Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571

ORONO — Alston D. “Pete” Correll and Ada Lee Correll of Atlanta, Georgia, have provided a $2 million gift to the University of Maine. The gift will be directed to four key areas at UMaine, where Pete Correll received two master’s degrees in engineering, one in 1966 and one in 1967.

The Corrells are highly respected community leaders and philanthropists in their home state of Georgia, where they were recognized last week as “Philanthropists of the Year” by the Atlanta chapter of the Association for Fundraising Professionals.  That award recognized their work to enhance Atlanta’s healthcare, cultural and educational resources.

The Correll gift will support four priority areas at the University of Maine:

• a new Presidential Chair in Energy which will enable UMaine to recruit a leading national expert in offshore wind and tidal energy development.  Together with the university’s recent $8 million federal grant supporting the development of this new technology, this gift will fortify UMaine’s position as an international leader in the field;

• new graduate fellowships (scholarships) for each of UMaine’s five colleges and scholarship funds in the Dept. of Ecology and Environmental Science;

• a new Professorship in Early Childhood Literacy in UMaine’s College of Education and Human Development;

• an unrestricted “excellence” fund allowing UMaine President Robert Kennedy to address immediate priorities and enhance programs not covered by state funding, tuition or endowments.

“It’s so much more fun to give money away than it is to earn it,” Pete Correll says. “It makes us feel really good if we can have an impact on a certain number of people and give them a chance they wouldn’t have had otherwise.  That’s as good a feeling as you can have in life.”

“This extraordinary gift will have a significant positive impact on the University of Maine, and we are most thankful to Pete and Ada Lee for their generosity,” Kennedy says.  “It will help us to enhance our teaching and research activities in areas of critical importance to our state and its future.  This gift represents a landmark moment for UMaine and we look forward to using it to reinforce the institution’s unique and vital role as the state’s research and graduate education university.”

Pete Correll, chair of Atlanta Equities, a new company he founded, retired recently from a 40-year-career as a highly respected and visionary international leader in the forest products industry. During his tenure at Georgia-Pacific, he transformed that company into a global consumer product powerhouse. Under his leadership, G-P garnered the best safety records in its industry sector, became a better environmental steward, and greatly expanded opportunities for women and minorities.

Ada Lee Correll began her career as a school teacher in Old Town, where she started a lifelong commitment to children and young people.  In addition to raising the Corrells’ two children, she has devoted her life as an effective community leader, working to enhance the quality of life for all Georgians.  She currently chairs the Emory University School of Medicine’s $500 million fundraising campaign.

“We are passionate about education and children.  That’s why the educational component was included in the gift,” says Ada Lee Correll, who also noted that their time living in Maine had a transformative impact on their lives.

“We left Maine a whole lot more prepared to deal with the world than when we moved there, and we remember our time at the university and in the community fondly,” she says.

Several UMaine officials also applauded the gift and praised the Corrells’ generosity and foresight in helping to advance the university as the state’s premier research and teaching institution.

“Hiring a Correll Presidential Chair in Energy is critical to the University of Maine’s research efforts and the future economy of Maine,” says College of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey. “It will help us move forward in the effort to develop offshore wind and tidal energy and develop a cost effective source of power to further the state’s economy,” he says.

The gift will go a long way in attracting more high quality graduate students, says Daniel Sandweiss, dean of the Graduate School.  Because the graduate fellowships are funded for five years rather than the typical three and because they come with a higher than average stipend, “we will be able to recruit really excellent students – most of whom will be doctoral students – who will contribute to the research and education mission of UMaine,” he says.

The Correll Professorship in Early Literacy will be the first named professorship in the College of Education and Human Development.

“This is a significant development, which will enhance UMaine’s leadership role in research and scholarship in this important field of study,” says College of Education and Human Development Dean Anne Pooler.  “We have faculty members with international stature in literacy studies, the Correll Professorship will provide important new opportunities.”

The University of Maine System Board of Trustees formally accepted this gift at its meeting today in Bangor.

Contacts: Paul L. Villeneuve (207) 581-2271; Aimee Dolloff, (207) 581-3777

ORONO – In collaboration with the University of Maine, the Maine Public Utilities Commission’s Efficiency Maine Program is seeking applications for a Wind Turbine Site Survey within the state. UMaine is responsible for tower erection, data collection and review, and tower decommissioning, and students will develop detailed reports discussing data validation and project viability.

The survey provides qualified applicants with a preliminary assessment of the potential for wind generation at a specific site. In the end, successful applicants will have a sense of whether wind power at their site is viable.

Eligible participants include Maine-based schools, communities, non-profit organizations and businesses. Residential applications are not eligible.

