarah Lingley, a 2010 UMaine graduate who mentoredCronin last summer at Woodard & Curran, agrees withHumphrey that internships are beneficial for all involved.She interned two summers at Woodard & Curran beforejoining the firm full time after she graduated.

“The best way to get a job is for someone to rememberyour face (and) name,” she says.

Internships give students “a chance to explore differentareas of civil engineering to see if they have a preferencethat they would like to specialize in,” says Lingley, whodesigns, does cost estimates, develops bid documents andoversees construction. “And maybe most important, itprovides them with an invaluable networking opportu-nity.”

MATTHEW EDWARDS wasin volved in diverse electri-cal and computer engineer-ing internships throughout

his undergraduate and graduate studentyears at the University of Maine. Internshipsoffer innumerable opportunities, he says.And perspective.

“Academics are very different than theindustrial working world,” says Edwards, arecent graduate working as a software engi-neer with Kepware Technologies in Portland,Maine. “Internships give you the opportu-nity to understand the value of what you’relearning, and the chance to interact day-to-day with colleagues and bosses. You alsoget a lot of good feedback, and the resultshave tangible, real effects.

“The experience is what you end upremembering, and what you learn is morevaluable than the money given.”

Edwards, from Glenburn, Maine, majoredin electrical engineering and was a teachingassistant in seven engineering classes. Healso helped in the microelectronics lab and,in his first semester of graduate school, ledthe robotics laboratory.

Edwards was a member of the UniversityVolunteer Ambulance Corps and UMaine’sSenior Skulls honor society. And he sangbass in a number of campus groups, includ-ing University Singers.

After his first year at UMaine, Edwardsspent the summer as a project engineeringintern with Sappi Fine Paper in Skowhegan,Maine. He worked with more than a dozenproject engineers responsible for installingmachines and process oversight.

“It was overwhelming in a good way,”

he says. “I was handed way more responsi-bility than I expected, including responsibili-ties for projects that cost $10,000 andhelping with million-dollar projects. It wasgreat. I loved it. It gave me an idea ofwhat’s expected of me on graduation —the responsibilities of engineering in thefuture.”

In his next project, funded as part of aNational Science Foundation Research Expe-rience for Undergraduates program,Edwards worked with UMaine climatescientist Sean Birkel in the Climate ChangeInstitute. Edwards assisted with coding theClimate Reanalyzer, (cci-reanalyzer.org) anonline software program used for visualizingclimate and weather forecast models. Hiskey contributions included porting MATLABscripts to C, and developing an HTML/PHPinterface template.

In 2011, Edwards received his undergrad-uate degree and launched his graduateresearch focused on a power industry-related project involving intense computa-tion and streamed data of synchrophasors.

In summer 2012, Edwards was inDayton, Ohio, for an internship with Lexis-Nexis Special Services Inc. As a softwaredesign intern for the 10-week stint, Edwardsfocused on big data and visualization ofidentity resolution designed to understandthe relationships between people.

“This built on my prior skills, but therealso were specific subsets I used,” Edwardssays of his third internship. “You leaveunderstanding much more about a specificprocess. Then, in another internship, you drilldown in another direction,” learning evenmore.

Experiencing engineering

Matthew Edwards


College of Engineering

Mentors benefit, says the Machias native, because inaddition to getting help with their workload, they shareknowledge they’ve amassed with interns who are eager tolearn.

“It really makes the mentors reflect on how much theyhave learned since school,” says Lingley. “Also, in my expe-rience, interns have open minds as they have not necessar-ily been taught how to do everything yet, and whenallowed the opportunity, can find better ways to executetasks than the sometimes old-fashioned way things aretypically done.”

And, Lingley says, internships are a marketing tool forcompanies seeking to hire the best and brightest prospects.“If the students have a great internship, they talk about itat school, and nothing is better than word-of-mouthmarketing,” she says.

“It takes time and effort to make an internship valu-able, but it is worth it for both parties in the end. Theintern I mentored worked out so well that he came backagain this year.”

Nathan McLaughlin, Cronin’s mentor this summer, isglad Cronin returned. “Chris is a good example of thequality product UMaine produces,” says McLaughlin, a1998 UMaine graduate from Old Town. “We’re lucky tohave him. He’s going to be a great engineer.”

Internships give companies the chance to “test drivepotential new hires,” says Cindy Daigle, a 1997 UMainegrad and process engineer at Texas Instruments in SouthPortland. “The program also builds bridges betweenschools and industry, allowing two-way continuousimprovement of curriculums,” says Daigle, who majored inchemical engineering.

Woodard & Curran engineer Nathan McLaughlin, left, reviewsplans with University of Maine senior Christopher Cronin, anintern at the firm's Bangor, Maine, office.


Lacie Kennedy, left, a2002 University ofMaine graduate andplasma etch processengineer at TexasInstruments in SouthPortland, listens as2013 UMainegraduate David Harttalks about hisprevious internship atTI, where he wasrecently hired as a testengineer.


Students, she says, see how textbook learning applies inthe real world and can be motivated to take specialty classeswhen they return to school. “It’s also a chance to startbuilding a professional network,” says the Madawaskanative.

Lacie Kennedy interned at National Semiconductor(now Texas Instruments) when she was majoring in chemi-cal engineering at UMaine. Since graduating in 2002,Kennedy has worked as a plasma etch process engineer atTexas Instruments, a global semiconductor design andmanufacturing company.

“Having internships during college helped confirm thatI had made the right choice in my major, and also reallyimproved my confidence level for entering the workforceafter graduation,” she says. “I knew that I’d be able to getto work right away and make a contribution to thecompany because I already had a lot of training behindme.”

And, she says, nothing tops being around other engi-neers. The College of Engineering felt like one big family,”says the graduate of Deering High School.

