Lausier Named NSF Graduate Research Fellow

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected University of Maine student Anne Marie Lausier as a 2014 Graduate Research Fellow.

Lausier, a graduate student in civil engineering, says her research will focus on the inclusion of stakeholder equity considerations in water management and that her goal is to “help facilitate the movement of water policy closer to sustainability in a changing environment.”

“National Science Foundation graduate fellowships are the most prestigious major program in the country for graduate students,” says Dan Sandweiss, dean and associate provost for graduate studies. “Students choosing to take this fellowship here is a great indicator of the quality of our graduate faculty and programs.”

Before attending UMaine for graduate school, Lausier double majored in geography and environmental studies at The George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. There, she conducted research assessing the evolution of municipal green building legislation, with a focus on Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)-certified public buildings.

“Anne has a stellar track record,” says Shaleen Jain, her adviser and an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. “This is a highly competitive and coveted award, and a prestigious honor for Anne, as well as a point of pride for UMaine and the College of Engineering.”

Fellowships are awarded to “individuals selected early in the graduate careers based on their demonstrated potential for significant achievements in science and engineering,” according to the NSF. The fellowship provides three years of financial support within a five-year fellowship period for research that leads to a master’s or doctoral degree.

“UMaine has been pivotal in establishing my interest in research,” Lausier says. “This NSF fellowship is valuable in providing me support to continue.”

Lausier is no stranger to water or research at UMaine. During her senior year at Bangor High School she interned in UMaine’s Department of Chemistry as part of the Maine Space Grant Consortium MERITS program. Her research project titled “Detection of Pharmaceuticals in 3 Maine Lakes by Synchronous-Scan Fluorescence Spectroscopy” was the 2009 Stockholm Junior Water Prize state champion and placed among the top eight at the national competition. It was subsequently published in the competition’s journal.

“Anne Marie was a star the minute she walked through the doors in honors chemistry at Bangor High School,” says Cary James, science department head at Bangor High School. “She is one of a long list of water researchers that have gone on to do great things.”