Grad School NEWS

Posted May 15, 2013

Timothy Baker, student in the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program, received first prize for his poster “Combining Environmental Education and Computational Thinking” at the 2013 Maine Water Conference in Augusta. The Maine Water Conference was founded in 1994 by the Mitchell Center as an annual forum for water resource professionals, researchers, consultants, citizens, students, regulators, and planners to exchange information and present new findings on water resource issues in Maine. The conference has grown to become one of the largest environmentally-related conferences in Maine attracting over 350 attendees each year. Baker’s research is focused on watershed education in middle school curriculum. He and a team of UMaine students have developed and tested seven different activities as part of a pedagogical framework combining computational thinking, environmental learning, and integrative thinking. Integrative thinking refers to both system-based learning -such as exploring 'what if' questions of an environmental model and adjusting the model appropriately- and also multi-disciplinary possibilities, such as activities that require or allow students to use skills and knowledge from math, science, english, and other subjects. Baker said of his research, “Water and watershed issues are used to explore creative learning and problem solving through computer programing based activities. The activities provide a way for students to explore and learn about interconnected human and natural systems, specifically watershed systems.”

For those who missed The Graduate Student and Faculty Recognition (Hooding) Ceremony on May 10th, the University has provided the live stream available here.   Enjoy and congratulations to the 2013 graduates!

Faculty Member in Residence Stodder Hall   The Graduate School is currently seeking a new faculty-member-in-residence to provide student service support to the resident population in the Stodder Hall graduate center.  Please go here for duties of the faculty member in residence and for application instructions. Deadline is June 14, start date is August 1.   Please bring this opportunity to the attention of in-coming faculty members, who are also eligible to apply.  

 

 

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Posted May 6, 2013

Merida Batiste, PhD student in Physics, and David Pearson, Master of Science student in Physics, presented at the 221st Meeting of the American Astronomical Society. The meeting is the largest annual meeting for astronomers and astrophysicists in North America and attracts scientists from all over the  globe. Presentations at the Meeting can take one of three forms: posters, regular oral presentations which are five minutes, and dissertation talks which in  15 minutes aim to explain a major conclusion from thesis work. Batiste presented her research on gravitationally bound superclusters of galaxies, the largest structures in the universe held together by gravity. She said of her present ation, “While about 10 million superclusters of galaxies have been identified in the Universe, bound superclusters are incredibly rare; prior to our work only one had been identified. I presented on my results for the Corona Borealis supercluster, which provide the most conclusive observational evidence to date that this structure is bound and in collapse.”

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The 27th Annual Graduate Student and Faculty Recognition (Hooding) Ceremony will be held on Friday, May 10th, 2013 from 4 to 6 pm at the Alfond Arena.  A reception in the Field House will immediately follow.  For more information please see the appropriate link below, or contact the Graduate School at umhooding@maine.edu or 207.581.3291. 

  Student Information and Registration   Faculty Information   UPDATE: GradImages® will be photographing all graduates at the upcoming Recognition (Hooding) Ceremony. Visit their website, www.gradimages.com, and click on Pre-Event Email Registration. Enter your email and up to 6 emails of loved ones who would like to share in your accomplishment by viewing and ordering your photos. You will receive a coupon for $5 off an order of $25 of more just by registering your information before the event!   Also, flowers will be available for purchase at the Alfond.     We hope to see you there!

This year, the Graduate School held its first Graduate Student photo contest which was open to all UMaine graduate students and included prizes for 1st place ($100), 2nd place ($50), and 3rd place ($25) in two categories: grad student life and grad student research.  Students from various disciplines participated and the winners were announced at the GradExpo in April.  To view the winning submissions, please click here.  

Posted May 1, 2013

Rachel Kennedy, a Doctor of Philosophy student set to graduate in the Biomedical Sciences program in August 2013, has accepted a postdoctoral position at Columbia University. She will be working in the neurobiology and neuroscience labs of Drs. Rae Silver and James Curley researching the role of immune cells called mast cells in the brain. These cells are known to defend the body against parasitic attack, and are main effector cells in allergies and asthma, but their normal physiology in the brain is not known. Kennedy’s dissertation research, performed in the laboratory of Dr. Julie Gosse, focused on the effect of environmental toxicants on mast cell degranulation, and she said of her future research, “There is no real understanding of what mast cells are doing in the brain. We are interested in understanding both the normal physiology and pathology of mast cells in the brain, which may have implications for disease states such as anxiety and depression.” While at Columbia University Kennedy will also be a lecturer in psychology for the Frontiers of Science program, part of the core curriculum for undergraduate students.

Posted April 22, 2013

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Posted April 15, 2013

Joel-Michael Martin, May 2013 candidate for the Master in Human Development degree, presented his talk “24 Shades of Gray; Leadership without Easy Answers” with associate Douglas Calhoun at the February Association of Fraternal Leadership Values conference. According to their website the AFLV, “exists to stimulate the growth and development of fraternity/sorority councils, chapters, and members by promoting leadership, educational, and values based experiences and resources for student leaders, their advisors, and the larger fraternal market. Martin said of the event, “This was a large honor considering the amount of presentations submitted and the limited number of spots. I was very excited to be involved.” Martin is the Coordinator of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs at UMaine. In this role he advises 24 Greek Chapters and two Councils making up over 1,000 undergraduate students.

