New York Times interviews Dagher about UMaine-led offshore wind project

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

October 3, 2016 Economic Development, UMaine in the News

The New York Times spoke with Habib Dagher, executive director of the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center, for an article about a UMaine-led offshore wind power pilot project. UMaine’s prototype, part of a demonstration project called Aqua Ventus that is partly financed by the Department of Energy, is one of various types of floating wind platforms that are in the works, according to the article. Aqua Ventus fixes the turbine on a central concrete pier attached by spokes to three others, a design Dagher said would make it cheaper to produce. It floats because the concrete contains air, the article states. “The beauty of this is, every 20 years — which is typically when the turbine reaches the end of its life — you can tow this back to shore, put a new turbine on and take it back,” Dagher said.