Engineering2014

Active learning Engineering’s intense capstone experiences bring students to the crossroads of theory and practice MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

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2 Active learning 12 Remediating 18 Learning 24 Safety in space Student Focus 21, 27 ELCOME TO THE annual College of Engineering magazine, where we get a chance to high- light some of the many outstanding individuals who make up the College of Engineering. In Student-structured learning is a wetlands research Ali Abedi is working with Alumni Focus 6, 10 this issue, we bring you stories and reports from our faculty and students who are creating key component of capstone In his research, Aria A coalition of UMaine other UMaine researchers to projects — the culmination of Amirbahman is focusing faculty, students and develop a wireless sensor Spotlight 28 solutions to local and world challenges, and working to grow Maine’s economy. the UMaine undergraduate on ways to remove regional elementary, middle system to monitor NASA’s WYou’ll read about capstone projects that allow students to experience real-world engineering projects and experience that students across methylmercury from the and high school teachers are inflatable lunar habitat, build team skills while benefiting both the community and their future careers. Hear from current students and checking for impacts and all engineering disciplines have wetland environment before collaborating to improve alumni who share senior projects from across engineering disciplines. In particular, you will read about the three described as challenging, it begins to move up the K–12 STEM learning and leaks, and pinpointing their decades of mechanical engineering technology (MET) capstone projects, headed by Herb Crosby, an emeritus intense and innovative. food chain. teaching. location. professor in the MET program who, with Joel Anderson, teaches the capstone course. 8 Three decades 15 Designed to 22 Successful Our research is making a difference in the human body and in deep space, including research in cancer detection using nanoparticles, removing toxins from wetlands, and developing sensors to monitor NASA’s lunar Before public service was an detect launch expectation in education, habitat for impacts and leaks. We also explore UMaine’s new online programs, such as the aerospace curriculum Nanoparticles are integral UMaine’s new aerospace UMaine mechanical and Professional Science Master’s in Engineering and Business. to the cancer detection engineering courses prepare engineering technology Maine needs more engineers and the College of Engineering is working hard to meet this need with grow- research of Michael Mason students to move directly students were working to and his students. into jobs in the aerospace ing enrollment. Currently, our fall 2014 enrollment is 1,823, which sets another record. From fall 2001 to fall benefit the community. and defense industries. 2013, UMaine’s engineering and engineering technology enrollment grew by 58 percent, compared to 47 percent growth for the U.S. Even with this growth, the College of Engineering is struggling to graduate enough engineers to maintain Maine’s current engineering workforce. ON THE COVER: The Lombard steam An engineering career is full of opportunity for our graduates. As of this year, the average annual starting pay log hauler restored by capstone teams of mechanical engineering technology for a graduate with an engineering degree is $55,000. An estimated 99 percent of our new graduates are either students was built between 1901 and employed or in graduate school within six months following graduation. Moreover, 80 percent of engineering 1917 in Waterville, Maine. It is now part students have a co-op or internship experience with industry, or conduct research with faculty prior to graduation. of the Maine Forest and Logging Museum in Bradley, Maine. Videos of the UMaine’s engineers are the key to growing our economy and creating solutions to improve our lives, log hauler project are linked off the MET communities and our world. website (umaine.edu.met/capstone- engineering.umaine.edu projects). Dana N. Humphrey The University of Maine does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, including transgender status and gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies: Director, Dean, College of Engineering Office of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall, 207.581.1226. COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Active learning “To me it’s an incredible thing — a pride to the state of level with work that could influence people in the nation “The result is that the students are doing real engineer- Maine,” says Matt MacCaughey of Winchester, Massachu- and the world. ing. The groups are almost always very proud of their Engineering’s intense capstone setts, a member of the boiler steam systems team, one of Civil and environmental engineering students worked work, as they should be, and they have lots to talk about experiences bring students to the six groups taking part in the project. to improve the Bangor Waterfront concert venue by when they are interviewing for jobs,” Landis says. With the completion of the restoration on Maine Day proposing a safer access road, new parking lot, venue roof Electrical engineering students Matt Merritt of crossroads of theory and practice 2014, the log hauler is now on display at the Maine Forest and sound barrier. The project, according to civil engineer- Damariscotta, Maine, and Matt Herbert of Hampden, and Logging Museum in Bradley, Maine. ing major Kara Zadakis of Bryant, Maine, would help Maine, used the Maine Department of Transportation to Student-structured learning is a key component of the expand the pavilion for the client and improve the experi- help illuminate roads in remote locations in northern N A SUNNY Saturday morning in April, 40 capstone project — the culmination of UMaine under- ence for patrons. Maine to reduce vehicle-moose collisions. The project aims University of Maine mechanical engineer- graduate experience that students across all engineering Eric Landis, a professor of civil and environmental to use solar power to charge batteries that can be used to O ing technology students fire up a 1910 disciplines have described as challenging, intense and inno- engineering and adviser to Zadakis and her team, has drive high-efficiency lights when needed. The lights will Lombard steam log hauler — the first time vative. watched students, as well as the entire capstone process, turn on and off using radar that detects oncoming traffic. it has run in 80 years. The following week, the The UMaine senior capstone project is a chance for transform. About 10 years ago, the capstone model Creating connections with community partners is a students conclude the 30-year restoration project on one of students to display what they’ve learned throughout their switched from all groups working on the same problem to step many engineering students say is necessary to prepare the legendary machines that paved the way for modern academic career, as well as take steps into the communities projects designed by students, giving each team a different themselves for post-graduation work. construction, military and recreational tracked vehicles. and engineering worlds they intend to work in upon grad- design problem. According to Landis, this transition made “Any opportunity to get out and interact with new For their senior capstone project, students in the class uation. the projects more interesting and diverse. people is exciting,” says Jeff Servetas, a bioengineering taught by Herb Crosby and Joel Anderson completed a A requirement for seniors of every major at UMaine, “Each group has to rely on itself,” he says. “There’s no senior from Hancock, Maine. “As an engineer, getting ‘out’ total restoration of the vehicle, built in Waterville, Maine, projects can range from Honors theses to art exhibitions to looking over at other groups to see what they’re doing.” to work on projects I’ve never even thought of, and to hear and used to travel on ice-coated roads at 4 mph — replac- restoring a Lombard steam log hauler. Landis says the quality of work has improved because from people whose perspectives are vastly different from Although each project is different, ing the work of 50 horses. Although each project is different, a core tenant is the students get ideas from studying previous projects. He also my own, really helps to broaden my horizons. It makes me a core tenant is the Through their project, the students preserved a piece of benefit to the local community and beyond. This past year, cites collaboration with the English Department to incor- a better engineer, and a better person in general.” benefit to the local Maine history. some engineering students took their capstones to the next porate technical writing and communication into projects. Bioengineering students have the opportunity to work community and beyond. This past year, some engineer ing students took their capstones to the next level with work that could influence people in the nation and the world. In photos, left to right, are capstone teams in mechanical engineering technology, civil engineering, and chemical and biological engineering.

2 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MAINE 3 Active learning

In photos, left to right, are capstone teams in chemical and biological engineering, and mechanical engineering.