“It was helpful living on an engineering floor in mydorm the first two years because I was around people whounderstood my workload, and it was easy to work on proj-ects together and form study groups. Eleven years later,most of my closest friends are people I met at UMaine inengineering classes.”

Kennedy says a similar sense of cooperation exists withher co-workers. “You might not think of engineering asbeing a very social job, but at a 24-7 manufacturing facility,it is. We constantly have to work with other engineers,manufacturing technicians and equipment technicians inorder to solve problems,” she says.

“My group, in particular, has a wonderful camaraderie

College of Engineering

Rooted in Maine — and soaring

WADE MAYNARD, who grewup in Washburn, Maine,and Terence Tyler, a nativeof Phillips, Maine, get a

boost when they see aircraft streakingacross the sky. The University of Maine grad-uates know the engines they manufactureat Pratt & Whitney are powering the flight.

As business unit manager at the NorthBerwick, Maine, facility for the global aero-space manufacturer, Maynard is responsiblefor all metrics, including safety, qualitycontrol, customer delivery and satisfaction,incorporation of new products, cost reduc-tion and budgeting.

As a design engineer of components forhigh-pressure turbine engines, Tyler, a 2005alumnus with a degree in mechanical engi-neering technology, works on innovativeproducts and cutting-edge technology.

Thomas Clark, design engineer in Pratt& Whitney’s Turbine Module Center, alsogrew up in Maine. He graduated fromUMaine in 2012 with a degree in mechani-cal engineering and a minor in mathematics.

“In my roughly one year at Pratt &Whitney, I have created new designs ofturbine cooling tangential injectors and rearbearing compartments, improved existingmilitary turbine vanes through engineeringchanges and optimized existing designsusing analytical software,” he says.

“I also appreciate my responsibility,even as a relatively new employee, to makecritical design changes and provide engi-neering inputs on the next-gen militaryAdaptive Engine Technology Development(AETD) program for both turbine andmechanical systems components.”

Maynard, a 2000 graduate, returns to

his alma mater to recruit for Pratt & Whit-ney. When he evaluates the resumes ofcandidates, he notes whether they haveinternship experience.

“Employers like to see that students aretaking their career choice seriously and aremaking an effort to learn more about itthrough real-world experience,” he says.

The bottom line, says Maynard, is thatreal-world experience sets students up for afull-time job. “I think co-ops/internshipsshould be mandatory. All of the high schoolstudents I talk to ask me about what theyneed to do to secure a good job,” he says.“My first suggestion is to start internshipsearly and get as many meaningful assign-ments as possible before graduation.”

That’s why Allie Hayford of CapeNeddick, Maine, has interned three summersat Pratt & Whitney. The UMaine mechanicalengineering senior plans to pursue a careerin the aerospace industry and earn amaster’s degree in mechanical engineering.

The York High School graduate’s firsttwo internships at Pratt & Whitney were inthe manufacturing department. Thissummer, she was an engineering structuresintern.

“I have had many opportunities to getexposure to new environments, and applyknowledge and be challenged in manydifferent subjects, ranging from chemistry tomechanical vibrations,” she says.

“My work has focused primarily aroundthe PW1100G-JM geared turbofan enginecurrently in development for the AirbusA320 NEO aircraft. I have contributed toairfoil design and processing strain gagemeasurements from these airfoils takenduring engine testing.”

Wade Maynard Terrence Tyler Thomas Clark Allie Hayford

“Having internships duringcollege helped con firm that Ihad made the right choice inmy major, and also reallyimproved my confidence levelfor entering the workforceafter graduation.” Lacie Kennedy


and we help each other out every single day. TI reallypromotes teamwork across sites, so I’ve had the chance towork with groups from Texas, Japan and Europe.”

Each year, UMaine’s Engineering Job Fair affordsstudents an ideal opportunity to make connections withfirms seeking interns and employees. In 2012, more than900 UMaine students and nearly 80 companies attendedthe event. The fair’s popularity has increased exponentiallysince the inaugural fair in 2000 when 83 students and 13employers participated.

“Many of the employers who participate in the Engi-neering Job Fair are alumni of the University of Maine andthey enjoy returning to Orono to recruit new talent fortheir organizations,” says Patty Counihan, director of theUMaine Career Center.

“In fact, we now have participating employers wholined up their first jobs with their companies as a result ofattending the Engineering Job Fair when they wereUMaine students. Their participation has gone full circle,from being a job-seeking student to being a hiring manageror recruiter for their company.”

David Hart, a 2013 UMaine graduate and a full-timetest engineer at Texas Instruments, says attending the Engi-neering Job Fair was instrumental for him to secure aninternship, then a dream job.

“Fall semester junior year, I was taking Electronics I,which was my first in-depth course in semiconductorfundamentals,” says Hart. “I enjoyed the material, whichbegan to interest me in the semiconductor industry.”

At the Engineering Job Fair, the Portland, Maine, resi-dent met Kim Millick, a former Texas Instruments humanresources manager. Hart handed her his resume, an inter-view followed during a school break and he was hired foran internship that summer.

“An internship is a great opportunity for you to getyour foot in the door with a company. It may also help youfigure out what you do and don’t like, as well as where youmay want to work in the future,” says Hart.

“Interning was a great opportunity for me to becomefamiliar with technical things and people I am now work-ing with in my full-time job. It also helped me understandhow a large company works, which made the transitioninto my full-time job that much easier.”

The 2013 Engineering Job Fair is in October at theNew Balance Student Recreation Center. n

Getting the right fit key for Knapp, Pratt & Whitney

APRECISION FIT is imperative forPratt & Whitney, a worldwideleader in the design, manufac-ture and service of engines for

military and commercial aircraft. Universityof Maine graduate James Knapp, a designengineering manager at the company’s facil-ity in North Berwick, Maine, relishes thatresponsibility.

