Student of the Month
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March 2013 - Student of the Month - Joseph Musumeci
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?
Musumeci: For me, my own personal development is really the most important thing I have accomplished here at the University of Maine. In less than 2 years, I have gained a tremendous amount of experience in a field I knew almost nothing about. I have also learned so much more about myself as a person, and that knowledge is invaluable.
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
Musumeci: Networking and speaking to other professionals in student affairs to learn more about the inner-workings at institutions of higher education. The experience gained from all of the outside-of-the-classroom opportunities really helps to relate to all the academic work. I very much enjoyed interning and working for the Upward Bound program this past summer at the University of Maine and also working at UMA-Bangor last year, because it is such a great environment. Those experiences may very well carry on through my career.
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
Musumeci: Stodder Hall. There is something about the community of people who live there that is just so diverse and supportive. There is always something happening, so it is definitely my favorite place to be.
Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?
Musumeci: I am just happy if someone recognizes me in general, like if they remember my name because I helped them out once. That is always a good feeling.
Graduate School: What other important information about yourself would you like us to know?
Musumeci: I will be interning with the Dean of Students next semester, so I am excited about that! And then, the plan is to graduate and move on to a new chapter in my life. Wish me luck!
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February 2013 - Student of the Month - Ana Mauricio
Ana Mauricio, a Doctor of Philosophy of Interdisciplinary Studies student, is the February 2013 Graduate Student of the Month.Graduate School: Where are you from originally?
Mauricio: I am from Peru.
Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?
Mauricio: I attended to the National University of Trujillo in Peru.
Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?
Mauricio: I chose UMaine because I was interested in applying environmental studies and geo-archaeology in Andean archaeology. UMaine is a good place to have this specialization within an interdisciplinary environment.
Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?
Mauricio: I completed the M.S. Program in Quaternary and Climate Studies through the Climate Change Institute and now I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Environmental Geoarchaeology through the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program.
Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?
Mauricio: My plan is to continue working on Andean archaeology, developing topics related to the understanding of the processes of transformation and creation of cultural and natural landscapes and how this is related to the rise, development and fall of pre-Columbian societies. I would also like to develop a research center for environmental studies in Peru where researchers from any part of the world can work interdisciplinarily, relating their studies to both past and present environmental topics.
Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?
Mauricio: Well, for me some important accomplishments are to have successfully completed my graduate training in the U.S., speaking a foreign language, and also to have had a very nice stay and have made really good friends. On the other hand, I am carrying on a very successful field season in Peru, where I am working on my doctoral dissertation for which I have been awarded several academic grants.
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
Mauricio: In April I defended my Master’s thesis and in July I took my comprehensive exams, both successfully. Currently, I am carrying on field work for my doctoral dissertation; this research is producing new and critical information on ancient Andean societies.
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
Mauricio: My favorite place on campus is any place where I can drink coffee and hang out with my friends. When it is warm enough I like biking around, during stressful periods the Rec Center is my favorite place.
Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?
Mauricio: I came to UMaine with a Fulbright scholarship to start graduate studies, at UMaine I have also been awarded the Churchill Exploration Fund and the Graduate Student Government Grant for several semesters, more recently I received the Waitt Grant from the National Geographic Society and the Andean Research Grant from the French Institute of Andean Studies to develop my doctoral research in Peru.
Graduate School: What other important information about yourself would you like us to know?
Mauricio: I am from the north coast of Peru, I am an archaeologist, I come from a large family and I love going to the beach and traveling.
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January 2013 - Student of the Month - Skylar Bayer
Skylar Bayer, a Doctor of Philosophy student in Marine Biology, is the January 2013 Graduate Student of the Month.Graduate School: Where are you from originally?
Bayer: I am from the Greater Boston Area and Cape Cod.
Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?
Bayer: I did my Master of Science in Biological Oceanography in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (MIT-WHOI) Joint Program and I received my Bachelors of Science in Marine Biology from Brown University.
Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?
