Student of the Month
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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.
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November 2012 - Student of the Month - Sara Andrews
Sara Andrews, a Master of Education in Instructional Technology student is the November 2012 Graduate Student of the Month.
Graduate School: Where are you from originally?Andrews: I was born in Modesto, California, but was raised in Maine.
Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?
Andrews: I graduated from the University of Maine at Machias with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Entrepreneurial Studies with concentrations in Management and Business Sustainability.Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?
Andrews: I chose UMaine because it offered an online program that fit perfectly with my interests. It would allow me to work full-time, take care of my family, and still attend school. I also talked with my current advisor, Gail Garthwait, during the application process and was convinced that I would get all the support that I needed to succeed. I was right.
Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?
Andrews: I am in the M.Ed in Instructional Technology program.
Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?
Andrews: Thanks to the knowledge and skills that I have already attained from UMaine’s Instructional Technology program, I was able to secure a position as an Instructional Designer at St. Joseph’s College. After I graduate, I intend to explore MBA and/or PhD options as well as seek an adjunct teaching position.
Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?
Andrews: My most important accomplishment at UMaine so far is really just learning what I’m capable of. I’ve gained a lot of confidence from the experience of taking a rigorous course load in addition to working full-time. I wasn’t sure I could handle three graduate level courses with that work schedule, but I’ve learned that if you dig deep, sometimes you’ll surprise yourself!
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
Andrews: The highlight of my academic experience has been engaging in the learning communities that have been provided. I have been continuously enriched by the shared knowledge of my peers. They have challenged my perceptions at every turn, and I have grown a lot because of it.
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
Andrews: I am a distance learning student, so my favorite place on the UMaine campus is my virtual classroom – Moodle.
Graduate School: What other important information about yourself would you like us to know?
Andrews: I have been incredibly blessed to have the support of my amazing family throughout this process. I could not have done it without the support of my partner, Michael, and our family, Troy, Danae, Jayden and Mallory. They have made a lot of sacrifices along the way, and I am sure they are looking forward to my graduation almost as much as I am!
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October 2012 - Student of the Month - Tobias Koffman
Tobias “Toby” Koffman, a Master of Science in Earth Sciences student is the October 2012 Graduate Student of the Month.
Graduate School: Where are you from originally?
Koffman: Southwest Harbor, Maine
Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?
Koffman: Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT
Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?
Koffman: I chose to come to UMaine so that I could learn about glacial geology from Professor Brenda Hall.
Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?
Koffman: I am currently pursuing a Master of Science in Earth Sciences, but also intend to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy.
Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?
Koffman: I hope to continue my research on the timing and cause of abrupt climate changes.
Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?
Koffman: My research results, which will help us to understand the causes of ice-age climate cycles.
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
Koffman: Doing field work in Antarctica and New Zealand were definite highlights.
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
Koffman: The botanical garden.
Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?
Koffman: I received an NSF graduate research fellowship in 2011.
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September 2012 - Student of the Month - Corey Butler
Corey Butler, a Master of Education in Instructional Technology student is the September 2012 Graduate Student of the Month.
Graduate School: Where are you from originally?Butler: I’m from Lebanon, Maine; a small and quiet town on the New Hampshire border.
Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?Butler: My undergraduate degree is also from UMaine, in New Media.
Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?
Butler: UMaine was the only undergraduate school I applied to, despite having the opportunity to go to more competitive schools. I fell in love with the atmosphere and the location. I wasn’t interested in looking anywhere else after I took a tour of UMaine.
Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?
Butler: Master of Education in Instruction Technologies.
Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?
Butler: I intend to pursue a professional career in computer administration and professional development at a University, maybe even UMaine or in the University of Maine System.
Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?
Butler: As a graduate assistant for the College of Education and Human Development one of my responsibilities is supporting all of our distance education courses. This means communicating with the students and finding video conferencing sites in their areas, training faculty, and maintaining
the equipment at our own local sites.
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
Butler: It’s tough to say, my capstone for my undergraduate degree was something I’m still to this day very proud of. I created and hosted a peer-to-peer file sharing network for the legal distribution of creative commons and public domain images and videos.
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
Butler: The IT Help Center in the basement of Shibles Hall, where I also work. I’ve been there for many years now, and even though it’s a job, it’s like a second home to me and I’m very fond of all my coworkers.
Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?
Butler: Being asked to represent the Instructional Technologies program at the Graduate Student Fair and discussing the program to potential students was quite an honor.
Graduate School: What other important information about yourself would you like us to know?
Butler: I played in the pep band for a year and also was a DJ for a punk radio show on WMEB for 2 years. I’m also an event photographer and as such I work for the Bear Brew Pub and have been contracted to do events for Student Government before, like when the music artist Girl Talk was here a couple years ago.