on three projects throughout their capstone semester. am thrown into a situation I know little about, I can use In April, bioengineering students gathered with resi- pursue a career in industry. He says he feels prepared for Servetas and his group’s first project grew from a connec- what I know and learn what’s needed to complete a dents of Dirigo Pines, an assisted living community in whatever comes his way. tion with IDEXX Laboratories, a leader in pet health care project.” Orono, to discuss problems that could be addressed “If there’s one thing I have learned in industry, it is that innovation, serving veterinarians worldwide with diagnos- Capstones at UMaine are not confined to the state or through engineering, such as making laundry less laborious you are always going to be thrown into situations where tic and information technology-based products and serv- nation. Mechanical engineering student Amber Smith of and improving stovetop safety. The students then presented you have no idea what you are doing. Engineering has ices. The UMaine students created a prototype design for Ipswich, Massachusetts, and her capstone team are working their designs to a group of involved residents. taught me that there is a way to approach these tasks and an instrument that diagnoses ear mites in dogs. to patent a device they created that has the potential to When students move on from UMaine engineering, that no mountain is too big to climb,” he says. For group member Wilson Adams of Barrington, stop the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. they leave with a degree in the field they desire, and experi- Back at the restoration site in Bradley, Maine, Emmett Rhode Island, his relationship with IDEXX Laboratories According to the Centers for Disease Control, as of ence in problem solving. Hodder stands in the cab of the 1910 Lombard steam log extends beyond his classwork to a co-op he did with the 2011, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has killed more than 33 Smith’s interest in biomedical engineering was sparked hauler and watches the piping get connected and the proj- company’s research and development department. million people worldwide. Through their capstone work, by her capstone and two co-ops with medical technology ect come together. “I know that something I have done will eventually Smith’s team is attempting to reduce the spread of the company Stryker. She began working for the company as “The capstone project has been a valuable experience in lead to a product that will help vets take care of pets for disease by creating a single-use circumcision clamp. an associate project engineer after graduation. team dynamics and project management,” says group families that love them dearly,” he says. “It really assured Although students are serving others through their “I think the UMaine Mechanical Engineering Depart- leader Hodder. “It will be immensely gratifying to return to me that I am ready to tackle a job in industry. Even if I work, the communities are providing for them, as well. ment does a good job teaching students the skills they need the museum in the future and see the Lombard log hauler Experience with industry and stakeholders prepares to know to excel in the workplace, but they also teach the being operated.” “The end result is that the students are students for jobs and graduate work. David Neivandt, a students how to find the information they need to know,” With all its challenges, unexpected turns and the doing real engineering. The groups bioengineering professor and capstone adviser, says she says. complications of working with new regulations on an are almost always very proud of their students learn independence and responsibility. Haylea Ledoux, another student who worked with antique machine, Hodder can think of one word to encap- work, as they should be, and they have “The students are solving problems for external clients. Dirigo Pines residents, is now studying at Harvard Univer- sulate his whole experience — rewarding. As such, they are representing themselves, the bioengineer- sity’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. “It really speaks to Maine,” said MacCaughey, of the lots to talk about when they are ing program, the College of Engineering and the Univer- Adams, who worked with IDEXX, is considering earn- log hauler restoration project. “We can accomplish great interviewing for jobs.” Eric Landis sity of Maine,” he says. ing a master’s degree in business administration and will things.” n

4 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MAINE 5 ALUMNI FOCUS

Maberry says the student team he platform for better understanding the the combustion air system. He had to simulation tools and hazard studies to Capstones for life worked on finished the plane on time factors controlling neuronal growth, develop a system that produced the avoid actually breaking things, but the Alumni reflect on the lessons that endure and met the goal of completing a which would inform future attempts cleanest possible exhaust gases by principles are the same.” flight. The students didn’t have the at engineering nervous tissue for clin- eliminating creosote deposits that FOR MANY UNIVERSITY OF MAINE funds to attend the national competi- ical repair,” Estell says. cause corrosion and can be a fire Richard Ludwig students, the capstone experience stays tion, but the aircraft met competition Estell is now developing tissue hazard. Ludwig, a 1952 graduate with a bachelor’s with them long after their days as an specifications and performed well engineering strategies for articular To eliminate the deposits, the degree in pulp and paper technology, undergraduate. In response to a College overall, he says. cartilage repair. burned exhaust was recycled back recalls working on a senior research project of Engineering query, several engineer- “This is a project I was very “The same idea of applying a into the combustion area. That made designed to demonstrate the practicality of ing alumni reflected on their capstones passionate about because I am an basic science understanding of cells in the temperature hundreds of degrees recycling magazines into a fiber source for and other research projects completed aviation enthusiast,” Maberry says. engineering methods to develop hotter than in an average woodstove manufacturing printed papers. during their senior year, and how the “The project was a lot of fun and a medical solutions has persisted from or fireplace, which created a few chal- The now-retired vice president of engi- experience continues to influence them great exercise of many engineering my undergraduate to graduate lenges, Scott says. When a wet piece neering and logistics at International Paper today. principles. Everyone on the team was research,” he says. of wood was placed in the stove, the Co., conducted the research in the base- new to aircraft construction, but we Estell says the thesis experience water would expand quickly, causing ment of Aubert Hall with fellow student Matthew Maberry worked well together. It was great to reaffirmed his decision to pursue a the wood to blow apart and destroy Alfred Wynne. Maberry graduated in 2013 with a see the plane fly at the end of the year graduate degree in biomedical engi- the firebox. The students used Saturday Evening bachelor’s degree in mechanical engi- after starting months earlier from neering and further his academic “After we blew up the stove a few Post magazines as their raw material and neering and works as an aircraft struc- scratch.” research. The skills he learned while times, we finally got it to work very tested two methods of recycling the cellu- tural engineer at TASS Inc., in Maberry says the group left the working on his thesis — from analyz- well,” he says, explaining the problem lose fibers. Everett, Washington. His capstone plane in Boardman Hall, along with ing and presenting data to managing was solved by adding a rack on top of Wynne’s process was based on using was the SAE Aero Design project, a a nitromethane engine, six-channel a thesis committee of busy professors the stove that allowed the wood to dry. organic solvents to extract ink from the competition offered by the Society of radio and receiver, fuel and balsa — are skills he depends on daily at The stove was later installed as the magazine after pulping the pages into a Automotive Engineers (SAE) that wood, for any student who wanted to Columbia. backup system for the hot air solar slush form, Ludwig says. Ludwig used provides engineering students with a continue the project. heating in the Maine Audubon Soci- more conventional paper industry prac- real-life engineering challenge. Joseph Scott ety’s headquarters in Falmouth, Scott tices, such as mixing the slushed magazine The goal of the SAE Aero Design Eben Estell Scott graduated from UMaine in says. stock with caustic soda, using extractive project is to produce a remote- Estell, who was a student in UMaine’s 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in After graduating, Scott worked in water displacement washing and bleaching controlled aircraft that can carry as Honors College, graduated in 2012 mechanical engineering. His capstone the energy recovery field designing with calcium hypochlorite. much payload as possible while with a bachelor’s degree in bioengi- project in energy efficiency focused equipment for the paper industry Paper sheets were made using both complying with size and power neering. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in on development of a woodstove as that aimed to recover heat and processes and were tested for properties limits. The plane Maberry worked on biomedical engineering at Columbia the backup system for solar heat in a manage environmental issues of mills. such as strength, brightness, opacity and was 4 feet 6 inches long with a University. house designed by mechanical engi- He has used skills acquired during his dirt count. Ludwig doesn’t recall which wingspan of 10 feet 9 inches. In place of a capstone, Estell did neering professor Dick Hill. capstone to design many fluid- method was optimal, but believes he and “Much of the work I did in my an Honors thesis on engineering The experience involved working handling and combustion systems, Wynne were both heading in the right capstone project is related to the work strategies for controlling neuronal with Hill and living in the “Hill and is often reminded of an even direction. I am doing now,” Maberry says, growth. His research focused on the house,” which had hot water base- greater lesson. “Given that the U.S. paper industry adding he did a lot of aerodynamics- material neurons are grown on and board heat supplied by a heat pump “The major lesson learned from currently employs (the) recycling of old related design for the project and the proteins to which the cells attach. driven by solar collectors. the senior project was how to learn papers as the source for more than 60 supported a good portion of the The goal of his thesis was to develop a “Needless to say, it was either get from failing,” he says. “Each time we percent of its fiber raw materials, Al aircraft’s structural design, including method for creating patterned materi- the systems to work or freeze,” Scott wrecked the stove, there were valuable Wynne and I were well ahead of the curve the process of taking it from concept als on which neurons could grow. says. lessons learned that finally produced a in looking at waste paper as a possible to final product. “These materials can serve as a Scott was in charge of designing safe working stove. Today, we use future fiber source,” Ludwig says. n

6 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MAINE 7 ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

Three decades The Nutcracker — an evergreen that grows to 20 feet tall in Crosby says that many of the capstone ideas come the course of the show. from area residents with disabilities. Their issues and needs The legacy of Capstone students also created kinetic sculptures for don’t always have a clear-cut solution, Crosby says. And MET capstone projects the Maine Discovery Museum in Bangor. They enjoyed that’s the challenge: There’s nothing that can be bought; a the project so much, they then created more sculptures for new design is needed. area schools. And when ZF Lemforder Corp., an auto parts Capstone teams have designed and built a kayak that manufacturer with a plant in Brewer, needed a mechanism could be paddled by a man with no arms, and a kayak for unloading stabilizer bars after they were painted, it loader for a man in a wheelchair. They designed a mecha- turned to the MET capstone program for a solution. nism for a boy who played piano but, because of a medical Sometimes project ideas have come from individuals or condition that required a body brace, could not use the organizations working abroad. One local resident worked pedals. Their design allowed him to operate the pedals by with an organization in Mozambique that assisted people nodding his head. 1987 who have lost a leg due to land mines. Capstone students They’ve designed and built a computer workstation for designed a hand-operated bicycle that included cargo a writer who needed to remain in a reclining position, and space, and they built it for less than $200. modified a bathroom to allow a local resident to continue For a group working in Haiti, mechanical engineering to live independently in her home. technology students designed and built a portable water “They build their projects and the world is a little purifier that could be operated and transported by bicycle. better because of what they have done,” Crosby says. n

Videos of past MET capstone projects are online (umaine.edu/met/capstone-projects).