Bayer: I chose the University of Maine because of the reputation of the School of Marine Sciences, the Darling Marine Center and of course my advisor, Rick Wahle. I wanted to learn how to be an ecologist that also works with local fisheries.
Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?
Bayer: Doctor of Philosophy (expected 2016) in Marine Biology in the School of Marine Sciences. My dissertation work focuses on reproductive and fertilization dynamics of Placopecten magellanicus – giant sea scallops.
Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?
Bayer: Given that this is a few years away, I’m not sure at this point. I’d like to continue working in the field of ecology, but also help shape future ecological policy.
Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?
Bayer: I think being able to get through a very intense field season this past year working scallop reproduction. We did a very ambitious experiment this past field season and I think it’ll help pay off with my dissertation research in the long run.
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
Bayer: In addition to working with such wonderful faculty and students in the School of Marine Sciences at both Orono and the Darling Marine Center campuses, working with scallop fishermen and DMR staff has been a highlight. University of Maine is a great place to work with people both in and out of the academic environment.
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
Bayer: The Darling Marine Center running trails.
Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?
Bayer: Since I’ve only been in the program about a year, I have yet to receive special recognition for anything just yet. That said, I was a co-author on a paper from the MIT-WHOI lab that came out this past December (2012) and I presented at the Benthic Ecology Meeting this past March.
Graduate School: What other important information about yourself would you like us to know?
Bayer: I love ecology, martial arts, roller derby, ice hockey, boats (both building and sailing them), traveling and writing. I started a blog this year called “STRICTLYFISHWRAP” in an effort to get science graduate students writing for the general public. I’m always looking for writers and interesting stories.
Bayer was also featured in the Spring 2012 edition of the Higher Degree, The Graduate School's newsletter. You can read that feature here.
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December 2012 - Student of the Month - Maureen Correll
Maureen “Mo” Correll, a Doctor of Philosophy student in Ecology and Environmental Sciences is the December 2012 Graduate Student of the Month.Graduate School: Where are you from originally?
Correll: Conway, Massachusetts, a small town in Western half of the state.
Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?
Correll: The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA.
Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?
Correll: I chose UMaine because my advisor's research interests and mine lined up well, funding was available in one of my areas of interest, and I was excited to spend part of my life in Maine!
Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?
Correll: I am pursuing a PhD in Ecology and Environmental Science.
Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?
Correll: I hope to work as a research scientist and/or a wildlife manager for a federal agency.
Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?
Correll: I just completed data collection for a large collaborative research project of which I am a part – it involved coordination of dozens of technicians, graduate students, marsh managers and collaborating scientists across 10 states in the summers of 2011 and 2012. We created a database of marsh-bird surveys covering the entire global breeding range of my study organism, the Saltmarsh Sparrow. This database will be used by several graduate students involved in my project, provide the bulk of data for my dissertation work, and eventually be made available to the public for further analyses down the road.
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
Correll: The highlight of my academic experience so far was my decision to change from a Master’s student to a PhD student at the end of my first year at UMaine. My advisors and committee members were amazingly supportive, and displayed utter confidence in my ability to complete a doctoral program, something I would have never believed possible when I was a struggling undergraduate at William and Mary.
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
Correll: My favorite place on campus is our lab - the Olsen Lab- in 213 Deering Hall.
Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?
Correll: I recently received nomination as a fellow in the new Abrupt Climate Change National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (A2C2 IGERT )program on campus, and I am a member of the first cohort of graduate students participating in this program. In addition, I was awarded the Green Lake Fund Fellowship through the Ecology and Environmental Science Program, which is supporting me for the 2012 – 2013 academic year. I was also elected Graduate Student Government President in the spring of 2012, and am still functioning in that role on campus.
Graduate School: What other important information about yourself would you like us to know?
Correll: When I graduated from my undergraduate institution I didn’t think I’d ever have the energy or drive to get a graduate education. Much of the success I’ve found at UMaine I can directly relate to my time away from school and the work experience and confidence I gained during this period of my life – I’m a huge advocate of taking your time before you return to school. In my spare time I like to play Ultimate Frisbee, hike, bike, and collect costumes for my costume bin.