Pieter Tryzelaar, a dual student of the Master in Education in Instructional Technology and Master of Fine Art in Intermedia programs, is the April 2013 Graduate Student of the Month.

Graduate School: Where are you from originally?

Tryzelaar: I grew up in Portland. I am also a dual citizen with the Netherlands.

Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?

Tryzelaar: I earned both an Associates and Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with a concentration in painting/video production, from the University of Southern Maine. I also have a degree in culinary arts from Southern Maine Community College.

Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?

Tryzelaar: I heard about the new Intermedia MFA program and was excited to attend.

Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?

Tryzelaar: I am about to complete concurrent master’s degrees, a M.Ed. in Instructional Technology and a MFA in Intermedia, an interdisciplinary art and technology program.

Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?

Tryzelaar: I am exploring many options, ranging from finding work as an instructional technologist, to pursuing a PhD.

Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?

Tryzelaar: I would say I am most proud of my installation for the Intermedia Thesis Exhibition this past September. It was the culmination of years of research and months of preparation.

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April 3, 2013

The Graduate Student Government and Graduate School are pleased to announce the award recipients for the following awards: top poster and oral presentations, Intermedia Competition, PechaKucha Competition, People's Choice Award, Graduate Dean's Undergraduate Mentoring Award, Foster Center for Student Innovation Commercialization Award, President's Research Impact Award, and the Graduate Dean's Photo Contest.

As in years past, the GradExpo featured disciplinary sessions with poster and oral presentations featuring students in the Physical Sciences & Technology, Natural Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences. Artists at the University presented Intermedia art projects, fine art works and performances. The PechaKucha competition session challenges students from every discipline to share their work in a rapid-fire slide show lasting under seven minutes. In addition to competing for thousands of dollars in cash prizes and recognition for their work, students have the opportunnity to interact with representatives from industry and government.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

1st. Karen Hutchins - Interdisciplinary

2nd. Rebecca White - History

3rd. Ian Jesse - History

NATURAL SCIENCES

1st. Nadir Yildirim - Forest Resources

2nd. Katharin Ruskin - Ecology and Environmental Sciences

3rd. Anna Breard - Food Science and Human Nutrition

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY

1st. Silas Owusu-Nkwantabisah - Chemistry

2nd. Bess Koffman - Earth and Climate Sciences

3rd. Delia Massey - Civil Engineering

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

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The University of Maine Graduate School is pleased to announce the following award recipients for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Chase Distinguished Research Assistantship (CDRA)

Heather Arnett Ecology and Environmental Science Patricia Dieter Clinical Psychology Alyssa Freitag Marine Biology Adam Kosan English Hengshan Li Spatial Information Science and Engineering Linda Markowsky Computer Science Zhong Pan Civil Engineering Paul Pluta Quaternary and Climate Studies Daniela Veliz Education Rebecca White History

Maine Economic Improvement Fund (MEIF) Fellowship

John Bell Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Melanie Blumentritt Forestry Christian Richard Functional Genomics Stefano Vendrame Food and Nutrition Science Yunhui Wu Electrical and Computer Engineering

University of Maine Dissertation Research Fellowship (UMDRF)

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Dear Graduate Students,

Please read the attached letter from University of Maine Provost Susan J. Hunter. I would also like to recognize your excellence and add my deep appreciation for all you do to benefit the University, the State, and beyond.

Best wishes,

Dan Sandweiss

Dean and Associate Provost for Graduate Studies

Posted March 25, 2013

Daniela Veliz, a doctoral candidate in Higher Education, is leading a new network of Chilean researchers. Working with colleague Dr. Paulina Perez Mejias, Veliz will be holding the first meeting of the Network of Chilean Education Researchers (RIECH) at the annual American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference in San Francisco, California. AERA is the most prominent international professional association with the primary goal of advancing educational research and its practical application. RIECH was born from the initiative of scholars and graduate students -mainly in the United States- who share an interest in contributing to the advancement of knowledge about Chile’s education. The idea behind the network is to connect with other scholars doing research about Chile and to showcase their study results. Veliz says, “We think this network will serve also as a way to share resources and information among its members and to provide opportunities for collaboration.” So far the group has more than 50 members (including graduate students and professors from US and other universities) and every day more express interest in participating. More information about RIECH can be found here. El Mercurio, Chile’s leading newspaper, quoted Veliz in a March 4 story about Chileans forming networks abroad.

Veliz, originally from Chile, is also a Research Assistant for the ADVANCE Rising Tide Center on campus, and is currently working on her dissertation regarding socialization of international women faculty working at research universities.
 