INCE THE 1980s, students in the Mechan- emeritus professor in the MET department who, with Joel ical Engineering Technology program have Anderson, teaches the capstone course. “We thought S used their capstone projects to solve real it would be nice to get some projects involved where problems in unique ways. And before pub- students work in teams and solve a real problem.” lic service was an expectation in education, these students The projects often come from the community, worked on issues that benefited the community, whether although students can develop their own initiatives. For it was through large, visible projects that would be seen more than 30 years, the projects have met a wide variety of by many people, or by tackling individual issues that had community needs. 1986 benefited one person. For instance, one project was to design a magic Christ- “We’ve always had projects here,” says Herb Crosby, an mas tree for the Robinson Ballet annual performance of

1984 2002 1996 2005 2013 1994 1985

2009

8 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MAINE 9 ALUMNI FOCUS Photo courtesy of Michael C. Nutter, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works

Why UMaine? and Computer Engineering Visiting Committee, Engineering business I attended UMaine as an undergraduate which keeps me engaged with UMaine. This student primarily because I lived in Maine, and interaction with the students, professors and Alumna is at the helm of a UMaine offered the programs I wanted to other engineering professionals is very impor- study. As an undergrad, I recognized the tant to ensure UMaine students are being multidiscipline engineering education and experience I received at trained in the technologies needed by General team at Bath Iron Works UMaine was extraordinary. In engineering, the Dynamics Bath Iron Works. class sizes were small, the curriculum was challenging, and there were many experiential What difference has UMaine made in opportunities. your life? What I found most extraordinary about my The education I received from UMaine was education at UMaine was the engagement, everything in helping me reach my goals. I dedication and accessibility of the professors. would not be where I am today without it. At UMaine, the undergrad students are just as ILARY HENRY graduated from the important as the graduate students, which is What was your favorite place on University of Maine with a bache- not the case in many large universities that campus? lor’s degree in computer engi- cater to graduate students. As an undergrad, my favorite place was the neering in 1994. In 2013, she I chose UMaine for my graduate studies Bear’s Den. It was a great place to get a meal Hbecame the first UMaine student to earn a because of the positive experience as an under- and meet friends. I also love the library; what Professional Science Master’s Degree in Engi- grad and because of the online PSM degree an amazing wealth of information. Being in the neering and Business. Henry currently oversees offering. This was exactly what I was looking stacks in the basement with all the old texts 36 engineers in her role as manager of engi- for to further my education. and engineering books was like traveling back neering at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in time. Today, the extensive digital databases for the Life Cycle Services Department. What kind of research were you available online puts the world at your finger- involved in as a UMaine student? tips. I miss not having that access now that I Describe your job and responsibilities. In the graduate program, I completed the wire- am no longer taking classes. I manage a team of 36 multidiscipline engi- less communications concentration working neers who develop the design products needed with Ali Abedi. One of my projects had to do What’s your most memorable UMaine for installing system upgrades for the 65 Aegis- with polarization of antennas used for cellular moment? class destroyers in the U.S. Navy fleet. The team communication. I had never worked with I’m sure I could write a book. I won’t talk about supports hundreds of technologies and systems Hilary Henry antennas before, so this was a great learning taking a physics final with the stomach flu, on the ships. Everything from icemakers to experience for me. I developed computer although that was memorable. secure networks, from ballistic missile defense out more information about the program. I Dean Dana Humphrey came to Bath Iron were unlimited. Budgets for Zumwalt called for “As an undergrad, models of various circular and linear polarized As an undergraduate, I worked in the to solid state lighting, and more. The focus of made my inquiry to Janice Gomm in the office Works several years ago to discuss online engi- a team of 35 engineers to handle this huge I recognized the antennas, and compared the gain of each in controls lab with Eric Beenfeldt and Andy my work is providing leadership and direction and within seconds the department chair, John neering degree opportunities and talked about scope of electrical work. education and several communication channels. Sheaff, coding the controller for a robot. I loved to the team and managing budget, workflow, Field, emerged from his office and welcomed the Professional Science Master’s Program. This Fortunately, my team embraced innovation experience I working in the lab, which confirms that I am a product quality, lean initiatives and staffing. me to the department. John spent two hours was the perfect solution for me, as it had the and developed many integrated data-driven received at Describe your internships as a student. true geek. It was a great day when we set the showing me the building, all the labs, and best of both worlds with study in engineering tools to help them manage the information UMaine was For the PSM degree, I completed an internship robot down in the hallway of Barrows and Why engineering? introducing me to students and professors. and business in an online program. and prioritize their work. As the manager, I extraordinary. with BIW while I was working my regular job directed it remotely to meander about and I started college 10 years out of high school. I Needless to say, I was sold and changed my Right away, I started working with Dean fostered and supported these efforts by the In engineering, there. The radio frequency identification project return on command. was a single mom at the time and my daughter major to computer engineering. It was the best Humphrey taking courses in spring 2011. The team. Their innovation greatly contributed to the class sizes was for the materials department and I worked was 2 years old. I originally planned to pursue decision I have ever made. It allowed me to approval for the PSM degree was finalized in the ongoing activation of this amazing ship. were small, the in engineering. If you weren’t an engineer what would a teaching degree so I could teach high school follow in the footsteps of my father, an electri- 2012 and I graduated in December 2013. curri culum was When I was an undergraduate, I interned you be? math; math was always my favorite subject. I cal engineer and also a UMaine graduate. What are some of your greatest challenging, and three summers with Digital Equipment Corp. in I’ve never really imagined being anything decided I could better support my daughter What are some of the biggest professional achievements? there were many Augusta. They manufactured electronic prod- other than an engineer, but thinking about it, I with a company job and like many college Why did you decide to pursue a challenges in your field? When I took on the role of manager of electri- experiential ucts, and it was that internship that paved the would like to be a marine biologist. My oldest students changed my major. professional science master’s degree? The Zumwalt DDG 1000 is a ship with half a cal engineering, I was the first woman to be on opportunities.” way for my first job in a cell phone factory with daughter, also a UMaine graduate, initially I moved from the Machias campus to the I started pursuing my master’s in electrical million electrical conductors, 23,000 pieces of the BIW director of engineering’s staff, and that Motorola. wanted to be a marine biologist and I thought Orono campus and started working on a engineering about 10 years ago and had to electrical equipment, and power and controls was pretty exciting. that would be very exciting, and the UMaine degree in computer science. One of my classes stop due to being busy with work and family. I technology so advanced that much of it has I find in my role as engineering manager, my How does UMaine still influence you? program was excellent. Alas, my daughter that first semester was a computer engineering was torn as whether to continue with the engi- never been deployed on any other platform. greatest achievements are seeing the engineers As an engineering manager, I frequently hire decided to change her major to art history, class taught by Eric Beenfeldt, which I enjoyed neering master’s or switch to an MBA, since my Managing the electrical engineering team to that work with me grow and achieve their own UMaine graduates, as I know they are well- which she absolutely loved and now happily so much I decided to go over to the Electrical career path was going in the direction of enable successful production and activation professional goals. educated and are up for the challenges we face lives and works in the U.K on the Norwich Arts and Computer Engineering Department to find management. would be challenging even if the resources at BIW every day. I participate in the Electrical Council. n

