Student divers earn awards
A University of Maine 2016 graduate and current graduate student have earned awards, according to Christopher Rigaud, university diving operations manager and Diving Safety Officer.
University of Maine 2016 graduate Chase Brunton received the Dr. Arthur J. Bachrach Bonnier Dive Group publishing internship, sponsored by the Our World Underwater Scholarship Society.
Brunton will produce content and participate in the publishing cycle of Sport Diver and Scuba Diving magazines and their respective websites, SportDiver.com and ScubaDiving.com.
In 2013, Brunton was certified as an Open Water Diver at UMaine; he continued diving recreationally while completing his degree in English. He plans to be a science communicator, focusing on marine issues to increase awareness and foster interest in the ocean among people from all walks of life.
Also, the American Academy of Underwater Sciences awarded UMaine graduate student Elisabeth Maxwell the 2017 Kevin Flanagan Student Travel Award, which she can use to attend the 2017 AAUS Diving for Science Symposium hosted by Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, Michigan.
Maxwell, who earned her Scientific Diving Certification from UMaine in 2016, assists the Scientific Diving Program as a Dive Leader/Divemaster. She is earning a dual master’s degree in marine biology and marine policy.