Student of the Month
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May 2012 - Student of the Month - Gabriella D'Italia
Gabriella D'Italia, a Master of Fine Arts in Intermedia student is the May, 2012 Graduate Student of the Month.Graduate School: Where are you from originally?
D'Italia: Morristown, New Jersey
Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?
D'Italia: St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland
Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?
D'Italia: I have lived in Maine for ten years and want to continue living and working here. I want to build relationships with my community through the University. The Intermedia MFA program is the only one of its kind in Maine, and I view the interdisciplinary approach to research as a direct continuation of my undergraduate work and necessary to a working art practice.
Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?
D'Italia: An MFA in Intermedia.
Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?
D'Italia: I will continue to make work in my field. This includes conducting creative research and presenting that research in professional venues.
Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?
D'Italia: The University of Maine has allowed me to connect with people, students, professors, and working artists that enrich and enable my work. I hope to sustain those relationships and engagements beyond graduation. I’ve had several professional successes, including exhibiting at one of Maine’s leading contemporary art venues, The Center for Maine Contemporary Art. The University has validated my work in a couple of respects. The Collins Center for the Arts commissioned two of my wall-mounted textile works for their building. Most recently, I was awarded the 2011-2012 Chase Distinguished Research Assistantship in support of my thesis research.
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
D'Italia: Working with artists who have come to lecture, teach, and advise at the University, most notably Randy Regier.
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
D'Italia: I like the old, brick buildings, like Chadbourne. I had the opportunity to go through the seemingly abandoned Holmes Hall, a fellow graduate student, Abigail Stiers, produced and installed work there. It was enchanting – but perhaps I was influenced by her work.
Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?
D'Italia: In addition to receiving multiple Graduate Student Government Grants and Intermedia Research and Project Grants through the University, I’ve also received the Ana Mendieta Memorial Fellowship and the Chase Distinguished Research Assistantship. I received a Maine Arts Commission Good Idea Grant in 2010.
My work has been exhibited locally and nationally. Most notably I was accepted into the International Quilt National ’09 Biennial and included in their publication; I received Honorable Mention at National Fiber Directions (2009); and I worked as part of a collaborative group on a project “An Ordinal of Alchimy” for Cabinet Magazine in Brooklyn, NY. I was included in an invitational triennial at the University of Maine Museum of Art, and the CMCA biennial exhibition. I had a solo exhibition at Aarhus Gallery in Belfast, Maine and this fall, my work is part of a two-person exhibition at the CMCA in Rockport.
I have received two residency positions, one as a fellow at Mildred’s Lane in Pennsylvania under artists Mark Dion, Robert Williams, and J. Morgan Puett. The other, I served as the Textiles Artist in Residence at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago for 2011.
I’ve been included in a handful of publications: I was featured in the Emerging Artists Showcase in Fiberarts Magazine, (summer 2011). I was included in Maine Home and Design Magazine’s April 2011, Annual Art Issue. I was interviewed in an article for QuiltingArts.com titled Merging Intellect and Aesthetic. There have also been reviews for my most recent shows, a group show at Rose Contemporary in Portland, and Pieced at CMCA: “Pieced” at CMCAby Britta Konau, October 2011 http://freepressonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=50&SubSectionID=72&Article...
Art Review: New Contemporary Gallery Makes Impressive Debut, by Daniel Kany for The Portland Press Herald, September 2011 http://www.pressherald.com/life/audience/New-contemporary-gallery-makes-...
Graduate School: What other important information about yourself would you like us to know?
D'Italia: I’m very thankful for the opportunities that being at the University has offered me and for the support of the faculty, especially Dr. Owen Smith and Sheridan Kelley, and for the other students in my program with whom I look forward to continue working.
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April 2012 - Student of the Month - Jason Monk
Jason Monk, a Master of Science in Computer Engineering student is the April 2012 Graduate Student of the Month.Graduate School: Where are you from originally?Monk: Pittsfield, MaineGraduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?Monk: I earned my B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from UMaineGraduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?Monk: In my undergraduate years at the University of Maine I developed relationships with the faculty and an appreciation for the technology and facilities available to students, and I was thrilled to be able to further my education in the Computer Engineering department.Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?Monk: M.S. in Computer EngineeringGraduate School: What are your plans after graduation?Monk: I have been interested in being a part of a start-up for some time. After graduation I will seek a position in the field of programming while pursuing other entrepreneurial opportunities.Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?Monk: I recently helped to finish preparing the first batch of low-cost data loggers. This is a project Dr. Bruce Segeeh.D. and myself (with help from several others) have been working on for about a year. We will soon be sending out the first 30 of these affordable temperature sensors to K-12 classrooms to measure temperature changes in water. These devices were designed to be profitable at around $5 each and easily usable on any computer (no software required).Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?Monk: My classes have definitely been the highlight so far. The small sizes of graduate classes do wonders for the atmosphere; it allows the curriculum to be more dynamic and serve students more directly. This essentially gives the students taking these classes direct access to all of the professor’s knowledge.Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?Monk: My favorite place on campus is my lab in Barrows. Maybe I’m a living stereotype of an engineering student living in the lab, but there’s a reason I spend all my time there. It’s the place I feel most at home on campus, and the place I have found both friends and academic inspiration.Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?Monk: Earlier this year, I had the honor of participating in the International IEEE Xtreme Programming Competition. My team placed first in the Northeast Region, and 75th worldwide. -
March 2012 - Student of the Month - Brianna Hughes
Brianna Hughes, a doctoral student in Food and Nutrition Sciences is the March, 2012 Graduate Student of the Month.