10 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MAINE 11 CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Remediating wetlands CADIA NATIONAL PARK methylmercury. Even if the world stopped burn- has hot spots for the trans- ing coal tomorrow, legacy mercury already in Study focuses on techniques for A formation of mercury from sediment will, under the right conditions, removing mercury from sediment the atmosphere into a toxic continue to become toxic and work its way into form known as methylmercury. The wetlands the food chain for decades to come, Amirbah- surrounding the many small ponds in the park man says. are ideal habitats for that transformation, and Methylmercury is toxic and has been shown fish in some of the park’s ponds have some of to cause neurological damage in infants, young the highest levels of methylmercury in the children and developing fetuses. Every state in Northeast. the country has issued consumption advisories That’s one of the reasons why University of warning that pregnant women and young chil- Maine researcher Aria Amirbahman was looking dren should not eat fish from inland lakes and for a way to interrupt the process, to remove rivers. Maine is one of two states to issue blanket methylmercury from the wetland environment advisories, warning people not to eat fish from before it begins to move up the food chain. And any Maine lake or river if they are in a high-risk he did. In a limited study, Amirbahman and category. Other states have refined their advi- graduate student Ariel Lewis, with collaborators sories, pinpointing the water bodies containing at the U.S. Geological Survey, were able to fish that are safe to eat. remove about half of the methylmercury from Amirbahman says one of his long-term the study area in the field and under laboratory research goals is to help policymakers in Maine conditions. refine their consumption advisories and identify Much of the mercury deposited in Maine which water bodies have fish that are safe to eat. and New England is the result of the burning of Part of that effort involves the kind of reme- coal, which releases volatile elements such as diation techniques he used in Hodgdon Pond in mercury into the atmosphere, according to Acadia National Park. Amirbahman and his Amirbahman, a professor of civil and environ- collaborators initially looked for methylmercury mental engineering. But the mercury from the in the sediment in the pond, assuming that was atmosphere is transformed naturally as some the site of the transformation process. But their microbes take up the atmospheric mercury and samples showed the sediment was not generat- secrete it as methlymercury. ing any significant methylmercury. That transformed methylmercury gathers in “Then we looked at the data from an earlier fat and muscle tissues of small organisms; it study, the 150 Lakes Project, and what dawned remains there and easily moves up the food on me was that the smaller the lakes are, on chain as smaller organisms are eaten by larger average, the larger the methylmercury concen- ones — zooplankton, fish, birds and mammals, tration in fish,’’ he says. “All of the high including humans. The higher up the food methylmercury fish lakes were small lakes. All chain, the higher the concentrations of had major contributions from wetlands. That’s Aria Amirbahman says one of his long-term goals in research is to help “Then we looked at the data from an earlier study, the policymakers in Maine refine their consumption 150 Lakes Project, and what dawned on me was that advisories and to identify the smaller the lakes are, on average, the larger the which water bodies have fish that are safe to eat. methylmercury concentration in fish.” Aria Amirbahman

12 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MAINE 13 CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING

Remediating wetlands

when we realized the reaction was times in the park. Four of the meso- That’s a lot. If we can have half as Designed to detect taking place in the wetlands. And the cosms were left untreated as controls; much methylmercury pumped from methylmercury generated in the four were treated with carbon and the root zones in the wetlands into UMaine research shows the potential of gold nanoparticles wetlands goes up the food chain and four with iron. the water, I think that is very good to not only identify, but also monitor and treat cancer ends up in the fish in these lakes.’’ The second half of the study was news for the park.’’ That’s when the focus of the done in the lab. They collected The lab tests also showed that the study shifted to the wetlands clumps of the wetland sediment, snails in the control aquaria picked surrounding Hodgdon Pond, which including plants, and set up 12 up significantly higher amounts of cover nearly the same area as the aquaria. The sediment was treated the methylmercury than the snails in the pond. The study used two substances, same way as the 12 mesocosms. In treated fishbowls. granular active carbon (GAC) or the lab study, they also added 10 While the method shows prom- ground-up charcoal, and zero valent snails to each aquarium. ise, Amirbahman stresses this was a iron (ZVI), which is basically iron The results were promising. In limited study, really just a “proof of shavings from a metal shop. Both are the 28-day tests, the carbon and iron concept’’ showing that at some level, highly reactive and have been used media were effective in removing the method works. Years of study are successfully to remove contaminants methylmercury from the sediment, needed before the method could be by means of sorption. both in the field test and in the lab, used on a wide scale, he says. They Their methods were simple. For Amirbahman says. would need to study the longevity of Aria Amirbahman, center, works in the first phase, they took a 2.5-foot “Carbon and iron had lowered the additives, how long they last and the lab with diameter segment of PVC pipe that the level of methylmercury compared how they react in a dynamic environ- Nanoparticles like these in the vials are integral to the work of graduate student was about 2 feet long and pushed it to the control statistically signifi- ment. They also need more informa- Michael Mason and his students and have put the university on Heather Doolittle, into the wetland, creating a meso- cantly,’’ Amirbahman says. “We tion about the effects of those the front lines of cancer research nationwide. left, and Paige Brown, a Bangor cosm by sequestering that small area lowered the methylmercury in these additives on the environment, and on High School junior. of the wetland. They did that 12 samples by an average of 50 percent. organisms that live in that environ- N A CHEMISTRY lab in Jenness Hall, small level, where individual characteristics of these nanoscale ment. glass vials sit in a semicircle on a light box, each objects, not apparent on a larger bulk scale, can be “In our 28-day test, we did not I containing a different colored liquid: gold, yel- observed. see any adverse effects of the additives low, deep shades of red, purple, blue and green. “Nanoscience is designed to focus on the oddities and on the snails,’’ he says, “but, long- The colors are a result of incredibly small nanoparticles often those oddities have properties that are exceptional,’’ term exposure can be a different of gold, their size and shape designed and created in the he says. story. And we only tested one type of lab. Using imaging technologies developed in the past few snail.’’ The nanoparticles are integral to the work by Michael decades, researchers are able to observe and study these The next step would be to Mason and his students that has put the university on the individual qualities and learn how to use their special char- broaden the study, both in the field front lines of cancer research nationwide. Mason, an associ- acteristics. By changing the size, shape and combinations in and in the laboratory, over multiple ate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biologi- these nanoparticles, Masons says it is possible to design and years, measuring the methylmercury cal Engineering, has been using gold nanoparticle engineer them to become effective tools with different concentrations in sediment and technology to develop new imaging methods that can applications. water, and in the habitat’s organisms. detect cancer cells early in their development, monitor “We can take this technology and develop it into tools “There is definitely promise in them as they grow and potentially deliver medication to and instruments, and we can use the technology to tell us these schemes,’’ he says. “The cost is cancer cells, all using minimally invasive nontoxic meth- things about systems that we did not know before,’’ he relatively low and, if the adverse envi- ods. says. “We look at all the design criteria we want to engi- ronmental effects are not significant, Mason’s lab concentrates on developing and employing neer into something and we develop a list of the design then absolutely, this is something that new highly sensitive techniques that make it possible to requirements. Then we go in to the lab and decide how to can be implemented in the field.’’ n look at things on the single-molecule or single-nanoparticle make it.’’

14 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MAINE 15 Designed to detect