“I have a dozen design engineers work-ing for me and I’m responsible for ensuringtheir solutions are technically viable andaffordable. We provide cradle-to-grave serv-ice in the aviation industry for various gasturbine hardware components,” says Knapp,adding that service ranges from initiatingconcepts through developing repairs.

His favorite part of the job is findingtalented engineers who are a good matchwith the company. “I like recruiting and find-ing employees that are highly motivated,energetic and technically savvy,” he says.“My job is to make sure they are put in theright job and have the proper tools to besuccessful. I enjoy empowering people.”

Toward that end, Knapp’s group hashired 11 UMaine graduates in the last threeyears to work in the company’s engineeringcenter in North Berwick. The center, saysKnapp, has grown from approximately 30 in1996 to more than 120 today. The NorthBerwick facility employs approximately1,300 people; worldwide 33,000 work atPratt & Whitney, serving 11,000 clients.

Knapp says UMaine students have whatit takes to be working with game-changingtechnologies for the company whoseengines power a quarter of the world’scommercial passenger fleet and 29 armedforces.

“I find they’re very well prepared fortheir jobs,” Knapp says. “They’ve learnedengineering theory really well and they havea willingness to do what it takes to get thejob done.”

Internships, Knapp says, are valuable, inthat they bridge the theory that studentslearn in class with real-world applications ofdesigning jet engine hardware. “The hope isthat they enjoy their time with us anddecide to pursue a career in the industry,”he says.

The 1992 graduate of Mt. AbramRegional High School was motivated topursue a career in the industry because ofhis interest in movement. “I always wantedto get into transportation — automobiles,planes, trains — things that convert fuel topower and power to motion,” he says.“UMaine was the obvious choice. It’s an in-state school with a great reputation.”

As a student, Knapp appreciated hands-on learning in mechanical engineering labsas well as the size of UMaine. “It was as bigas you wanted it to be and as small as youwanted it to be,” he says. “There were lotsof opportunities and yet you got to knowmost everyone in your classes.”

James Knapp


STUDENT FOCUS

Researching undergradsNew fellowships fund the explorations of six engineers of tomorrow

SIX STUDENTS FROM the University of Maine’sCollege of Engineering have been awarded Centerfor Undergraduate Research Fellowships for2012–13.

The fellowships were developed to enhance andincrease undergraduate student involvement in faculty-supervised research, and are supported through a PRE-VUE grant awarded by the University of Maine’sPresident’s Office. Each fellowship provides a $1,000 awardfor the student, and up to $1,000 in more funding, ifneeded, to cover costs associated with the project.

The students’ research areas involve a variety of engi-neering topics — from studying extreme rainfall andclimate change to optimizing power conversion for waveenergy converter systems.

MICHELLE BEAUCHEMIN

Graphene potential: A sophomore in engineering physicswith a concentration in electrical and computer engineer-ing, Beauchemin is researching a graphene-based electro-chemical sensor. Her research focuses on graphene’selectrical characterization and its potential for use in single-molecule sensors. Graphene is a single-layer graphite — ahexagonal lattice of carbon atoms — and has properties ofhigh conductivity and strength that give it potential in thearea of electronics. Beauchemin has produced graphene,and hopes to identify it optically and electrically. She plansto test its possibility as a sensor for nanopore DNA encod-ing research by her adviser, electrical and computer engi-neering professor Rosemary Smith.Building skills: Beauchemin says the fellowship has given herthe opportunity to work in a lab with faculty she admires,and has helped strengthen her research and laboratory

skills. “I work in the Laboratory for Surface Science andTechnology (LASST) in Barrows, and there is a lot ofintimidating equipment there, but Dr. Smith has beenthere to answer all my questions and assist me whenneeded,” Beauchemin says. “There are times at which I feelless experienced than the graduate students I work with,but I feel lucky to begin building my skills as an undergrad,so when I go to grad school, I will be well-prepared forresearch.”Engineering Expo: Beauchemin, from Saco, Maine, citesUMaine’s annual Engineering Expo in Gorham andOrono as the springboards for deciding to study engineer-ing at UMaine. “It is a great display of the diversity ofprograms at the school and is a great way to get childreninterested in science and engineering,” she says. “I havealways loved math and science, and engineering is a greatway to apply my interests.” Future plans: Graduate school for electrical engineering is insight for Beauchemin, who is interested in solid statephysics and semiconductors. She hopes to work in the fieldof semiconductors.

MICHAEL DANDY

Extreme rainfall: A sophomore in civil and environmentalengineering, Dandy is working on climate change adapta-tion for his research project, “Extreme Rainfall in aChanging Climate: Developing New Methodologies toInform Infrastructure Design.” He is analyzing pastextreme precipitation and hurricane data for the EastCoast, and is writing computer programs to help predictfuture extreme flood events to inform better infrastructuredesign. Challenging himself: The Los Angeles, Calif., native chose

Center for Under -graduate ResearchFellowshipsawarded to sixengineeringstudents supportwork that rangesfrom studyingextreme rainfalland climate changeto optimizingpower conversionfor wave energyconverter systems.


engineering because he has always excelled at math andlikes a challenge. “I enjoy challenging myself with coursematerial that interests me,” says Dandy, noting that hechose UMaine for its reputation as an engineering school.Pursuing research: Dandy says the fellowship gives him theopportunity to pursue research in the field that he findsmost interesting. “It is very interesting to observe the entireprocess involved, and see everyone’s input toward a proj-ect,” says Dandy, who works with civil and environmentalengineering professor Shaleen Jain. Dandy has presentedhis research at the National Council for UndergraduateResearch Conference in LaCrosse, Wis., and published aresearch article.Graduate school: Dandy plans to study water resource engi-neering or hydrology in graduate school.