Applicants must pass the minimum requirements of the survey in order to qualify to go forward to other elements, which will be rated in the decision-making process.

They also must show that they have the intention and the means to establish a working wind turbine at the location if the study proves the site to be of sufficient wind capacity.

The application deadline is Friday, Oct. 30.

Detailed copies of the RFP are available by contacting UMaine Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Technology Paul L. Villeneuve, 5708 Barrows Hall, Room 9, Orono, ME 04469-5708, (207) 581-2271, or e-mail paul.villeneuve@umit.maine.edu.

Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571

ORONO — “Composites Manufacturing” magazine has recognized Habib Dagher, director of the University of Maine’s AEWC Advanced Structures and Composites Center as one of the industry’s leaders.

Dagher is one of 16 people out of a pool of 50 nominees who were selected to receive the B.E.S.T. Award, which stands for bright, energetic, skilled trailblazers.

In the current issue, which highlights the award recipients, Dagher is described as advancing the use of composites in a variety of industries, particularly military and infrastructure applications.

They cite the recently developed and implemented Bridge in a Backpack that aims to streamline the process of bridge building by using lightweight rigidified composite arches that are easily transported in place of heavy steel beams.

They also note his efforts to build ships made with composite materials for the Navy, and assist in rebuilding efforts for hurricane victims using composite building materials.

Dagher’s other achievements include his work with the wind energy industry, testifying before the U.S. Senate and meeting with U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu to propose an offshore wind energy testing facility in Maine.

When notified of the award, Dagher was quick to share the credit for this achievement.

“This award goes to all 150 faculty, staff, and students who work at the composites center at UMaine,” Dagher says. “It is humbling that Maine is recognized for this first-time award.”

Contacts: Michael Mason (207) 581-2344; Aimee Dolloff, (207) 581-3777

ORONO, Maine – A recent discovery by a University of Maine engineering professor and his collaborators is expected to make it easier for doctors to find cancerous tumors and start treatment in the early stages of the disease when it can be most effective.

Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering Michael Mason and his collaborator, Dr. Peter Allen at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York have been awarded nearly $78,292 from the Maine Cancer Foundation for their project, “Improved Cancer Detection through the Use of Engineered Bioconjugates.”

They are developing a new class of cancer identifying agents to detect cancerous tumors in the pancreas and liver. The agents are based on chemically modified noble metal nanoparticles labeled with bio-active molecules. Bio-active molecules are antibodies against cancer markers found on the surface of cancer cells.

These particles are non-toxic and can specifically seek out and attach to cancer cells which are difficult to distinguish from healthy tissue by imaging studies, such as MRI or CT scans.   Though only a few billionths of a meter across, they generate very strong x-ray signals effectively making the cancer cells visible to doctors.

The project has the potential to vastly improve early detection of many types of cancer.  In addition to improved images, these particles could replace current Iodine based contrasting agents to which many patients respond negatively, says Mason.

Although the technology is still a few years away from being used by medical professionals, researchers have successfully tested the detection process in mice.

Note to reporters: the list of lecturers and their subjects may provide a useful directory of expertise related to various energy-related issues.  Please let us know if you would like help in contacting any of the experts listed.

Contact Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571

ORONO — The University of Maine’s Electrical Engineering Technology program and the Maine Association of Engineers will offer a 14-lecture course on the subject of alternative energy, beginning on Friday Sept. 4.  The course will take place in 126 Barrows Hall Fridays from 12:10 p.m.-1 p.m. through Dec. 11.  Open to anybody who is interested, the course will also be available through Web-based instructional technology, a feature that should be particularly attractive to professional engineers interested in the subject matter and the opportunity to earn up to 14 credits (one for each session) applicable to license renewal. UMaine students should register for the course (EET 498-002) as they would any other course.

The cost for taking only selected course lectures breaks down as follows:

1-3 sessions: $25/session
4-8 sessions: $20/session
9 or more sessions: $15/session

Payment by check, payable to the Maine Association of Engineers, will be accepted.  Such payments, along with a list of applicable sessions, should be mailed to:

Maine Association of Engineers
Attention: Judith Pearse, PE
5711 Boardman Hall, Room 119
University of Maine
Orono, ME 04469-5711

For more information, contact Pearse at jude_pearse@umit.maine.edu or (207) 542-5523.