The nanoparticles that Mason describes are a few According to Mason, this method provides clearer and CT and MRI imaging to monitor cancer progression over billionths of a meter wide — so small that about 500 of longer-lasting images than the currently used iodine-based time. With Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Mason is STEM outreach them could fit on the end of a human hair. The design contrasting agents, which can result in a negative reaction directing the study designed to develop nanoparticles process often starts with a cartoon, a simple drawing of in patients. attracted to a specific cancer cell. They will study those cells what they think a nanoparticle should look like in order to Mason’s collaboration with Dr. Allen at Sloan Kettering in a laboratory setting, then implant a cluster of the cells exhibit the desired properties. The designs vary from the has been crucial in matching clinical and surgical needs into a mouse. A nanoparticle solution injected into the fantastic to the mundane: a starburst or a dog bone, each with emerging laboratory technology. mouse will enable the researchers to monitor the cancer interacting with light in a different “We speak different languages and often we don’t cluster as it grows. way, depending on the design understand each other,’’ he says. “But we have had the “We’ll be able to watch the disease progression and requirements. In the lab, the opportunity to sit in on surgical consultations, and we hear correlate this with spectroscopic genetic information,’’ researchers grow and chemically about what they need, even if it is just anecdotal informa- Mason says. “We’ll be able to monitor the tumor as it modify nanoparticles, changing their tion.’’ develops over time.’’ size, shape and surface. They often Those sessions have led Mason to develop new cancer Although the work has the potential to greatly benefit link them with other targeting mole- detection and staging techniques. For example, cancer patients, these systems, and other nanotechnologies, are cules, depending on what they want specialists noticed the fluid viscosity in precancerous lesions slow to make it to the clinic. Part of the difficulty, Mason it to accomplish. appeared to change over time as the lesions develop from says, is that in many cases, nanoparticles have unknown Each new project has its own benign cysts to more malignant tumors. Armed with that and unexpected properties, making it difficult to obtain VEN BEFORE THERE was a expose them to 21st-century science. nationwide emphasis on Through his work as a school board challenges, but each different applica- information, Mason designed a low-cost portable tool that approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for teaching in science, technol- member in Orrington, Mason realized tion helps develop a general approach allows researchers to monitor the changes in cancer cyst use in humans. So far, the FDA has agreed to review a ogy, engineering and mathe- that the youngest students in the and technique, improving results. fluid viscosity over time and to correlate those changes with handful of nanotechnologies for human use. One chal- matics,E University of Maine Department schools were not getting a significant “We’re getting better and better different stages of the cancer. lenge Mason faces is to create nanoparticles that are engi- of Chemical and Biological Engineering amount of science exposure. He worked faculty and students were focused on to obtain a National Science Founda- in our ability to go from design to “This could help surgeons determine what stage the neered to be biocompatible, using materials the FDA has community outreach to support STEM tion grant to develop activity kits that reality,’’ Mason says. cancer is in and determine a course of treatment — and to already approved for use in humans. education in local schools. Their work his graduate students use in K-4 class- Currently, a team A focus for Mason has been the potential to use gold do it early on,’’ Mason says. There are other, bigger challenges for scientists before encourages students in all grade levels rooms at the Center Drive School in of graduate and nanoparticles in cancer research. Funded by grants from Likewise, an earlier study developed a technique to use they can bring the nanoparticle technology from the test- to learn more about those subjects Orrington. The UMaine students have undergraduate while introducing them to UMaine visited each of those classes multiple students is working Maine Cancer Foundation and Memorial Sloan Kettering nanoparticles to clearly image the boundary of pancreatic ing stage to a viable tool for cancer research. But Mason bioengineering research. times, delivering hands-on science on creating a gold Cancer Center in New York, Mason has frequently collab- cancer tumors, providing surgeons with a fast, accurate and says, the potential is also great and offers both a means to “This is a significant piece of our activities to about 400 children. nanoparticle with orated with Dr. Peter Allen at Sloan Kettering to develop noninvasive way of determining whether they have detect and monitor cancer cells, and a way to treat cancer program and it has real value,” says Mason also is involved in the univer- professor Michael Mason. sity’s Elementary Science Partnership, an iron oxide core better techniques to look at cancer cells. removed all of the cancer from a patient. Current methods patients. The same techniques used to create a nanoparticle that could For a number of years, the depart- which works to build the infrastructure simultaneously be Mason has been able to attach bioactive agents onto require a lengthy analysis of tissue samples while the that can seek out and attach to a cancer cell can also be ment regularly brought in nearly two- — including materials, curriculum and used in CT scans, specially designed gold nanoparticles in a way that has been patient remains on the operating table. used to design a nanoparticle that could deliver medication dozen high school sophomores and professional development for Maine MRIs and spectral effective in detecting cancer cells early during their devel- Currently, a team of graduate and undergraduate to a specific cancer in the body, he says. juniors, and gave them experience work- science teachers — in the early grades. imaging. ing with graduate students and faculty All these efforts, he says, are an impor- opment and providing better images of those cells. The students is working on creating a gold nanoparticle with an While the medical uses of nanoparticles have been the members in a variety of lab activities, tant part of STEM education at UMaine bioactive molecules can seek out and attach to the cancer iron-oxide core that simultaneously could be used in CT focus of his research, Mason says there is an economic many of them based on the ongoing and statewide. They help create public cells, while the gold generates strong X-ray image contrast scans, MRIs and spectral imaging. And the department’s component to the field of nanoparticle research and devel- nanoparticle research at the lab. awareness of the work being done at that provides an image of the cancer that is more readily most recent grant from the Maine Cancer Foundation will opment. The state is well-suited for this type of industry, More recently, that program has the university and provide an opportu- included middle school students in nity for UMaine students to interact visible to doctors and technicians. fund a three-part study to use nanoparticles designed for says Mason. It does not require a large facility or factory, hopes of getting them interested in with the community. They also serve as and much of the required equipment is already here. science. In addition, through the a potential long-term recruitment tool. “I think we are very well equipped in Maine to do this Consider Engineering Program, offered More important, those efforts are “We can take this technology and develop it into tools and in conjunction with the Pulp and Paper generating an interest and excitement in the state,’’ Mason says. “I think it could provide instruments, and we can use the technology to tell us things Foundation, high school juniors are in about science. commercial and industrial growth opportunities for the lab for three or four separate “Their faces light up when they about systems that we did not know before.” Michael Mason Maine.’’ n sessions during the year in an effort to know it’s science time,” Mason says. n

16 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MAINE 17 ENGINEERING PHYSICS

Learning research RiSE Center best practices prepare teachers and students to get the most out of STEM education

HE MAINE CENTER for Research in interesting, especially to younger learners. An initial $1.2 STEM Education (RiSE) already had a million grant from the U.S. Department of Education T decade of experience researching ways allowed the fledgling center to hire new faculty and to to improve science teaching and learn- establish the Master of Science in Teaching (MST) ing when, in 2010, it received a $12.3 million National program, which offers secondary certification in life Science Foundation grant that broadened the scope and sciences, physical sciences and mathematics, as well as grad- the impact of those efforts. uate opportunities for certified teachers in these disciplines. With the funding, the center developed a coalition of “That was a big step,’’ says Susan McKay, the founding UMaine faculty, students and regional elementary, middle director of the RiSE Center and a UMaine professor of and high school teachers. They work together to better physics. “It brought us all together around the research understand how K–12 students learn science concepts, projects of the students.’’ implement new instructional resources and techniques to In the ensuing years, the center developed a research present those concepts, and assess their effectiveness in team of faculty, postdoctoral research associates and under- classroom settings. The initial Maine Physical Science Part- graduate and graduate students focused on a broad spec- nership spawned several offshoot projects that have gener- trum of research areas related to teaching and learning ated more enthusiasm for science among young students science and mathematics at the K–12 level, as well as and more excitement among teachers at all levels. And, in higher education. The NSF grant allowed the center to early assessments, the projects have improved student develop the Maine Physical Science Partnership understanding of science topics. (MainePSP) that now includes 25 Maine school Meanwhile, what happens in the K–12 classrooms districts, 46 individual schools and more than 80 doesn’t stay there. The teaching strategies and instructional teachers. The goal of the partnership was to resources, and the educational foundations behind them, focus on grades 6–9, a time when many are making their way back into UMaine classrooms, students lose interest in science. informing the education of a new generation of science The center brought together grade-level teachers and offering opportunities for university professors teachers and RiSE researchers to review possi- to improve their teaching. ble instructional resources, supported by The center, now in its 14th year, was founded for the current science education research. Participating advancement of research and practice in teaching and teachers began using a common set of instructional learning in science and mathematics. The goal was to foster a more focused, interdisciplinary approach to researching “We’re always looking for evidence science and mathematics teaching and learning at the university, and to use that research to improve teaching of on how we are doing and ways to science topics and to make science more satisfying and make it better.” Susan McKay

18 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MAINE 19 STUDENT FOCUS Learning research At the nano scale

