Students in the Spotlight

  • University of Maine Students Receive Awards at 2012 Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering Annual Meeting

    Posted November 19, 2012

    At the 2012 Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering (GSBSE) Annual Meeting on September 14 and 15 several UMaine students received awards for their research. First prize for the Governor Baldacci Outstanding Oral Presentation Award went to Janice Duy with second place tied by Justin Guay and Josh Boucher. Deepthi Muthukrishnan won first prize in the President Kennedy Outstanding Poster Presentation and Virginia McLane took second place. Students received $150 dollars for first prize awards and $100 dollars for second prize, in addition to recognition for their hard work and fascinating research. Dr. Carol Kim, director and Graduate Coordinator for the School, said of the event, “The student talks were excellent, the poster presentations were outstanding, and the keynote address by Dr. David Dankort was exceptional. Every year the science is stronger and the presentations are becoming very polished. It's wonderful to see the progress of each student. The competition was intense again this year and it was extremely difficult for the judges to come to their final decisions. All of the students should be commended for their excellent work and great presentations!” Next year’s GSBSE Annual Meeting will be held on September 13 and 14, 2013.  

  • Master of Forestry Student, Kristin Peet, Named Biologist of the Year by the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society

    Posted November 19, 2012

    Kristin Peet, a student in the Master of Forestry program, was named the biologist of the year by the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society in May. Peet has been the big-game biologist for the Penobscot Indian Nation in Indian Island, Maine for seven years. Peet helps the Nation make management decisions regarding the big game species that live on the 130,000 acres owned by the tribe. Nominated for the award by the Penobscot Indian Nation’s Director of the Department of Natural Resources, Peet describes her time working with the Penobscots as eye-opening. She writes: “There’s a huge cultural component to what I do. I can’t look at this as just, ‘Biologically, this is what we need to do with the moose and deer herd. There’s all sorts of cultural aspects — spiritual aspects of hunting female animals, things like that. Scientifically it may make sense to hunt [in a given place] or hunt this number or this sex, but culturally that may not be the same thing.” To read the Bangor Daily News article about Peet, please go here.  

  • Alper Kiziltas, Doctoral Student in Forest Resources, Receives Scholarship from the Society of Plastics Engineers

    Posted October 15, 2012

    Forest Resources Doctoral student Alper Kiziltas received a scholarship from the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Automotive and Composites Division for his plans to study the potential use of natural fillers to make automotive plastics. Kiziltas plans to explore the use of fillers such as wood flour, hemp and flax as replacements for materials like glass and carbon fibers in thermoplastics. Kiziltas conducts his research at the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center and if he “is able to prove that thermoplastics with natural fillers can stand up to the stresses of higher heats without degrading, they could replace some materials used in ‘under-the-hood applications.’… the commonly held belief is that natural materials could be used only in thermoplastics with a low melting point, but his early research has shown otherwise.” Kiziltas will report on his research to the Society of Plastic Engineers in September of 2013. To read the Bangor Daily New article on Kiziltas, please click here. 

  • Kara Janes, Master of Social Work Student, Receives Best "Reality Check" Award from Family Caregiver Alliance

    Posted October 9, 2012

    Kara Janes, a Master of Social Work student, recently received the best “Reality Check” reward from Family Caregiver Alliance, a non-profit in San Francisco, for her experience spending 10 days at a nursing home in order to, “build empathy for her clients and enrich her clinical understanding of the long-term care environment.” The story of her time at the nursing home was also featured in the Bangor Daily News and in Silverwire, the newsletter of the UMaine Center on Aging. Kara’s experience was coordinated and evaluated through the “Learning and Living” project at the University of New England. Developed in 2006, the “Learning by Living” project places students in long-term care settings in order to develop their empathy, self-knowledge and clinical skills. Janes received a “diagnosis” of stroke, fully embraced her diagnosis, ate a pureed diet, and was assisted with her activities of daily living throughout her stay. She said of the experience, “The Kara Janes that entered Lakewood is not the Kara Janes that left Lakewood. I was truly blessed with the opportunity to be stripped away of everything. To be a nothing and a nobody. I had the good fortune to receive this life-altering event. While battling so many emotions I was gently led by such kind souls on a journey I will never forget. I know this journey has had not only an impact on my personal life but also on my social work. I can only hope that I will be able to guide others with a gentle soul and golden heart in order for them to discover their strengths and kind souls.” To read the Bangor Daily News story please go here.  

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