Science/Technology

Hemant P. Pense Headshot
February 11, 2021

Meet Hemant Pendse, UMaine’s 2021 Distinguished Maine Professor

Hemant Pendse, an internationally recognized leader in forest bioproducts research, has been named the University of Maine’s 2021 Distinguished Maine Professor.  The annual Distinguished Maine Professor Award honors a UMaine professor who exemplifies the highest qualities of teaching, research, and public service. It is sponsored by the University of Maine Alumni Association and its classes…

January 15, 2021

UMaine Technology Helps Build New Bridge in Hampden, ME

Technology developed in conjunction with UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center led to the design and manufacturing of a new bridge on Route 1A in Hampden, ME. The CT Girder Bridge System employed by Advanced Infrastructure Technologies in Brewer is resistant to corrosion and is longer lasting and easier to maintain than traditional steel and…

December 11, 2020

Versant Power Astronomy Director Shares “Constellation and the Christmas Star” Webcast with Alums

Watch a recording of the Alumni Association’s recent Zoom webcast “Constellations and the Christmas Star” with Shawn Laatsch, director of the Versant Power Astronomy Center and Jordan Planetarium. Laatsch introduces the stars, constellations, and planets seen in our winter skies. Learn how to find them from your own backyard, see what special planetary conjunction is…

November 16, 2020

Alums Develop Cream for Dry Skin Made from Lobster Fluid

Two UMaine alumni have developed a cream from lobster fluid that treats dry skin. Patrick Breeding ’17, ’19G and Amber Boutiette ’17, ’19G established Marin Skincare, which uses a protein from lobster as the active ingredient in their hydration cream. The two began working on the product when they were graduate students.

August 12, 2020

UMaine’s Offshore Wind Project Receives $100 Million Investment

UMaine’s cutting-edge research on offshore windpower energy technology has received a major private-sector investment from Diamond Offshore Wind and RWE Renewables. The $100 million investment from those partners will enable the floating wind farm to be constructed about 14 miles off the Maine coast, near Monhegan Island. The scale model prototype of the project, which…

August 12, 2020

“Expedition Everest” Highlighted in Upcoming Webinar

Join the Alumni Association on August 20th at 10 AM (Eastern) for a  Zoom presentation by Dr. Paul Mayewski, director of UMaine’s Climate Change Institute. In 2019, Mayewski led a team of researchers to Mount Everest to install the world’s highest weather-monitoring stations. Funded by National Geographic and Rolex, the expedition was the subject of the…

August 5, 2020

Maine-made Research Satellite to Launch

Photo courtesy of AMSAT The University of Maine, in collaboration with the University of Southern Maine and three Maine schools, will create and launch a research satellite within the next three years. UMaine graduate students will work with USM undergraduates to design, develop, and test the first Maine-built satellite, as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch…

May 15, 2020

Virtual Groundbreaking for Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center

On April 28, a virtual groundbreaking marked the beginning of the construction of the $78 million Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center on the UMaine campus. Construction of the 105,000-square-foot facility will begin in May, with workers following appropriate COVID-19 health and safety guidelines. The project is expected to be completed in spring 2022. Members…

April 16, 2020

Virtual Groundbreaking for Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center to Take Place Next Week

The University of Maine, together with the University of Maine Foundation, will break ground for the Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center on Tuesday, April 28th at 1:00 p.m. The virtual groundbreaking for the center can be found here. The $77 million, 105-000-square-foot teaching and learning center is expected to be open for classes in…

Jennifer Vachon
January 29, 2020

Takes One to Know One

JENNIFER HIGGINS VASHON ’93 is an expert on black bears—the animal kind, not the ones who roam the hallways of UMaine. As a wildlife biologist for Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Vashon is a researcher, public educator, and advisor to policy makers. The University of Maine’s wildlife management program—and the connections she made…

January 17, 2020

Remembering Chuck Peddle ’59

News media around the world recently reported the passing of computer pioneer Chuck Peddle ’59, one of the most consequential Black Bears of all time. Peddle, the 2019 Alumni Career Award recipient, is widely credited as “the father of the personal computer.” This New York Times feature is just one of many news stories that…

December 13, 2019

Video Pays Tribute to UMaine’s Machine Tool Lab

The Machine Tool Lab has provided space for mechanical engineering technology students to gain hands-on experience since it was constructed in 1934. This nine-minute video traces the lab’s history. The building will be replaced by a state-of-the-art lab located within the Ferland Engineering Education & Design Center.