KYLE NOLAN

Genetic sequencing: A sophomore in electrical and computerengineering and student in the Honors College, Nolan hasbeen working on a nanopore gene sequencing project inthe Microinstruments and Systems Laboratory. “Ourobjective is to translocate single-stranded DNA through ananopore and electrically identify individual nucleotides asthey pass through,” Nolan says. “If we could fine-tune theprocess well enough, it has potential to replace traditionalmethods of genetic sequencing, as it is a faster and cheaperalternative to current commercial approaches.” Nolan saysthe bulk of his research has been in “optimizing the recipewe use to make the carbon nanoelectrodes for our electricalmeasurements.” Invaluable asset: Nolan, from Camden, Maine, says he didnot imagine that he would have this kind of opportunity

to do research as an undergraduate. “I was excited to earn alab position here at the university, pleased with the cutting-edge facilities and meaningful projects, and thrilled tosubsequently receive a research fellowship,” he says. “It hasbeen an invaluable asset to my research, and I greatlyappreciate the opportunity.” He says research has been “anenjoyable, meaningful way to work during the summerand supplement coursework during the academic year.” Combining strengths: When deciding where to attend college,Nolan knew he wanted a school with a solid curriculumand scholarship opportunities. “With UMaine’s renownedengineering program, merit scholarships and research posi-tions, it offers a great balance between quality education,professional opportunity and affordability,” Nolan says.Nolan views engineering as a chance to learn interesting,dynamic material while combining his strengths. “It is adiscipline where I can combine my natural creativity withmy knack for science and mathematics, and the way engi-neering continues to be shaped by — and to evolve with— the modern world, ensures that it stays relevant andintegral to our society,” he says.Role models: Nolan says his research would not have beenpossible without the guidance of Institute for MolecularBiophysics research engineer Justin Millis and Professorof Electrical and Computer Engineering RosemarySmith. “Justin has shown me the ropes in the clean roomand consistently provided great project advice,” Nolansays. “Rosemary always manages to find the time and thepatience, despite her busy schedule, to sit down with meand explain the answers to all of my questions.”Continuing education: Nolan says he plans to attend graduateschool after completing his undergraduate studies. “I strive

MichelleBeauchemin

Michael Dandy


to become the best engineer I can be, and after graduateschool will probably look to move into industry,” he says.Nolan says he is interested by both the electrical andcomputer aspects of his major, but sees himself leaningtoward computer engineering.

ANTHONY NUZZO

Power conversion: A senior in electrical engineering, Nuzzo isworking on optimizing power conversion for wave energyconverter (WEC) systems. He has been designing printedcircuit boards that will be used with a mechanical proto-type WEC designed by the Mechanical EngineeringDepartment. Nuzzo’s work, which involves converting DCpower to AC power using an inverter he designed, will helpconvert power produced by WEC, as well as control it tooptimize system performance. The research is an exampleof multiple departments at UMaine working together tofind new methods for harnessing renewable energyresources, Nuzzo says. Practical experience: The fellowship has helped Nuzzo gainpractical experience in the power electronics field. TheLitchfield, Maine, native says, through the fellowship, hehas been able to develop significant skills in printed circuitboard design that are essential for his engineering work.Early fascination: Nuzzo says he chose to study engineeringbecause he has always been interested in building. “I’veknown since I was young that I wanted to study electricalengineering because it would allow me to understand howall my toys — that I took apart — worked,” Nuzzo says.Nuzzo has since become interested in renewable energyand he sees electrical engineering as a key to innovation inthat area. He chose to study at UMaine because of its

“well-regarded engineering program and its financial bene-fits for Maine residents.”Difficult but rewarding: Nuzzo, who has been working withelectrical and computer engineering professor NathanWeise, says research as an undergraduate is a fun, differenttype of work than what you do in the classroom. “Workingon research between classes can be difficult but also reward-ing,” Nuzzo says. “I enjoyed working closely with myprofessor and learning the tricks of the trade rather thanworking problems from a book.” Working in the field: After graduation, Nuzzo says he will beworking full time at Pika Energy, a start-up company inGorham, Maine, where he interned last summer andlearned about inverter design.

BIPUSH OSTI

Improving usability: Osti, a junior in computer engineeringfrom Kathmandu, Nepal, is researching alternative waysto interact with visualizations walls. Visualization wallsare made up of many monitors that act as a single moni-tor and are usually used to display scientific data. Osti’sresearch mainly involves using Microsoft’s Kinect to findalternative input devices in place of a mouse or keyboard.“Since the total screen size of visualization walls is big,using a keyboard or mouse would mean that the userwould have to stay close to the screen and would not beable to see much because of the size of the wall,” Ostisays. “This creates a need for a different kind of inputdevice that allows users to easily navigate the huge screenas would a mouse in a single-monitor screen.” Osti saysthe plan is to build a wireless device for users to navigatethe walls.

Kyle Nolan

Anthony Nuzzo


Solving problems: Osti says he has long been interested incomputer programming and creating things that wouldsolve problems. He transferred to UMaine from aTennessee school during his first year because of theCollege of Engineering’s well-known academic programs.“I felt that I would get more opportunities and greaterexposure here,” Osti says. Valuable experience: Osti, who has been working with elec-trical and computer engineering professor Bruce Segee, saysthe fellowship has allowed him to learn a lot beyond theclassroom through research as an undergraduate.Implementing knowledge: Osti is undecided about his plansafter graduation. “I would love to work on somethinginterdisciplinary that requires implementing my knowledgeof engineering in a different field like medicine or chem-istry,” he says.