UMaine professors, industry executives and government leaders will lead the discussions.  A complete list of the sessions and instructors follows:

EET 498 (002) – Alternative Energy
Agenda

9/4  Energy: Will the Future Ever be Like the Past?
Jim LaBrecque

9/11  Biofuels from Non-food Resources
Peter VanWalsum, Associate Professor, Forest Bioproducts Research Initiative, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Maine

9/18  Fuel Cell Systems and Applications
S. David Dvorak, Professor, Mechanical Engineering Technology, University of Maine
Coordinator, Fuel Cell Systems and Hydrogen, RES: the School for Renewable Energy Sciences Akureyri, Iceland

9/25  Intelligent Heterogeneous Energy from Alternative Resources (iHEAR)
Ali Abedi, Assistanct Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maine

10/2  Electrical Smart Grids
Mohamad Musavi, Chair and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Maine

10/9  Forest Biorefinery Producing Pulp, Transportation Fuels and Chemicals
Adriaan van Heiningen, J. Larcom Ober Chair in Chemical Engineering, University of Maine, Orono and FiDiPro Professor, Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo, Finland

10/16  Co-Generation in Maine Industry and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
Glenn Poole, Manufacturing  Support Manager – Energy, Verso Paper in Bucksport, ME

10/23  Building Energy Modeling Seminar
George Callas, Director of Sustainability at the Newforest Institute

10/30    The GridSolar Project
Richard Silkman, GridSolar LLC

11/6  Electric Power from Tidal Energy: Is This Part of the Answer?
Rick Armstrong, Executive Director of the Tidal Energy Demonstration and Evaluation Center (TEDEC)

11/13  Offshore Wind Energy, Part I
Habib Dagher, Bath Iron Work Professor and Director of the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center (AEWC)  and Professor of Civil/Structural Engineering, University of Maine

11/20  Offshore Wind Energy, Part II
Habib Dagher Bath Iron Work Professor and Director of the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center (AEWC)  and Professor of Civil/Structural Engineering, University of Maine

12/4  Nuclear:  Is It Part of the Energy Supply Future?
Paul Villeneuve, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering Technology, University of Maine

12/11  Maine’s Energy Future
John Kerry, Governor’s Office of Energy Independence & Security

Contact: Professor Darrell W. Donahue, (207) 581-2728

The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) has selected University of Maine Chemical & Biological Engineering Professor Darrell W. Donahue to serve as an expert on a panel on Approaches to Animal Health Risk Assessment.

As a panelist, he will aid in the preparation of a report for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on the condition and comprehensiveness of risk assessment techniques used in animal health science, pertaining specifically to risks that may impact on human health.

The Council of Canadian Academies is a not-for-profit corporation with a mandate from the Government of Canada to provide independent, expert assessments of the science that is relevant to matters of significant public interest. The Council’s mission is to inform government decision-makers, and the public, of the underlying science and gaps in knowledge.  The CCA is equivalent to the U.S. National Academies of Sciences. Those appointed to CCA’s expert panels come from Canada and abroad.

Contact: Vicki Nemeth, Maine EPSCoR Director, 581-3399,maineepscor@umit.maine.eduJoe Carr, 581-3571, joecarr@maine.edu

ORONO — Gov. John Baldacci and other state leaders joined University of Maine and University of Southern Maine officials on Wednesday morning to announce a $20 million National Science Foundation EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) grant for a wide-ranging new project called the Sustainability Solutions Initiative.

The research portion of this five-year initiative Maine EPSCoR initiative, led by UMaine’s Senator George J. Mitchell Center, will bring together core research teams from UMaine and USM, as well as government and industry stakeholders, to improve the science and practice of sustainable development.

“The project recognizes that our state’s identity is inseparable from its natural resources and our future economic prosperity depends on our ability to distinguish what makes Maine so special, To preserve and build on Maine’s quality of place we must address issues such as sprawl, management of our forests and climate change. This project will provide us with expanded options in our pursuit of renewable energy, and management of our precious resources. It’s important to our environment and our economic future,” Baldacci said, speaking to a group of nearly 150 people who assembled at UMaine’s Wells Conference Center for this morning’s formal program announcement.

The initiative will create partnerships with many of Maine’s colleges and universities for research and education efforts designed to advance economic and community development while protecting the environment. It will also provide support for 200 to 300 jobs, mainly in the research sector, with the ultimate goal of building capacity for generating solutions to a range of challenging problems.

“I am delighted by this exciting news, and am convinced that the Mitchell Center, the University of Maine, and their many partners can play a pivotal role in creating a brighter economic, social, and environmental future for the people of Maine,” Sen. Mitchell, who was unable to attend the event, said in a prepared statement.

“At UMaine, we are pleased to play a central role in this project but, even more important, we are delighted that virtually every Maine institution of higher learning, plus businesses, government agencies and other constituencies, will join in this effort,” said UMaine President Robert Kennedy, who hosted the event and made the formal announcement. “This is when Maine is at its best, when we work together to pool our expertise and share our resources while working toward a common goal.”

