Students in the Spotlight

  • Earth Sciences, Ph.D. student Juan Luis García recipient of the 2010 J. Hoover Mackin Student Research Award from the Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division of the Geological Society of America

    UMaine Earth Sciences graduate student Juan Luis García has won the 2010 J. Hoover Mackin Student Research Award from the Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division of the Geological Society of America. This prestigious award will help support García's doctoral research on the glacial and climate history of Torres del Paine region in southern Chile. The main goal of his research is to unravel the drivers of Holocene glacier-climate  fluctuations with a Southern Hemisphere perspective. His research will provide estimates of paleoclimate variability and the environmental conditions for early human development in Southern South America, in addition to the past climate context prior to the 20th-21st century glacier changes.

  • Professor Vivian Wu's Research Opens Door for High School Student

    Posted June 22, 2010

    The Biosensor Research Project headed by Dr. Vivian Wu at the Pathogenic Microbiology Laboratory has opened the door for high school student Rebecca Ye.  Dr. Wu's biosensor projects which is currently being headed by Master of Science in Food Science & Human Nutrition student, Xiao Guo, is using nanotechnology and molecular approach to develop biosensors to identify pathogens. Guo has received several graduate awards regarding her research at Dr. Wu’s Pathogenic Microbiology Laboratory including the 4th prize of Z. John Ordal Oral Graduate Student Competition IFT Food Microbiology Division (2009), the Top presentation and 3rd place of commercialization competition of the 12th graduate student Expo (2010), and Chinese American Food Society Graduate Student Scholarship (2010).

    Rebecca J. Ye, who is a Bangor high school student and works with Xiao in developing nanoparticle-amplified immunosensor, was named the U.S. winner of the 2010 Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) – the most prestigious international competition for water-related research, and will represent U.S. in International Stockholm Junior Water Prize Competition, Sweden.

    Becky said “It has been a great pleasure to work with Xiao Guo. I would never have been able to achieve anything – or even begin to comprehend the mechanism of the QCM – without her help, which has been invaluable. Xiao dedicated countless hours in the lab during the past year to helping me, whether it was optimizing the assay or collecting and analyzing data. She has been there for me every step of the experiment, and helping me with technique and patiently explaining things when I didn’t understand, sometimes more than once. Her work ethic has been inspirational, and I greatly appreciate everything that she has done.”

  • Louisket Edmond, a French Master of Arts in Teaching Alumni publishes book The Tears of Haiti

    Barkhamsted, Connecticut author Louisket Edmond, a native of Haiti, looks back at the land he loves and chronicles his unforgettable journey through two cultures.  Released through Xlibris, his book, The Tears of Haiti, offers an in-depth look into the culture and lifestyle that have yet to be revived after a devastating catastrophe destroyed much of its infrastructure.  On January 12, 2010, a powerful earthquake hit the island of Hispaniola. This calamity killed an estimated 300,000 people and had injured millions of others.  The Tears of Haiti reminds readers of this fact and raises an invitation for expressing compassion and help in any way one can, including prayers.

    Mr. Edmond currently teaches French and Spanish at Northwestern Regional #7 High School.   He received his BA in Spanish and French literature from Temple University and earned a teaching assistantship at the University of Maine in Orono, where he completed a Master’s degree in teaching French.  Knowing the priceless value of education, he has made it his mission to help the people of his homeland, especially all the children left without schools.  Thirty percent (30%) of the book sales will be used to build schools for the street children in Haiti and another thirty percent (30%) will be donated to Mr. Edmond’s parents and family members in Haiti.

    For more information on Tears of Haiti, log on to www.Xlibris.com.

  • Graduate Student Employee of the Year Announced

    Posted May 17, 2010

    Justin Chase, a Master of Science student in Human Development has been awarded the Graduate Student Employee of the Year.  Justin is a truly great financial aid counselor to both students as well as parents. He is a calm, patient and dedicated worker who is always determined to provide the correct information while striving to do so in an efficient manner. Justin surpasses all expectations and goes above and beyond to work on projects that may otherwise not be completed.

more