UMaine Groundbreaking Tuesday at 1 PM
The University of Maine Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI) will host a groundbreaking ceremony celebrating plans to build a 3,300 square foot addition to UMaine’s Jenness Hall. The event is scheduled for Tuesday May 3 at 1 p.m. at Jenness Hall.
UMaine President Robert Kennedy will provide greetings from the university, while Maine Technology Institute President Betsy Biemann and UMaine Prof. Hemant Pendse will also offer remarks. Pendse is a chemical engineering professor who serves as FBRI’s director.
The addition will include space for various uses, including areas where FBRI technical staff will work with visiting researchers and industrial collaborators on bioproducts and the processes necessary to develop them. Training space, videoconferencing facilities and office space will also be included.
Funding for the project comes from the Maine Technology Asset Fund, a competitive award program funded by voter-approved bonds. MTI judges proposals and awards those funds.
FBRI works to find innovative uses for wood harvested from Maine forests. Research areas include the development of transportation fuels, wood-based chemicals and consumer products.
Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571
joe.carr@umit.maine.edu