UMaine’s School of Computing and Information Science seeks a Master’s level graduate research assistant to aid in conducting research on constructing map representations from commercial lobster boat plotter/navigation systems. The objective of the project is to evaluate the feasibility of integrating proprietary data from individual fishermen’s commercial marine Personal Computer (PC)-based navigation plotters into aggregate mapping products that: 1) represent examples of fine-scale spatial and temporal coverage of the Maine lobster fishery, and 2) respect the confidentiality of individual data holdings.

The work will involve working directly with project partners from the Maine Lobstermen’s Association, the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, UMaine’s School of Computing and Information Science, and the Lobster Institute. The Research Assistant should therefore be comfortable communicating and interacting with an interdisciplinary team and with lobster fishermen.

The Research Assistant, in collaboration with project team members, will be responsible for:

Qualifications:

A Masters level student in Spatial Informatics, Computer Science, Data Science, or Marine Science with:

The project will provide tuition, stipend, and student health insurance for one year with a potential second year depending on federal approval of project continuation and acceptable performance on the
project.

Contact:
Dr. Kate Beard-Tisdale
School of Computing and Information Science
University of Maine, Orono
kate.beard@maine.edu

An academic-year scholarship for $3500 will support an independent research project focused on a public policy topic. Students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is March 27.

Eligibility criteria:
• a Maine resident, currently enrolled at UMaine for 12 credits or more,
• an undergraduate student with a GPA of 3.0 or higher,
• completed 40 degree hours prior to the current semester.

Previous recipients have come from such diverse disciplines as Geology, History, Political Science, Computer Science, International Affairs, Education, Sociology, Psychology, Social Work, Landscape Horticulture, Civil Engineering, Nursing, Mechanical Engineering, Natural Resources, Journalism and Mass Communication, Economics, Biochemistry and Microbiology.

Website and Application

In honor of Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s many years of service to the citizens of Maine and the nation this scholarship provides assistance to undergraduates who have demonstrated an active interest in public affairs and who show promise for future leadership in, and contribution to, public affairs. Senator Smith’s abiding belief was that real progress would be attained only through the education of young people.