resources recommended by the task force, which helped the you try that again and again. We’re always looking for evidence on VELYN FAIRMAN of Bangor, Maine, engineering because it was an applied field. It’s university work with those teachers to design professional develop- how we are doing and ways to make it better.’’ graduated from the University of not often that an undergraduate has the oppor- Maine in May with a bachelor’s tunity to collect and analyze data for an inde- ment programs to meet their needs. The partnership has provided Although MainePSP materials have only been in the class- degree in chemical engineering, and pendent research project, while getting paid. I materials to accompany the science units, enabling teachers to do rooms for three years, and it is too early for a definitive assessment minorsE in renewable energy engineering and was extremely lucky to have Dave and James as more hands-on science. UMaine students paired with teachers to of the partnership’s effectiveness, McKay says there are some early mathematics. This fall, she began graduate mentors. The research experience gave me the provide in-class assistance with challenging lessons. indications it has had a positive effect on teaching and learning. work in energy science, technology and policy, confidence to speak up in class, to ask questions with a disciplinary concentration in chemical if I didn’t understand the material, to present my Among the initiatives: Eighth-graders are doing design work To date (2012–14), MainePSP eighth-graders meeting or engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. results in weekly meetings, and to never hesitate that introduces engineering principles and practices, and elemen- exceeding standards on standardized state tests in science have Upon graduation in May 2015, she plans to to use upperclass and graduate students as tary school students are working in teams to role gone from 74 percent to 80 percent. Students in work with alternative liquid fuels in an indus- resources. Indeed, my research experience trial setting. convinced me by the end of the summer before play and solve problems in different engineering nonparticipatory schools statewide improved For two years while at UMaine, Fairman was my freshman year at UMaine that chemical fields. from 72 percent to 73 percent. The percentage involved in nanocellulose research. Her work, engineering was the right field for me. The approach has been collaborative rather of MainePSP students who don’t meet the stan- which applied cetyltrimethylammonium than top down. Although much of the research dards has decreased each year of the program. As bromide (CTAB) to dry and rehydrate nanocel- How do you describe your research? lulose for easier transport, was recognized with That is a very good question. It is very impor- is conducted by UMaine faculty and graduate important, McKay says, is evidence that the a 2013 UMaine Center for Undergraduate tant for scientists to be able to translate their students, the middle school and high school partnership seems to be changing student atti- Research Fellowship. This spring, her work was research to laymen’s terms, not just to fuel teachers are an integral part of that process. tudes about science. featured in the Maine Journal, and Fairman curiosity in those who work outside the field, Rather than being research subjects, they are In an online survey, 46 percent of students was recognized by UMaine with the Edith M. but also for funding purposes. Here is what I Patch Award. Most recently, the poster from her usually say: Maine has a strong pulp and paper true research partners. They gather data and responding said their science class in the past Honors thesis, “Avoiding Aggregation During industry. I am sure you know that we use trees interact with RiSE faculty regarding what data year made them more interested in jobs related the Drying and Rehydration Phases of Nanocel- to make paper. Trees — and all plant matter — mean. The process creates a loop: the research to science. Surveys also indicated that those in lulose Production,” was a finalist in the Society are composed of cellulose. Cellulose is a useful of Women Engineers Collegiate Technical material, but if you break it down into smaller initiates changes in the classroom which, in the program are more likely to view themselves Poster Competition. pieces until it reaches nanoscale dimensions, turn, drive new research. In an online survey, as good or very good science students. Partici- Earlier this year, Fairman presented her we call that nanocellulose. Nanocellulose has The process had a clear challenge last 46 percent of the pating grade-level teachers indicate they have research findings at the 2014 National Colle- very unique properties that allow it to be summer as the team assessed a physics unit on strengthened their knowledge of science; partic- giate Research Conference at Harvard Univer- applied in a wide variety of fields. There is, students sity. This summer, she spoke at the 2014 TAPPI however, a problem with the way nanocellu- force and motion. While students enjoy the ularly in the areas of physics, chemistry and responding said International Conference on Nanotechnology For two years lose is being produced industrially. Currently, activity — building and testing a model car — Earth science, and 85 percent said they consid- for Renewable Materials in Vancouver, B.C. How did you get involved in while at UMaine, nanocellulose is produced in an aqueous slurry. they still were not understanding some of the that their science ered themselves better science teachers for In her research, Fairman was mentored by undergraduate research? Fairman was The water in this slurry eventually needs to be fundamental concepts. class in the past having been a part of the partnership. engineering faculty members David Neivandt, I contacted David Neivandt after I graduated involved in nano - removed. However, when we remove the James Beaupre and Karen Horton; Honors high school. I had met him at the Consider cellulose research. water, the nanocellulose clumps together and This past summer, university faculty with year made them And, based on demand from elementary College Dean Francois Amar; and forest opera- Engineering program the previous summer, so I She has presented loses its nanoscale dimensions. Thus, its desir- experience in researching and teaching these more interested in school teachers seeking additional support for tions professor Douglas Gardner. felt comfortable reaching out to him via email. her research at able properties are lost and it is no longer concepts, MST students with a background in younger students, the center used a Maine He knew I was an incoming first-year chemical national and nanocellulose. My research project has a Why did you decide to major in patented solution to this problem: We use the physics and the grade-level teachers met to jobs related to Department of Education grant to expand the engineering major, and he was more than international science. chemical engineering? happy to assign me a student research assist- conferences, and chemical additive CTAB to effectively dry and examine the materials and the ways they were MainePSP and create the Maine Elementary I chose to major in chemical engineering antship under the guidance of one of his Ph.D., she was a finalist rehydrate nanocellulose. teaching these ideas. They redesigned the lessons Science Partnership (MaineESP). Still in its early because I wanted to change the way energy is students, James Beaupre. The three of us in the Society of to be used by the partnering teachers. A small group of teachers stages, MaineESP includes about 80 elementary school teachers manufactured and distributed. I felt obligated continued to work on various research projects Women Engineers Which faculty mentor did you work with as an educated citizen to reverse the effects of throughout my undergraduate career at the Collegiate most and what did you learn from him piloted the new materials early this fall and made changes, if working as Science Resource Partners with more than 960 teachers climate change by reducing our nation’s University of Maine. Technical Poster or her? needed. The rest of the MainePSP community will use what in their individual districts throughout the state. dependence on fossil fuels. As a junior in high Competition. I worked most closely with James Beaupre. they’ve developed in the remainder of the school year. “Part of our philosophy is that we really want to invest in and school, I hoped to one day design an alterna- What difference did the research make in James encouraged me to think outside the box “That’s just one example of how the research interplays with support teachers. They are there year after year and have such an tive liquid fuel for the transportation sector. I your overall academic experience? and to consider all possibilities before drawing was especially interested in the potential of My classroom experience was richer because I a conclusion. His guidance taught me to pay the instruction,’’ McKay says. “You use research to take your best impact on students. And it’s a tough job. We want to continue to fuel cells. I knew I wanted to major in engineer- was able to reinforce academic topics with close attention to detail, both during experi- shot at learning in the classroom, then you look at how that works, work together — to better understand and improve teaching and ing, but it was the University of Maine’s hands-on experimental testing. I always loved ments and during data analysis. Outside the modify what you’re doing based on what you’ve found, and then learning in science, engineering and math.’’ n Consider Engineering summer program that math and science in high school, but I chose laboratory, his positive attitude reminded me convinced me to choose chemical. not to forget the big picture. n

20 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MAINE 21 MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Successful launch UMaine’s online aerospace engineering program focuses on design and simulation

HEN DAVID RUBENSTEIN gave a quote to a Portland paper about “These courses are W Maine’s aerospace industry six available to students in years ago, he had no idea it would any of the 50 states.” lead to the creation of the University of Maine’s fledgling aerospace engineering program or that he would be David Rubenstein teaching in that program. But since 2009, Rubenstein, now an associate research professor of aerospace engineering, has been the instructor David Rubenstein ical engineers with aerospace training who will stay in for UMaine’s undergraduate and graduate aerospace engi- teaches all of his Maine and become part of a growth industry here. courses online neering courses. And the university is marketing the Rubenstein not only teaches science and technology, he from Falmouth, program nationwide. Maine, where he uses communications technology to present that informa- Rubenstein, who holds a master’s and Ph.D. in aero- lives and works. tion to students. Rubenstein teaches his courses online space engineering from Pennsylvania State University, has from Falmouth, Maine, where he lives and works. Ruben- more than 20 years of experience in the aerospace industry. stein presents all his lectures live. Students ask questions in He’s worked in navigation and control system design and While some of the students who enter the UMaine aircraft or spacecraft. Those simulations, he says, are a real time via microphone or chat window; Rubenstein uses dynamic modeling, and simulation development at aero- program have pilot training and even a pilot’s license, important part of the program, and key in the research and a whiteboard and digital tablet to add visual and written space and defense contractors, including Martin Marietta, Rubenstein says the curriculum is not designed to train development sector of the industry. information to the lectures. Many prepared graphics, Raytheon Systems Design Laboratory and Draper Labora- pilots. The program offers two undergraduate courses in “In the aerospace industry, it is very expensive to build videos, links and other presentation elements are integrated tory. During that time, he worked on systems for NASA aeronautics and astronautics, focusing on the basics of the a prototype. Before they ever run tests on the hardware, into the presentations. space shuttle missions, defense satellites, unmanned aerial design and physics of aircraft and spacecraft. Two graduate they run numerous trials with simulations,’’ he says. More important, Rubenstein says, all of the lectures are vehicles, unmanned underwater vehicles and even a flying courses expand upon the undergraduate courses, focusing “There is a tremendous need for engineers who have strong recorded, giving students flexibility in how they approach saucer, as well as government projects. on the flight dynamics, modeling, and control of aircraft simulation capabilities on aerospace systems.’’ the course. They can “attend’’ the lecture live and they can When he moved to Maine in 2002, Rubenstein started and space vehicles. By bringing current industry standards into the watch the recording. The recorded lectures also are avail- his own consulting company, which has kept him involved Undergraduate students can obtain a concentration in program, he says UMaine is preparing students to move able to nontraditional students, many of whom are work- in aerospace, and related research and design projects. He aerospace engineering, while graduate students can receive directly into jobs in the aerospace industry when they grad- ing engineers. also joined a local steering committee to promote the aero- graduate certification. uate. That background will make them attractive to The first student to complete the program took the space industry in Maine. It was in connection with that Rubenstein says he approaches the courses as an engi- companies in the aerospace and defense industries. online courses while working as an engineer at Bath Iron steering committee that he was interviewed in 2008 for a neer, making each element relevant to real-life engineering Although Maine’s aerospace sector is a small part of the Works. story in the Portland Press Herald. Almost as an aside, he situations. To that end, every student in each of the four overall aerospace industry, Rubenstein says it may be possi- Rubenstein says there has been some discussion about told a reporter that he was not aware of a successful aero- courses is required to develop a design for a computer ble for those UMaine graduates to become a driving force expanding the aerospace course offerings, and he has ideas space industry and R&D presence in a state that did not simulation of a particular aerospace system. The students to grow the industry in Maine. Since he has lived in for specific courses that could be added. For the first time have an aerospace curriculum. The day after the story use Matlab software — one of the most important pieces Maine, Rubenstein says he’s observed a fair number of this year, UMaine is marketing the aerospace engineering appeared, Rubenstein received a phone call from Dana of design equipment in the aerospace industry, according small firms in the state that have been started by UMaine courses across the country. Humphrey, dean of the college of engineering, who asked, to Rubenstein — to create mathematical models necessary graduates, particularly in civil engineering. Part of the idea “These courses are available to students in any of the 50 “What can I do about that?’’ to study the effects of various control applications on the behind UMaine’s aerospace program is to develop mechan- states,’’ he says. n

