Registration Open for Windstorm, Wind Blade Challenges

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Thursday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

January 12, 2012 Outreach

Registration is now open for the DeepCwind Consortium’s Windstorm Challenge 2012 and 4thAnnual Maine Wind Blade Challenge, which are competitions for middle school and high school students to design, build, implement and test wind power technology components similar to those being used in an extensive UMaine research program in deepwater offshore wind power.

Both events will be held Friday, April 27, at the New Balance Student Recreation Center on the UMaine campus.

The Windstorm Challenge is a comprehensive middle and high school invention competition focusing on deepwater offshore wind technology. Developed in partnership with UMaine and the Advanced Structures and Composites Center, Windstorm Challenge asks teams to design and construct a floating platform for a scale model wind turbine, then create a thorough business plan and sales pitch. For more information and to register for the Windstorm Challenge, go to http://windstormchallenge.com/ or visit Windstorm Challenge on Facebook.

The Wind Blade Challenge, a program developed by the Maine Composites Alliance in partnership with the Advanced Structures and Composites Center and the Maine Wind Industry Initiative, matches high school students with composites manufacturers in Maine to research, design and manufacture model wind blades. The challenge culminates in a fun competition to see which team invented the most efficient wind blade. For more information and to register for the Wind Blade Challenge, go to http://mainewindbladechallenge.com/.

Both events are designed for students with diverse ranges of experience and interests. Teams are not required to be from a specific school or classroom, and home school students are welcome. An adult advisor is required. In 2011, more than 300 students from more than 30 schools participated in the two events.

All winning team members who go on to attend UMaine receive a $20,000 paid internship at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center.

The DeepCwind Consortium’s mission is to establish the State of Maine as a national leader in deepwater offshore wind technology through a research initiative funded by the US Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and others.

Contact: Elizabeth Viselli, (207)581-2831 or Elizabeth.viselli@umit.maine.edu; Jessica Bloch, (207) 581-3777 or jessica.bloch@umit.maine.edu