Maine top scholars research

Since the introduction of the award in 2017, Maine Top Scholars have conducted research and scholarly activities in a diverse range of academic fields. With guidance from experienced faculty mentors, MTS students have presented at the UMaine Student Symposium, have been awarded CUGR fellowships, presented at national and international conferences, and published research.

research examples from past and current students

Students have engaged in research and scholarly activity across a variety of fields. Examples of their projects are listed below.

– Education: Comparison Of High School Mathematics Textbooks Analyzing Higher Order Thinking Skills In New England

– Business: Examining Competitive Balance in Division I Women’s Basketball and Soccer

– Biochemistry: Innate Immune Response to Influenza Virus Infection

– Social science & humanities: Navigating Identity & Belonging Among Second-Generation Iranian American Immigrants

– Engineering and Information Sciences: Optimizing 3D Breast Cancer Heterospheroid Production To Enhance Diagnostics And Instrument Testing

– Natural Sciences: Characterization of Blood-borne Pathogens and their Effects on Antler Growth in Maine Moose

research slides

The following are research slides that have been presented by Maine Top Scholars at our Welcome, and End of Year Events.

umaine student symposium 2025

Listed below are abstract titles for a few of the projects presented by MTS students at the UMaine Student Symposium (UMSS25). You can read more about the symposium here.

Business

  • Competitive Balance? Examining Division I Women’s Basketball and Soccer

Physical and Mathematical Sciences

  • Aqueous Polymer modification of Cellulose Nanofibrils using Poly(methyl methacrylate) to Improve Bio-based Composites

Social Sciences and Humanities

  • Why do Some People Exercise and Some Don’t? Understanding Barriers and Facilitators of Physical Activity
  • Rural Resilience: The Role for Innovative Public Transportation
  • Bridging the Housing Gap: Addressing Barriers to Affordable and Safe Housing for Human Trafficking Survivors in Maine

Engineering and Information Sciences

  • Enhancing Solar Panel Efficiency through Partial Infusion in PDMS Samples
  • Optimizing 3D Breast Cancer Heterospheroid Production To Enhance Diagnostics And Instrument Testing

Natural Sciences

  • Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of Diploid Potato Using RUBY Reporter Construct
  • Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) Leaf Extract is Protective Against Manganese-Induced Toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans

Biomedical Sciences

  • Acute Psychosocial Stress Induces c-Fos Expression in Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons of the Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus
  • HCR Imaging Provides insight into Muscle Development in Zebrafish
  • The Effect of Novel Prophage PEST Systems on Mycobacterial Drug Resistance
  • Validation of Audible Sound Propogation for Assessment of Bone Health
  • Microglia differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells
  • Examining the Role of Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis in JC Polyomavirus Infection of Primary Cells

If you are a past or current Maine Top Scholar and would like to have your research featured here, please reach out to umaine.topscholars@maine.edu