22 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MAINE 23 ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

people here. They knew how to build sensors; I knew how brain injuries in soldiers. As a person sleeps, the sensors to communicate with those sensors, so we put out heads collect data about large sleep movements, and heart and together and figured out a way to make a wireless sensor.’’ respiratory rates. They also detect high-frequency vibra- Abedi’s team approached their design not by creating a tions in the spinal cord that can determine if a person has radio and a sensor and putting them together as everyone been exposed to any traumatic brain injury. else had, but by designing the radio and sensor as a single “That’s one aspect of this research that I didn’t antici- platform. Their initial effort was a single radio-sensor, pate,’’ he says. designed so that the radio’s frequency would change based Although the sensor array was initially developed for on temperature fluctuations. This system had the added use in monitoring substance-exposed newborns going advantage of being powered remotely using radio waves through withdrawal, Abedi says they recognized that the and did not require a battery. sensor system could be used with soldiers. With a grant That basic design, Abedi says, enabled a large area of from the U.S. Army, Abedi’s team developed a product applications that were previously not possible. From there,, used to diagnose mild traumatic brain injuries. Early detec- the WiSe-Net team, which included graduate students as tion and treatment of these types of injuries can help well as collaborators from other UMaine departments, prevent significant post-traumatic sleep disorders, he says. worked to expand and refine the system, using different A company in Boston has approached Abedi about materials and developing different hardware and software taking the technology to the National Football League. He to eliminate interference and to distinguish responses from is currently working with a senior adviser to the NFL to multiple sensors talking to each other. write a proposal for a clinical trial to test if the device can The scope of that research has resulted in the develop- be modified for football players to help determine if and ment of diverse applications in areas that have surprised when it is safe to for them to resume play after a concussion. Abedi. For instance, the U.S. Army is using a device — a It might seem like a giant step from the football field to fitted bed sheet embedded with an array of sensors — the International Space Station, but that same type of wire- developed in conjunction with colleagues in the UMaine less sensing technology has linked the WiSe-Net Lab to Safety in space Psychology Department that can detect mild traumatic NASA’s ongoing efforts in space exploration. The lab’s initial foray into space involved development of a leak Wireless sensor research provides leak-detection technology for NASA detection system for NASA’s inflatable lunar habitat. The first-of-its-kind inflatable lunar habitat is a 42- foot-long inflatable donut 10 feet tall, erected at the WiSe- PACE MAY BE the final frontier, but the While the space research has brought some notoriety to Net Lab in 2009. Abedi, graduate student Joel Castro and work to put men and women into space and UMaine and the lab, Abedi stresses that all of the NASA postdoctoral fellow Hossein Roufarshbaf, as well as Skeep them safe while they’re there has work, as well as other research being done at the lab, has colleagues in the Mechanical Engineering Department and always been done on Earth. Increasingly, applications on this planet. at NASA, developed a sensor array that could monitor the some of that work is being done at the Wireless Sensor Abedi created the WiSe-Net Lab, now a 3,600-square- structure for leaks as it was being inflated, detect impacts Network (WiSe-Net) Lab at the University of Maine. foot lab on campus, to foster the kinds of collaborations from space debris and autonomously monitor for leaks for For several years, UMaine researcher Ali Abedi, an asso- with other researchers that would match the long-standing as long as the habitat remained in use. ciate professor of electrical and computer engineering, has sensor work. That required them to develop sensors that communi- been working with other researchers at the university to “They build chemical sensors, biological sensors and cate with each other to detect the ultrasonic sounds develop a wireless sensor system to monitor NASA’s inflat- physical sensors. I thought ‘wouldn’t it be wonderful to able lunar habitat, checking for impacts and leaks, and attach wireless radios to those sensors and put them in the pinpointing their locations. Recently, Abedi and the WiSe- field rather than trying to hook them up with wires in the The wireless sensor research of professor Ali Abedi and his students on NASA’s inflatable lunar habitat on campus, pictured far left, also has applications for Net Lab received NASA funding to adapt that leak detec- lab?’’’ Abedi says. “That’s where I thought it would be a human health and safety on Earth. Initiatives are exploring their use in tion system for use on the International Space Station. very good match for me to collaborate with the sensor monitoring head trauma and sleep disorders.

24 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MAINE 25 STUDENT FOCUS Safety in space Engineering success