CAROLYN PUGLIANO

Detecting explosives: A junior in electrical engineering fromNashua, N.H., Pugliano is researching the optimizationof a lateral field excited (LFE) sensor that she hopes willbe able to detect peroxide-based explosives. “An LFEsensor is basically a wafer of AT-cut quartz crystal withelectrodes deposited on one side, leaving the other side ofthe crystal bare,” she says. “The electrodes excite the crys-tal’s transverse shear mode with an electric field. Usingequipment like a network analyzer, the crystal’s responsecan be measured. The response can be affected by theenvironment, such as gases and liquids that come incontact with the bare surface. This indicates that the LFEdevice may be sensitive enough to detect the gases emit-ted by dangerous chemicals.” Pugliano also is working to

find a new method for measuring the LFE device’sresponse.Strength to persevere: “The fellowship means that otherpeople believe in me and my research, which is encourag-ing,” she says. “While research can be exciting, it can alsobe frustrating. When I am frustrated, I remember thatthere are other people who have faith in me, and it givesme strength to persevere.” No place like UMaine: The Electrical and Computer Engi-neering Department is what drew Pugliano. “I visitedseveral places and none of them really compared toUMaine,” she says. “UMaine has a lot of great opportuni-ties, a beautiful campus and an impressive College of Engi-neering.”Real-world applications: Pugliano chose engineering becauseit’s a challenging yet rewarding field that gives her theopportunity to solve real problems and improve the lives ofothers. “Also, I can’t say no to those big engineeringpaychecks,” she says, adding that undergraduate research“isn’t just about getting paid, it’s about applying knowledgefrom the classroom to real-world problems.”Helping hand: Pugliano says she has been working closelywith her adviser, electrical and computer engineeringprofessor John Vetelino. “I started doing research for himin summer 2012 in the National Science FoundationResearch Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF-REU)program,” she says. “Dr. Vetelino has been a wonderfuladviser and has given me many opportunities.”Teaching others: After graduation, Pugliano plans to gainexperience by working with companies before returning toschool to obtain her doctorate in electrical engineering.Her long-term goal is to become a professor. n

Bipush Osti

Carolyn Pugliano


ALUMNI FOCUS

Team sport

CALEN COLBY graduated from theUniversity of Maine with bachelor’sand master’s degrees in civil engi-neering in 1985 and 1991, respec-

tively. He spent the first part of his careeroverhauling SSN-594 and -637 class nuclearattack submarines. For 15 years, Colby workedfor a national contractor designing powerplants, and then was in project management inthe paper industry in the United States andEurope. In 2008, he and his wife Sarah foundedColby Company Engineering, a Portland,Maine-based firm specializing in structural,mechanical, electrical and civil engineering.

Biggest challenges in your field?Getting things built — roads, buildings or otherthings — is a team sport. There is little room

Collaboration key to alumnus Calen Colby’s success

for ego in a profession that purports to havethe public’s safety as its primary mission. Thebest projects I’ve worked on were the ones onwhich the team truly collaborated to create agreat end product. I would like to see morecollaborative efforts and more acknowledge-ment of the entire team that makes a goodproject come to life. In addition, it’s importantto remember that good design still requires acertain amount of time to complete correctly; itis worth writing twice. The challenge in thisarea of our profession is to make sure that wemake the time.

Why UMaine? I applied for “early decision” at MIT and visitedthree other colleges, but as soon as I arrived atOrono, I knew it was going to be great. Take alook at the companies that come to UMaine tointerview graduating students. When I gradu-ated, the Los Angeles County Highway Depart-ment came every year; they said that Maineengineers have a much better work ethic than

they have found elsewhere. If you know whereLos Angeles is, you’ll quickly recognize thatthere are a lot of solid engineering schools in“elsewhere.” If that alone does not convinceyou, you’ll be very amazed and very impressedby the professors, curriculum and research.

What kinds of research were you involvedin as a UMaine student?My graduate work was a study of Maine’s firstintegral abutment bridge. I performed adetailed structural analysis of the bridge,located on State Route 201 in the Forks, andthen I designed a data acquisition system tocollect data in support of the computer model.My undergraduate research consisted of skate-boarding in the stairwells of Hancock Hall andone attempt of the roof of Alfond Arena. Thisresearch remains undocumented except for onephoto in the yearbook.

While in Orono, I spent too much time: Freshman year: skateboarding; result: academicprobation. Sophomore year: running NCAAcross-country; result: academic probation.Junior year: studying; result: Dean’s List. Senioryear: studying; result: Dean’s List, Chi Epsilon,Civil Engineering Senior of the Year (1985),President of ASCE Student Chapter, first placein Concrete Canoe Race.

Class that nearly did you in? In graduate school, I nearly failed AdvancedStructural Dynamics. This means you don’t getto come back (no more free college). I nailedthe final preliminary examination. ProfessorMohammed Elgaaly announced to the entireclass as he was handing back the correctedexams that he had been worried about meflunking out. Like most folks, I prefer my humili-ation in a more private setting.

How does UMaine still influence you? The ability to solve problems of almost anymagnitude sets this education apart fromanything I have experienced. UMaine taughtme to never stop learning. I visit the campusalmost every year at least twice and I amalways inspired by the research being done. n

“I feel verystrongly that weare supposed tolearn somethingfrom everyperson that wemeet. I could bedoing a muchbetter job at this,but I have reallybeen inspired bysome wonderfulpeople since1985.”

Calen Colby


COTT DUNNING is no stranger to thebright lights of the Las Vegas strip. And thepumps that power the majestic water foun-

tains. And the casinos’ air conditioning andventilation systems.

As an energy management expert, Dunning isn’t tryingto dim the glitz and glamour, just make it as environmen-tally and economically efficient as possible.

“As technology has changed, there’s a need not only forengineers but also technicians and workers on the floor tobe trained to spot where there are opportunities to saveenergy,” says Dunning, director of the University of MaineSchool of Engineering Technology and one of six instruc-tors in the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE) trainingfor certified energy managers. “For instance, in theeconomic downturn, revenue for the Las Vegas casinos hasbeen down and they’re looking to increase income bydecreasing cost. The AEE course for building technicianstrains them to recognize where to reduce energy costs.”