Graduate School: Where are you from originally?
Hughes: New Gloucester, Maine
Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?
Hughes: McGill University
Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?
Hughes: I started looking at UMaine because I really wanted to stay in Maine, and I had heard that they had a graduate program in Food Science. So I drove up and spent a day visiting with the FSN faculty and touring their labs and facilities to find out more about their program and how I might fit into it. I was really impressed with the diversity of research they were conducting, and especially with how that research was directly connected to Maine’s economy but with far-reaching implications.
Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?
Hughes: A Ph.D. in Food & Nutrition Sciences
Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?
Hughes: I plan to go into the food industry to work in Research and Development. My interests are in making healthier and more nutrient-dense foods without sacrificing quality or taste. It’s really important to me to be part of a company that is on the cutting-edge of food science and technology, and to be able to apply a blend of creativity and science on a daily basis.
Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?
Hughes: Serving as the Graduate Student Government Board of Trustees representative is a tremendous honor.
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
Hughes: Defending my Master’s thesis and seeing it bound was great! Traveling to present my research at national conferences ranks right up there too!
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
Hughes: It’s a tie between The Bear’s Den and the Wallace Pool – both are great places to unwind.
Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?
Hughes: I’ve received the Suppliers’ Award for Outstanding Achievement twice from Northeast Institute of Food Technologists (NEIFT), my research won 1st place in the Product Development Division of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) at IFT’s Annual Meeting & Food Expo in 2010, and I was honored with the Most Outstanding Student in Food Science Award in 2010 from my department.
Graduate School: What other important information about yourself would you like us to know?
Hughes: I have two Great Danes who might just be the world’s biggest lap dogs, I love to cook and to garden and to homebrew, and if I wasn’t on such a science bender I’d love to just write short stories and novels. Maybe someday I still will.
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February 2012 - Student of the Month - Sarah Cottrell
Sarah Cottrell, a Master of Fine Arts in Intermedia is the Graduate School's Student of the Month for February. Graduate School: Where are you from originally?
Cottrell: I am originally from Bangor.
Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?
Cottrell: I graduated from UMaine in 2005 with BFA in sculpture.
Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?
Cottrell: I grew up around the UMaine community and so I knew that my experience would be a marvelous one filled with supportive people and unique opportunities.
Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?
Cottrell: I am in the Intermedia MFA program.
Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?
Cottrell: I have been interested in doing grant writing work to support artists and also some behind the scenes organizing of shows and other exhibition options for fine artists. I’d really like to find a meaningful and lucrative way to support visual artists in our state.
Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?
Cottrell: I think my position as the Research Assistant for the Intermedia program has been the most rewarding experience. I’ve been put in charge of organizing our annual Open House Exhibition, researching grants and funding for our students and connecting students with a variety of other resources. I’ve been able to meet and work with some marvelously talented people that I hope to work with professionally in the near future!
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
Cottrell: One highlight of my academic experience has been serving as a senator and now the secretary for the GSG. I’ve met some incredibly smart and creative people through this role. I’ve also learned a great deal about how to best advocate for students and how to work the public.
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
Cottrell: My studio! Having the luxury of a private space where I can work on my paintings or objects is really a pleasure and necessity. There is nothing like closing out the world and being able to focus 1,000% on my work in a meaningful way. My department really works hard to make sure its student’s needs are met and I never take that for granted.
Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?
Cottrell: Last year I was nominated for the Student Employee of The Year Award. This summer I was elected to the board of directors for a local non-profit, The Hemophilia Alliance of Maine, which I had a hand in founding. I have written over $10,000 in successful grants. I was elected to the position of secretary for the GSG.
Graduate School: What other important information about yourself would you like us to know?
Cottrell: Graduate school is incredibly rewarding and I am a proud UMaine student. I am even more proud to be a mother of a small child who has hemophilia. Outside of the UMaine community I can be found drumming up support for Maine’s bleeding disorders community.
