Offering a New Concentration in Offshore Wind Energy

Starting from the spring 2024 semester, our undergraduate students will have the opportunity to pursue a concentration in Offshore Wind Energy in addition to the one in Aerospace Engineering. The new approved concentration complements the existing graduate concentration in the same area and supports the continuing growth of our research and academic programs tied to floating offshore wind energy and the associated technologies. Students with interest in the new concentration are encouraged to contact Dr. Amrit Verma.

Understanding Behavior of Deforming Rocksphoto of Dr. Senthil Vel

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

Photo of Dr. Babak HejratiThrough 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

Expanding Opportunities in Offshore Wind Energy

Photo of Dr. Amrit VermaDr. Amrit Verma has received a $292,000 award from the Norwegian government to partner with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in developing new collaborative learning and research opportunities between UMaine and NTNU in a rapidly advancing field of offshore wind energy. Dr. Verma’s collaborators include several faculty in Mechanical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering Technology at UMaine. Read More

Decarbonizing Through Engineering

Photo of Dr. Justin LappThrough 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

Photo of Dr. Wilhelm (Alex) FriessIn 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

Photo of Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center at the University of Maine


This program will prepare students to be eligible for licensure within the State of Maine. Visit the UMS State Authorization & Licensure page to learn more about the licensure requirements in other states and territories, in addition to the contact information needed to inquire further into the licensure requirements associated with this program.