For the past 12 years, Dunning has provided AEEenergy management training the world over, teaching shortcourses — many of which he’s developed for AEE — fromTokyo and Hong Kong to Milan, Dubai and throughoutthe United States. Whether training maintenance person-

ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

S

ManagingenergyTraining stresses environmental and cost efficiency around the globe

“Energy management is a practicalengineering discipline. A manufacturermay be an expert in making thatproduct, but isn’t necessarily an expertin using energy, and may be using moreenergy than needed.” Scott Dunning

nel or professionals in commercial and industrial energyauditing, the key is managing energy costs. That involvesinvestments in energy-efficient equipment and followingoperation and maintenance best practices.

“Energy management is a practical engineering disci-pline. A manufacturer may be an expert in making thatproduct, but isn’t necessarily an expert in using energy, andmay be using more energy than needed,” says Dunning.

Power systems optimization and the application ofenergy-efficient technologies to industry have beenDunning’s focus since joining the College of Engineeringfaculty in 1991. He is an electrical engineer by training,earning his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. from UMaine.

In 1993, Dunning led the Industrial Assessment Centerat UMaine, an energy analysis and diagnostic initiativefunded by a $1.4 million, seven-year grant from U.S.Department of Energy. The center performed annualenergy audits for 25 Maine companies — small andmedium size manufacturers such as sawmills and tannerieswith energy bills ranging from $100,000 to $1.7 million ayear — in an effort to help them reduce energy costs,improve productivity and minimize waste.

Working closely with these manufacturing companiesgave Dunning and other UMaine engineers insights intohow to also help improve efficiencies with better produc-tion tools and prototype development. That was the impe-tus for UMaine’s Advanced Manufacturing Center, whichopened in 2002 and moved to a new facility in 2004, builtwith the support of a research and development bondapproved by Maine voters in 2002.

Dunning was the founding executive director of theAdvanced Manufacturing Center, serving until 2007. Thenhe again turned his attention to energy management, this


time in training professionals in the field and producingeducational materials.

He developed his first short course in 2001 as part of acertified energy manager program sponsored by AEE. Hisrole in training evolved from serving as an instructor todeveloping curricula content and, ultimately, to chairingAEE’s testing committee that oversees the four-hour certifi-cation exam that culminates 36 hours of energy manage-ment instruction.

Dunning has developed five AEE certification coursesfor energy managers; building energy and sustainably tech-nicians; masters-level and international energy auditors;and government operators of high-performance building.He also has written three books, including co-authoringthe most recent edition of Plant Engineers & ManagersGuide to Energy Conservation.

In Maine, Dunning does commercial energy audits forthe Efficiency Maine Trust, and this spring he led an AEE

technical meeting of natural gas distributors statewide totalk about the future of the industry.

“Technology changes and we have to continuallyupdate material to keep up,” says Dunning of the traininghe develops. “In 2001, LED lighting didn’t exist much;today, it’s the lighting of choice for energy efficiency. Wehave to keep the courses relevant, continually introducingnew material. Currently, we’re investigating different testingequipment and what works best.”

From Dunning’s perspective, energy management isnot just efficiency in production, or effective heating andcooling. Efficiency begins with an understanding of whatenergy costs — even the labor to replace a lightbulb.

“People come to energy management because it cansave them money, but it’s really about doing the right thingfor our future,” Dunning says. “We can save energy with-out changing convenience or lifestyle, using energy in themost optimal, efficient way.” n

As an energymanagementexpert, Dunningisn’t trying todim the glitz andglamour, justmake it asenviron mentallyand economicallyefficient aspossible.

Photo by Nikki Villoria


M OST RESEARCH LABS are meticulously clean and moni-tored. That’s why University of Maine Chemical and Biolog-ical Engineering Professor David Neivandt has two of them.One is a high-end, high-tech laser lab for model cellular

membrane work. Then there’s his “dirty lab,” a cramped room with almost nofree counter space, full of computers and noisy equipment coated with a dustyfilm where he “can play with lignin and lobster shells.”

In his research, the professor of chemical and bioengineering focuses on thedetermination of the interfacial orientation and conformation of protein andlipid species, including transport across cell membranes; and the gelation, disper-sion and phase separation of natural and synthetic polymeric species. He’s alsothe newly named director of UMaine Graduate School of Biomedical Scienceand Engineering.

Neivandt’s work with protein transport aims to shed light on how cellmembranes interact with certain proteins. Understanding the process could leadto the design of therapeutics that could control diseases, such as cancer andAlzheimer’s, he says.

And then there are the myriad of side projects, including lobster shell golfballs, clam shell hatcheries for lobster larvae, and curricula design for UMaineand area middle schools.

Neivandt, who earned his B.S. and Ph.D. in chemistry from the Universityof Melbourne in Australia, realized after earning his degrees and working in thefield that solving real-life problems was his passion. That’s when he turned hissights to engineering.

“I think that if I had stayed in pure science, I would have eventually gottenfrustrated,” he says. “So a lot of the work I do is product development.

ValueaddedThe potential of problem solving is realized in product development

CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING

Undergraduatestudent HayleaLedouxcollaborates onresearch withprofessor DavidNeivandt.


David Neivandt



“I think that’s really where the fun is. You can takea real problem and tackle it, to generate a solution thatpotentially has utility.”

Many of his projects have crossed the bounds betweenscientific areas. Doing a lot of work with the university’sForests Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI) “marries therealms of chemical engineering with bioengineering,”Neivandt says. Most recently, Neivandt has been develop-ing a means of converting lignininto highly valuable carbonnanofibers.

The technology is patentpending and was the subject of aJune 2012 article in Nano Letters,a monthly peer-reviewed scien-tific journal published by theAmerican Chemical Society.