ONATHAN TORSCH of Old Town, Maine, have found success not only academically but positive attitude, his excitement for education One of the challenges of this project will be to shrink struggled in high school while coping in many other areas in life. Upon graduating and the material both in and out of the class- the prototype system from the inflatable habitat so it fits in with his mother’s cancer diagnosis and from EMCC, I knew that I had to continue to room, and his investment to the betterment of a small box that can be transported to the space station. grandfather’s death. Falling behind in push forward and challenge myself in the elec- others. At UMaine, I was fortunate to have Jude Jschool cost him acceptance into college, so he trical engineering technology program at Pearse as my adviser, professor and supervisor Once the system is built, it will be tested at the lab in focused on work. When he was laid off from UMaine. for my teaching assistant and lab technician Orono and later move to the Johnson Space Center in his retail job five years later, he decided to go work. Her commitment to the students is Houston, Texas, where there is a module of the Interna- back to school and enrolled at Eastern Maine Tell us about your internship with TRC something that followed nicely with Rick’s tional Space Station Community College (EMCC), where he earned Companies, Inc. style, and it made my transfer smooth and an associate degree in electrical and automa- I have been working as an intern/designer with welcoming. She stands out as someone I Once that testing is complete, the device will be sent tion technology, graduated with a 4.0 grade TRC Companies, Inc. in Augusta, Maine, since admire and aspire to be like because of her into space for testing on the space station. According to point average and was named 2013 EMCC summer 2012. TRC is one of the foremost engi- commitment to being a human first — recog- Abedi, NASA has programmed crew time into a future Student of the Year. To continue to challenge neering firms with a presence in Maine, and nizing that whether student or professor, Once testing is complete, the device will be made flight-ready and sent into mission for astronauts to install and test the leak detection himself, Torsch transferred to the University of while there I have learned an incredible younger or older, employee or employer, we’re Maine to pursue a bachelor’s degree in electri- amount. I have worked specifically with the all just people with the same main goals in life, space for testing on the space station. According to Ali Abedi, NASA has device. programmed crew time on a future mission for astronauts to install and test cal engineering technology, which he expects automation and communications group. With and we can approach professional goals the leak detection device. The International Space Station project is expected to to earn in the spring of 2015 — again with a them, I have done drafting in AutoCAD, together while maintaining a fun and engaging 4.0. He also is OSHA certified, a licensed Jour- designed communication profiles, programmed social environment. The Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft approaches the International Space Station. Photo courtesy NASA. last three years, but Abedi says there is a bright future neyman-in-Training Electrician and is studying substation relays and devices, and was the lead ahead for wireless sensor technology, both in space and on to earn his Maine Engineer-in-Training License. on building a piece of software from the What are your plans after graduation? the ground. ground up that is now used daily to automate First and foremost — work. I hope to obtain a The time I spent at Currently, all of the space station systems are wired and Why study engineering? internal processes, saving the group large career in my field after graduation. I’d love to EMCC was the most produced by a leak, as well as a way to quickly and reliably NASA is interested in technology that could eliminate the I was unsure of exactly where I would excel, chunks of meticulously spent time. work in the automation and/or power engi- fulfilled and the most but I enrolled in the electrical and automation neering fields, as those are the areas of study challenged I had ever process all the data gathered by those sensors. need to transport the weight of that wiring. There also is technology program at EMCC, with the inten- Have you worked closely with a that have most intrigued me, as well as the felt. I was absolutely In 2013, NASA began looking for research projects for an annual International Conference on Wireless for Space tion of learning a trade that I would have at my professor or mentor who has made your ones in which I have had the most success. addicted to the International Space Station and Abedi submitted a and Extreme Environments, which Abedi helped establish, disposal the rest of my life; providing job secu- academic experience better? Meanwhile, I plan to attend Worcester Poly- engineering and academia. I wanted to proposal to develop a similar leak detection system. Earlier that gathers experts from space agencies around the world rity and higher earnings for my family. It At EMCC, Rick Reardon was an incredible influ- technic Institute for a master’s degree in power worked out perfectly, as the program at EMCC ence on me. I owe an incredible amount of systems engineering, and eventually work attend UMaine to this year, that project was one of five in the nation to be to discuss issues surrounding the use of wireless technolo- is far more geared toward engineering than where my future is headed to him. He was my toward earning my professional engineering pursue a higher degree funded through NASA’s Experimental Program to Stimu- gies in space, as well as future applications. electrician work, as I had initially thought it to adviser, professor, and the head of the electrical license in Maine. n to learn as much as I late Competitive Research (EPSCoR). On the ground, the technology has a multitude of be. I absolutely fell in love with engineering, and automation technology program, and his could about all of the and could not see myself doing anything else commitment to every student really helped me aspects of the The three-year, $100,000 grant will allow researchers to applications — from monitoring aging bridges for struc- now. Problem solving, logic, organization, grow academically, professionally and person- electrical, power and adapt the technology from the inflatable lunar habitat leak tural weaknesses to helping older people remain safely in teamwork and strong math skills are exactly ally. He stands out as someone I admire and automation detection system to the space station. Although the func- their homes. what engineering can instill, and with those, I aspire to be like because of his consistently engineering world. tion is the same, Abedi says the research team will have to Wireless technology can also be used to make homes redesign the hardware and software for use in the space more energy efficient, and to help make the nation’s power station, making it more durable and adapting it to a micro- grid smarter and more efficient. With “smart home’’ wire- gravity environment. less technology, Abedi says, appliances at home can “talk’’ “It’s a very different system, both in the hardware and to each other: the dishwasher will know if the washing the software,’’ he says. “It follows a similar concept, be we machine is running and won’t turn on until that cycle is have to redesign it for a whole different structure.’’ done, he says. The design will focus on detecting and localizing leaks Expanded to the nation’s power grid, he says, the tech- in one module of the space station. If it proves reliable, the nology can allow the grid to monitor use in different areas, system can be expanded for use throughout the Interna- and determine if and when a power generating station tional Space Station. Abedi notes that other researchers are needs to run. working on the possibility of attaching inflatable modules “In my mind, we are working toward an energy crisis,’’ to the space station, where the WiSe-Net technology also Abedi says. “If we can use technology to make us more effi- could be used for leak detection. cient, that is good for us and for the next generation.’’ n

26 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY OF MAINE 27 ENGINEERING SPOTLIGHT With your gift to UMaine Engineering 2014 Outstanding Graduates 2014 UMaine Presidential Public Service Achievement Award Beacatalyst for innovation RUCE SEGEE has been actively engaged in public service for more than two • Support the College of Engineering or your decades, assisting entrepreneurs and businesses large and small with cutting- department through your annual gift. You can Bedge instrumentation and automation systems. Since 2007, his work has focused on improving the cyberinfrastructure in Maine and the Northeast that is critical give online (umaine.edu/give). to the success of the University of Maine and the region. His interdisciplinary work ranges from development of production-ready infrastructure to the creation of new • Create an endowed fund in the technologies for visualization, education and communication. His research and outreach University of Maine Foundation. efforts have improved the usefulness of laptops in K–12 education, supercomputing and cloud computing, networking and videoconferencing, and resource sharing. Segee • Leave a legacy through your estate plans. helped spearhead the state’s Three Ring Binder project, which brought $25 million in funding, matched by $6 million in private investment, to form the Maine Fiber Company, providing unprecedented rural connectivity and job creation with the installa- tion of more than 1,100 miles of fiber-optic cable. Three Ring Binder, completed in 2012, was followed the next year by Gigabit Mainestreet, a public-private partnership between UMaine and Great Works Internet to bring gigabit-speed connectivity to the Orono and Old Town communities. It resulted in UMaine being cited as one of the top 10 universities for connectivity nationwide. Gigabit Mainestreet is part of a nationwide program named Gig.U, and Segee had a leadership role in bringing Gig.U to Maine. He FINN BONDESON CHI TRUONG has served as the director of the UMaine supercomputer, providing cost-effective, Civil and Environmental Engineering Chemical Engineering cutting-edge computational power for many significant research projects, classes and simulations for K–12 education. In addition, he directs the UMaine Cyberinfrastructure FINN BONDESON of Woodland, Maine, CHI TRUONG of Quang Ngai, Vietnam, Investment for Development, Economic Growth and Research, and has been involved in was the Outstanding Graduating was the Outstanding Graduating Inter- the annual Maine Learning Technology Initiative of the state Department of Education. Student in the College of Engineering. national Student in the College of Engi- Segee holds the Henry R. and Grace V. Butler Professorship of Electrical and Computer His many honors include membership in neering. Truong had pre-med and Engineering. He received the College of Engineering’s 2008 Ashley S. Campbell Award, Phi Kappa Phi, the Marcus Urann Schol- chemistry minors. She was a Tau Beta Pi as well as Dean’s Awards of Excellence in 2004 and 2008, Outstanding Young Faculty arship and the University of Maine Presi- Engineering Honor Society National Research Award in 1995 and Outstanding Young Faculty Teaching award in 1994. Segee dential Distinguished Scholar Award. Scholar and received a 2013 Center for received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University Bondeson had two summer intern- Undergraduate Research (CUGR) Fellow- of Maine in 1985 and 1989, respectively, and was awarded the College of Engineering ships — with Civil Engineering Services ship. This past spring, Truong received a Outstanding Graduate Student Award in 1988. In 1992, he received a Ph.D. in engineer- in Brewer, Maine, in 2011, and with second-place poster award at the CUGR ing from the University of New Hampshire and joined the UMaine engineering faculty. Stantec Consulting in Limestone, Maine, Academic and Research Showcase. His publishing has included co-writing a textbook. in 2012 and 2013. More recently, he’s Working in the laboratory of profes- been involved in potato breeding sor of chemical engineering Joseph research led by Gregory Porter, professor Genco, Truong helped conduct research of plant, soil and environmental on the feasibility of generating acetic sciences, as well as professor of agron- acid from Maine hardwood extract using omy. The goal of the research is to intro- electrodialysis. She also was a student duce disease-resistant traits into research assistant and teaching assistant commercial potato varieties. in the Department of Chemical and Bondeson’s numerous campus lead- Biological Engineering. Truong did two ership activities included serving as vice co-op terms at Lincoln Paper and Tissue. president of programming in Sigma Phi Her campus leadership activities Epsilon, vice president of the Senior Skull included serving as treasurer of All Society, trip leader with Alternative Maine Women, Sophomore Eagles and Breaks and president of the Nordic Ski Tau Beta Pi, and vice president of the Club. He also has been a member of Tau Asian Student Association and the Inter- Beta Pi, Chi Epsilon, the UMaine chapter national Student Association. Her exten- of the American Society of Civil Engi- sive volunteer activities included neers, the National Society of Collegiate participation in Alternative Breaks and Scholars and Black Bear Men’s Chorus. Partners for World Health. For more information, contact Diane Woodworth, Bruce Segee development officer for the College of Engineering, 800.671.7085 or 207.581.2211, [email protected]

28 COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING engineering.umaine.edu College of Engineering 5796 AMC, Room 200 Orono, ME 04496-5796

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