In addition to the five-year EPSCoR grant, UMaine will be contributing $1 million per year for five years from its state-supported Maine Economic Improvement Fund allotment. An additional $1 million per year of in-kind contributions will also be contributed by UMaine and all collaborating partners in the form of faculty salaries and use of research facilities.

“Maine’s future depends on the ability to move forward with economic development in a manner that sustains our vital natural resources,” said Michael Eckardt, UMaine’s vice president for research.

Initially, the project will include a focus on problems related to urbanization, forest management and climate change. For example, portions of southern Maine have experienced rapid sprawl while record sales of private forest lands and mill closures are transforming the social and economic fabric of northern and western Maine. To address these multifaceted problems, the research team includes more than 30 faculty members with expertise in a wide range of fields, including environmental science, engineering, economics, communication and public policy.

“I’ve never seen such an extraordinary group of talented, passionate, and dedicated researchers work together so effectively towards a common goal.When you couple this unparalleled level of teamwork with our breadth of expertise and unwavering commitment to problem-solving, you have a one-of-a-kind initiative that can generate broad-based benefits for Maine, “said David Hart, director of the Senator George J. Mitchell Center and research project director for Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative.

“(This initiative) is the perfect project for our great state and Maine is a perfect living laboratory for a project of this type,” said Miles Theeman, chair of the Maine Innovation Economy Advisory Board in addressing the audience at this morning’s event. “NSF EPSCoR had made a wonderful decision to fund this proposal and I am confident that UMaine and its partners will develop and create a series of critically interrelated projects that will make us all proud.”

Collaboration is a hallmark of this initiative, which features close connections among all the partners, including Maine’s two largest universities, UMaine and USM.

“As Maine’s only regional comprehensive university, USM, through our Muskie School and other programs, is committed to collaborating with our higher education partners to improve our state’s economy and quality of life for its citizens,” said USM President Selma Botman in a statement provided in advance.

Teams of faculty and students will work with a variety of partners, including leading businesses and industries.

“Business and communities are being transformed by changes in the global economy, rising energy costs, and a realization that a healthy environment is needed for long-term prosperity. We all need to learn sustainable practices to survive and thrive. The Sustainability Solutions Initiative will position Maine as a leader in the field by conducting research and providing training to solve some of the most challenging problems of our times,” Albert Curran, co-founder and Chairman of the Board at Woodard & Curran, said in a prepared statement. Woodard & Curran, one of the project’s business partners. is an engineering, science and operations company with offices in Portland, Bangor and six other locations in the eastern U.S.

Researchers will also collaborate with non-profit organizations focused on community development in rural Maine.

“The Sustainability Solutions Initiative, with its commitment to translating research into on-the-ground impact in support of healthy economies and ecosystems, is greatly needed in Maine and can help catalyze a variety of business development opportunities related to forest-based industries, agriculture, and workforce development,” said Carla Dickstein, vice president for research and policy development at Coastal Enterprises Inc., another project partner, in a statement she provided in advance of Wednesday’s event.

The project also will provide for statewide education initiatives at all grade levels in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

“The National Science Board has indicated that the nation is failing to meet the needs of our students in STEM education, which has serious implications for our future workforce. Maine’s educational partners are in a very strong position to have a significant impact on STEM education for the state,” said Vicki Nemeth, UMaine’s director of research administration and EPSCoR. “Our coordinated strategy will develop students’ STEM skills, interest, and career paths for all levels of K-20 education.”

EPSCoR is a federal program directed at states that have historically received smaller portions of federal research and development funding. The program provides states with financial support to develop partnerships between their higher education institutions, industry, government, and others to affect lasting improvements in infrastructure, capacity, and national competitiveness.

Maine EPSCoR at the University of Maine is responsible for administering and implementing the NSF EPSCoR program for the state.

For more information see www.maine.edu/epscor.

Contact: Sheila Pendse, 944-9263; George Manlove, 581-3756

ORONO — Up to 20 middle school students from the greater Bangor area are getting a close look at careers in engineering and transportation over the next two weeks as participants in the annual Maine Summer Transportation Institute at the University of Maine.

Cosponsored by the Maine Department of Transportation, the UMaine College of Engineering and the Federal Highway Administration, the program is designed to introduce area students at an early age to the jobs and careers available in Maine’s transportation industry.

Students are participating in field trips, leadership and team-building activities, and a series of age-appropriate workshops and hands-on laboratory experiences, all related to transportation mode, safety and products, alternative fuels, construction materials, and computer-aided design. Students also will participate in recreational activities at the new Student Recreation and Fitness Center.