Lignin, a complex chemicalcompound, is about 30 percentof a tree that comes into a milland typically is extracted in thepapermaking process and thenburnt for its energy content.Through Neivandt’s method, astream of lignin, worth a fewcents per pound in energy value,can be converted to carbonnanofibers, worth anywherefrom a couple hundred to acouple thousand dollars perpound.

“We go from maybe 4 cents to $1,000, which soundsgreat, but of course the process itself costs money,” he says.“But nonetheless, we go from a raw material with very littlevalue to a product that has extremely high value.”

The unique green process takes a solution of lignin inwater and freezes it rapidly, forming ice.

“What many people don’t appreciate is the faster youfreeze water, the smaller the ice crystals you make,”Neivandt says. “So what we do is freeze the lignin solutionat an extremely high rate, which forms very small ice crys-tals and the lignin that’s in the solution phase separatesaround the ice crystals.”

If the lignin is frozen fast enough and the ice crystals

are small enough, the templated lignin structure hasnanoscale dimensions. Removal of the ice crystals frees thelignin nanofibers, which may be carbonized in a furnace.

“It’s a process that takes a natural material that’snormally burnt and produces a very high value-addedmaterial, and does so in a green manner,” Neivandt says.

To freeze the lignin at such a fast rate, liquid nitrogen ata temperature of -196 C is delivered inside a small steel

drum, cooling the drum to thesame temperature. A water solu-tion containing lignin is placedin a pressurized vessel and firedthrough needles onto the drum;the solution freezes in 0.01seconds, making the cooling rateabout 10,000 degrees Celsius persecond and forming tiny icecrystals.

“The way we do it — nopun intended — is kind ofcool,” Neivandt jokes.

The steel drum is hollow,allowing liquid nitrogen to spillinto a reservoir in which thedrum sits. The drum isconstantly rotating in the bath ofliquid nitrogen, picking up afilm, so when the lignin hits theliquid nitrogen film, it vaporizessome of the nitrogen and releasesa ribbon off the drum.

“If you didn’t (have the drum rotating in liquid nitro-gen), it would be like sticking your fingertips on a steelsurface at -196 C,” Neivandt says. “So if we don’t havethat, we basically weld the lignin to the drum. By employ-ing the liquid nitrogen film, we release the ribbon.”

The current process is not specific to lignin; any water-soluble polymer would work, Neivandt says.

Neivandt thinks the process can be easily scaled, and heand his research team are currently working on increasingthe freezing temperature to eliminate the use of expensiveliquid nitrogen. They are also looking into modifying themethod and believe it could have uses other than fornanofiber production. n

David Neivandt hasdeveloped a meansof converting lignininto highly valuablecarbon nanofibers.The patent-pendingtechnology involvesrapidly freezing thelignin using liquidnitrogen at -196 C.Pictured with thetechnology is Ph.DcandidateAlexander Demers.

Chemical and Biological Engineering


Floating LIDAR System collecting data in Gulf of Maine

ITH FUNDING from the Maine Technology Institute and the U.S. Departmentof Energy, the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and CompositesCenter is leading the effort to enable cost-effective measurements hub-

height winds in deepwater where fixed-based towers are not feasible. The UMaineComposites Center’s buoy-based floating LIDAR system is collecting hub-height windand other metocean measurements in the Gulf of Maine.

In October 2012, UMaine’s Composites Center, NRG Systems Inc., AWS TruepowerLLC, UMaine’s Physical Oceanography Group and Leosphere SAS established a researchand development partnership to gather deepwater metocean data in the gulf. UMainehas designed a floating system to house a modified WINDCUBE® v2 Offshore LIDARRemote Sensor.

The floating system, which incorporates a proven LIDAR system that detects windconditions using laser technology up to 200 meters above the ocean surface, is basedon buoy technology developed and tested by UMaine’s Physical Oceanography Groupover the past decade in the Gulf of Maine and abroad. AWS Truepower and UMaine willconduct a campaign to validate the data collected by the floating system.

The buoy was deployed alongside UMaine’s VolturnUS 1:8 floating offshore windturbine in June off the coast of Castine, Maine.

ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT

VOLTURNUS 1:8, a 65-foot-tall offshorewind turbine prototype, was connectedto the Central Maine Power CompanyJune 13, making it the first grid-connected offshore wind turbine in theAmericas. The turbine, sited off the coastof Castine, Maine, is 1:8th the scale of a6-megawatt (MW), 423-foot rotor diam-eter design.

VolturnUS technology is the culmi-nation of more than five years of collab-orative research and developmentconducted by the University of Maine-led DeepCwind Consortium. DeepCwindresearch is a unique public-private part-nership funded by the U.S. Departmentof Energy (DOE), the National ScienceFoundation-Partners for Innovation,Maine Technology Institute, the state ofMaine, the University of Maine, MaineMaritime Academy, Cianbro and morethan 30 other industry partners.

VolturnUS 1:8 was launched inBrewer May 31 by UMaine’s AdvancedStructures and Composites Center andits partners. The event was hosted byCianbro.

Data acquired during the 2013deployments off Castine will be used tooptimize the design of UMaine’s patent-pending VolturnUS system. The programgoal is to reduce the cost of offshorewind to compete with other forms ofelectricity generation without subsidies.

The UMaine Advanced Structures

Electrons from North America’s firstoffshore wind turbine flow into U.S. grid

and Composites Center has partneredwith industry leaders to invest in a 12-MW pilot farm. The deployments thissummer will de-risk UMaine’s VolturnUStechnology in preparation for connectingthe first full-scale unit to the grid in2016.

Maine has 156 gigawatts (GW) ofoffshore wind capacity within 50 milesof its shores and a plan to deploy 5 GWof offshore wind by 2030. The 5 GWplan could potentially attract $20 billionof private investment to the state, creat-ing thousands of jobs.