Posted on Thursday, March 21

Assistant Professor Dylan Dryer, of the English Department, has received the Braddock Award from the Conference on College Composition and Communication. The CCCC is the largest organization in the world devoted to theory, research, and instruction in college-level writing. The Braddock Award is given annually to the best article published in the organization’s flagship journal, College Composition and Communication. An appointed review team carefully considers the dozens of peer-reviewed articles published in the journal during the previous year, and then decides which one rises above all the others in its intellectual, scholarly, and expressive excellence. Acceptance into the journal is extremely competitive, but the Braddock Award is a mark of even greater excellence, one that instantly brings visibility to its recipient and has an important impact on his or her career.

Dr. Dryer was the first faculty member in residence in Stodder Hall and held that position for more three years. He has also led the Thesis and Dissertation Studio for graduate students since Spring of 2010. The Studio is a UMaine Graduate School and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences-supported program that engages small, interdisciplinary groups of graduate students in structured peer review and feedback on drafts of their Thesis or Dissertation projects. 

Joseph Musumeci, a Master of Education in Higher Education student, is the March 2013 Graduate Student of the Month.

Graduate School: Where are you from originally?

Musumeci: Toms River, New Jersey

Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?

Musumeci: I attended Rowan University and majored in Communication Studies.

Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?

Musumeci: This is a tricky question, as I do not necessarily have a specific reason. During my search of graduate schools, I had more of a gut feeling that this was the place I should come. I followed that feeling and certainly believe it was the right choice, as my experience here has been wonderful. I mean, hey, “You’re in a great place”, right?

Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?

Musumeci: Master of Education in Higher Education

Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?

Musumeci: Well, the plan is to find a job in student affairs at a college or university. My current interests are in student activities or counseling, so the hope is to pursue employment in one of those areas.

Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?

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In an effort to better serve the graduate student community, we have decided to push back the submission deadline for GradExpo2013 by one week. The electronic submission form will remain active until March 8th.

Additionally, due to a large number of requests, we will be allowing students to present in any of the traditional categories (Oral, Poster, Intermedia), though only presentation one will be considered for cash prizes.

Remember, in addition to their other presentations, all graduate students may ALSO participate in the PechaKucha competition. All PechaKucha participants are eligible for cash prizes in addition to anything they win in their traditional categories. More info on the PechaKucha competition can be found here: http://www2.umaine.edu/gsg/grad-expo/gradexpo_entry_information/gradexpo-guidelines-pechakucha/

Please see the Grad Expo Website for more information about all categories, or email Charles Rodda: Charles.rodda@umit.maine.edu.

Hello!

On behalf of the University of Maine Graduate Student Government, I am pleased to announce the 2013 UMaine Graduate Student Exposition. Over the course of two days - 28-29 March, 2013 - graduate students from all disciplines will present their research, artistic works, projects and collaborations. In addition to competing for thousands of dollars in cash prizes and recognition for their work, students will be able to interact with representatives from industry and government. This exposition will coincide with the unveiling of the University of Maine’s new Innovative Media, Research and Commercialization Center. The building will be open to the public during the Expo, and graduate students and faculty will be present answer questions and demonstrate the features and facilities housed in the new center.

As in years past, the GradExpo will feature disciplinary sessions with poster and oral presentations featuring students in the Physical Sciences & Technology, Natural Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences. Graduate student artists at the University will be presenting InterMedia art projects, fine art works and performances.

We are excited to announce that we are requesting submissions for several new interdisciplinary sessions that have been added to the GradExpo this year. These sessions will feature research focused on Canada and Canadian-Americanism and on the culture, science and policy of the Gulf of Maine.

Presentations will include traditional short oral presentations and poster sessions, as well as innovative art installations, informal slide-shows and the PechaKucha competition where students from every discipline will present their work in a rapid-fire talk and slide show lasting less than seven minutes. Winners from other campus competitions will be announced at the Expo as well.

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Posted February 25, 2013

UMaine History doctoral candidate Rob Gee and Honors College/Maine Studies Program faculty member Katherine O'Flaherty have received an award in recognition of their work in the digital humanities. The 2012 DH Awards recognize excellence in digital humanities in a number of categories. Nominations for DH Awards came from around the digital humanities community and were overseen by the nominations committee.

Gee and Dr. O’Flaherty received their award in the category “Best Professional Resource for Learning About or Doing Digital Humanities Work” for their Digital Humanities Toolbox, which is available here. http://www.scoop.it/t/digital-humanities-tool-box They were also nominated for the “Best Digital Humanities Blog, Article, or Short Publication” for their post "Summer Project: Start a Digital History Toolbox", which can be seen here.  

The Digital Humanities Awards are a new set of annual awards given in recognition of talent and expertise in the digital humanities community and are nominated and voted for entirely by the public. These awards are intended to help put interesting DH resources in the spotlight and engage DH users (and the general public) in the work of the community. Awards are not specific to geography, language, conference, organization or field of humanities that they benefit. The 2012 DH Awards website is available here. 
 

Posted February 18, 2013

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