Faculty Promotions 
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Andy Goupee has been promoted to Professor and Dr. Justin Lapp has been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in mechanical engineering. Read More
New Graduate Certificate in Offshore Wind Energy
The University of Maine is a world leader in the field of offshore wind energy and the new graduate certificate will leverage the extensive faculty expertise, multitude of courses, and research capabilities in this fast growing field. Students with interest are encouraged to contact Dr. Amrit Verma.
Advancing Graduate Education
Prof. Zhihe Jin has published his second textbook in support of graduate education in different fields of engineering. Engineering Analysis: Advanced Mathematical Methods for Engineers, composed of four parts with over 450 pages, covers a wide range of topics with numerous example problems pertinent to advanced engineering analysis, especially in mechanical, aerospace, and civil engineering.
Boosting Clean Energy Workforce
Dr. Justin Lapp is leading a clean energy workforce training program at the University of Maine. The program is aimed at establishing graduate and undergraduate certificate programs in building science analysis and design with the goal of reaching 200 students and working professionals. Read More
Digital Twin Technology to Revolutionize Offshore Wind Turbine Installation
Understanding Behavior of Deforming Rocks
With support from the National Science Foundation, Prof. Senthil Vel is collaborating with colleagues in UMaine School of Earth and Climate Sciences and several international researchers to better understand and quantify the influence of tectonic plate movement on stress and flow laws in rocks. Read More
Extending Research in Wearable Robotics
Through a $432,000 grant from the National Institute on Aging of NIH, Dr. Babak Hejrati and his research team will continue their innovative research on wearable robotics for gait training of older adults. Read More
Decarbonizing Through Engineering
Through a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Dr. Justin Lapp and his co-investigators will be conducting research aimed at Solar Decarbonization of Paraffin Dehydrogenation Through Particle Heat Carriers. The light olefin industry accounts for over $300B in annual worldwide sales and requires large amounts of process heat, currently provided by fossil fuel combustion. In this project, a method is investigated to replace those fossil fuels with concentrated solar energy. Solid ceramic particles, coated in catalyst, will be heated by focused sunlight to 900 Celsius or higher, then will be used to heat and catalyze a flow of paraffins for conversion to light olefins. The project team will design, fabricate, and test catalyst pellets. They will build and simulate a prototype proof-of-concept reactor. Read More
Empowering Engineering Students
In recognition of the importance of making college education more accessible to promising low-income students in Maine, NSF has awarded a $750,000 grant to Dr. Alex Friess and his co-investigators in support of a project for Building Bridges for Engineering Students. Read More
Transforming Engineering Education at UMaine
We celebrated the grand opening of the Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center on August 24th. In addition to housing the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ferland EEDC provides a state-of-the-art facility for transforming engineering education at UMaine. Read More