The majority of the day-long activities, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., will be offered at the Bion and Dorain Foster Student Innovation Center, at other campus facilities and at various off campus locations.

Highlights of the institute include:

Monday, July 13: an introduction to computer-aided design (CAD) on campus, 1 p.m.

Tuesday, July 14: morning tour of the Cole Transportation Museum, Bangor, and an afternoon tour of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge

Wednesday, July 15: traffic safety workshop, Foster Innovation Center, 9:15 a.m., an introduction to CAD, about 1:15 p.m., Boardman Hall annex

Thursday, July 16: morning tour of Owls Head Transportation Museum, Owls Head, and afternoon tour of the U.S. Coast Guard station, Rockland

Friday, July 17: a morning tour of the bio-fuels lab at UMaine, followed by a discussion about alternative fuel cars, 10:30 a.m., Jenness Hall, and a tour of the AEWC Advanced Structures and Composites Center, 1:15 p.m.

Monday, July 20: morning tour of the Maine Department of Transportation facilities, Augusta

Tuesday, July 21: a workshop on how cruise control works in motor vehicles, 9:15 a.m., Boardman Hall, UMaine, a concrete workshop, 10:30 a.m., Boardman Hall, and a narrow bridge design and competition, Boardman Hall annex, 1:15 p.m.

Wednesday, July 22: a morning tour of the Challenger Learning Center of Maine and an afternoon visit to the Sign Shop, Old Town, where students can design their own signs

Thursday, July 23: a morning tour of Bangor International Airport and afternoon tour of the flight control tower

Friday, July 24: art collage project and awards and presentations, Foster Innovation Center

For details, Sheila Pendse in the UMaine College of Engineering can be reached at 944-9263.

Contact: Joe Carr, (207) 581-3571

ORONO – Gov. John Baldacci and other state government leaders will join University of Maine and University of Southern Maine officials on Wednesday to announce a $20 million National Science Foundation EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) grant to create the Center for Sustainability Solutions. The announcement event is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday July 15 at Wells Conference Center.

The five-year project is focused on creating a sustainable society by bringing together core research teams from UMaine and the University of Southern Maine, as well as government and industry stakeholders. The center will also create partnerships with most of Maine’s colleges and universities for research and education efforts in the area of sustainability.

The project will directly support 200 to 300 jobs, mainly in the research sector, while also providing for statewide education initiatives at all grade levels in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The ultimate goal is to build capacity for generating solutions to sustainability problems such as renewable energy, alternative transportation, and water resource management.

In addition to the five-year EPSCoR grant, the Maine Economic Improvement Fund is contributing $1 million per year for five years, along with a $ 1 million per year in-kind contribution from UMaine in the form of faculty salaries and use of research facilities.

Contact: Chet Rock, 581-2218; April Mulherin, 778-7081

ORONO — The University of Maine and the University of Maine, Farmington, are collaborating to offer a five-year dual degree program resulting in liberal arts and engineering degrees.

Beginning in the fall of 2009, students can spend three years pursuing a bachelor of arts degree at Farmington, then attend UMaine for two years of study toward a bachelor of science degree in engineering. They would graduate with a UMF BA in environmental sciences and a UMaine BS in any one of several engineering tracks.

Rock says combining engineering and liberal arts programs is becoming more popular as engineers recognize the need for greater exposure to humanities along with their technical skills, and also as engineers are called upon to work in community, corporate, legal, international and other diversified settings.

“It provides a much broader education for a student,” UMaine College of Engineering Associate Dean Chet Rock says. “That is the key point. You’re getting the best of both worlds — a liberal arts degree and an engineering degree. I think it will allow graduates to be flexible in the kind of work they do,” he says.

Engineering students already are required to take a number of general education and liberal arts courses, including communications and writing. “You can’t just be an engineer without having people skills,” Rock adds.

One popular track, according to Chet Rock, associate dean of the College of Engineering, is expected to be a BA in environmental sciences and a BS in civil and environmental engineering.

Students will start by applying to UMF. After three years, those in good academic standing would transfer to UMaine. While at UMF, students will take general education, math and science, along with liberal arts elective classes, to prepare them for engineering coursework at UMaine.

“This program is tailored for the student interested in obtaining a degree in engineering, but who wants a liberal arts college experience at a smaller campus as part of their education,” says Rob Lively, UMF associate provost and dean of academic services. “Increasingly, today’s engineer needs to be a good communicator, understand how engineering impacts society, and have a broader educational background as they aspire to higher level promotion.”

The UMaine College of Engineering currently has a similar agreement with Bowdoin College and recently created a dual degree program with the UMaine College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.