Last year, the UMaine CompositesCenter-led DeepCwind Consortium wasawarded the first phase of a potential$93.2 million DOE deepwater offshorewind demonstration project. The consor-tium of industry leaders and nationallaboratories was one of five awardeesselected from more than 70 competingproposals.

In this initial phase, each projectreceived as much as $4 million tocomplete the engineering, design andpermitting phase of this award. At theend of this year, DOE will select up tothree of these projects for follow-onphases that focus on siting, constructionand installation, and aim to achievecommercial operation by 2017. Theseprojects will receive nearly $47 millioneach over four years, subject to Congres-sional appropriations.

VolturnUS 1:8 was launched in Brewer May 31 by UMaine’sAdvanced Structures and Composites Center and its partners.

WANE HUTTO, Forest Bioprod-ucts Research Institute (FBRI)project man ager, is the recipi-

ent of a 2013 Outstanding ProfessionalEmployee Award, presented by theUniversity of Maine ProfessionalEmployees Advisory Council. Hutto over-

Hutto named outstanding employee

sees FBRI’s administrative functions,coordinates project work and collabo-rates with the institute’s executive direc-tor to ensure the efficiency of operations.He joined FBRI in 2008 after working forthree years in UMaine’s Process Devel-opment Center as pulping group leader.


ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT

Making waves

HE UNIVERSITY OF Maine, Maine Maritime Academy, Sandia National Laborato-ries and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) were awarded anearly $984,000 energy grant from the National Science Foundation for the

creation of a new wind and wave generating system.W² will be a unique, multidirectional system that will consist of a rotating open-jet

wind tunnel positioned over a deep-wave basin that will be designed to work together.Using a programmable directional wave maker, wave and wind conditions similar tothose in the Gulf of Maine and beyond will be simulated.

This type of system is not available anywhere else in the country.The wind-wave basin test facility will be located in an annex to the Advanced

Structures and Composites Center. The facility can be used to develop new concepts andstandards for floating structures, particularly those requiring wind and wave interaction,such as offshore floating wind turbines.

The system also has the potential to create better understanding of wave and windeffects in the ocean that can help researchers develop new methods of capturingrenewable energy, optimize the performance of existing renewable energy devices andconstruct future offshore infrastructures, according to a press release issued by U.S.Senators Susan Collins and Angus King.

Krish Thiagarajan, the University of Maine’s Alston D. and Ada Lee Correll Presiden-tial Chair in Energy and mechanical engineering professor, is the principal investigatorof the project. Co-principal investigators include UMaine engineering professors HabibDagher, Andrew Goupee and Qingping Zou, as well as Maine Maritime Academyprofessor Richard Kimball.

2013 Outstanding Graduates

ANIN MASKAY ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Anin Maskay of Kathmandu, Nepal, wasthe Outstanding Graduating Interna-tional Student in the College of Engi-neering. The electrical engineering majorserved as president of UMaine’s Interna-tional Student Association in 2012. Forthree years, he was involved in wirelesssensing research in UMaine’s NASAlunar habitat and in the Wireless SensorNetworks Laboratory on campus, collab-orating with professor Ali Abedi. Maskayplans to pursue graduate school.

MOLLY SEGEEMECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Molly Segee of Old Town, Maine, wasthe Outstanding Graduating Student inthe College of Engineering. She majoredin mechanical engineering with a minorin robotics. She is a member of Tau BetaPi and Pi Tau Sigma, and collaboratedwith professor Michael Peterson in theRacing Surfaces Testing Laboratory. Shewas a member of the Black Bear Robot-ics Club and played French horn inSymphonic Band. She plans to pursue amaster’s degree in aerospace engineer-ing.

RIBBON CUTTING ceremony in April marked the opening of the nation’s firstcellulose nanofiber pilot plant in the University of Maine’s Process Develop-ment Center, which is observing its 25th anniversary.

The Cellulose Nanofiber Pilot Plant, funded by a $1.5 million grant from the U.S.Forest Service, manufactures cellulose nanofibers (CNF), a wood-based reinforcingmaterial that is increasingly of interest to researchers worldwide in the development ofhigh-value materials. Last year, UMaine and the Forest Products Laboratory began aresearch collaboration on the conversion of wood components into novel nanomateri-als; the incorporation of an array of nanomaterials into forest products to increase theirfunctionality, durability and end-use performance; and development of new generationsof high-performance wood-based materials.

UMaine is in a consortium with the Forest Products Lab, six other universities andnumerous industrial partners pursuing research using CNF. Nanomaterial is used inautomobile components, paint and coating additives, composites and filtration media.

Nation’s first cellulose nanofiber pilot plant opens at UMaine

Engineering alum receives honorary degree

UNIVERSITY OF MAINE alumnusLawrence Bender, the producer of filmsthat have won a total of six AcademyAwards®, received an honorary Doctorof Humane Letters degree and sharedremarks during Commencement cere-monies May 11. Bender graduated in1979 with a degree in civil engineering.His successful career as a producer andactivist spans two decades. His films,which include such noteworthy projectsas “Inglourious Basterds,” “Pulp Fiction”and “Good Will Hunting,” have beenhonored with 29 Academy Award®

nominations, including three for BestPicture, and have won six.

For more information, contact Michael Higgins, Senior Development Officer for the College of Engineering, 800.671.7085 or 207.581.3546; [email protected] of Maine College of Engineeringengineering.umaine.edu

With your gift to UMaine Engineering

Bea catalyst for innovation• Support the College of Engineering or your department

through your annual gift. You can now give online (umaine.edu/give).

• Create an endowed fund in the University of Maine Foundation.

• Leave a legacy through your estate plans.

College of Engineering5796 AMC, Room 200Orono, Maine 04496-5796

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More than 30 UMaineengineering alumni workat Texas Instruments inSouth Portland, Maine.

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