CUGR, MSGC announce 2022 summer fellowship recipients

The University of Maine’s Center for Undergraduate Research (CUGR) has announced the 2022 CUGR and Maine Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) summer fellowship winners. 

The CUGR 2022 Summer Research and Creative Activities fellowships were developed to enhance and increase undergraduate student involvement in faculty-supervised research and are supported through the Office of the Vice President for Research. Each fellowship provides up to $3,000 per student for costs associated with the project. 

The 2022 Summer MSGC Undergraduate Research Fellowship awards help provide research opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students in aerospace technology, space science, human exploration and space development, Earth science and other science- or engineering-related fields. The focus of proposed projects funded by the fellowships must be aligned with the research priorities of NASA’s Earth and space science strategic enterprises. Selected projects will be awarded up to $3,000 each.

This year’s recipients are: 

2022 Summer Research and Creative Activities Fellowship 

  • Hanna Friedman, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, “Analyzing the Effects of the First Year of the Maine Adaptive Management Moose Hunt on Parasite Prevalence in Moose,” advised by Pauline Kamath.
  • Deirdre McGrath, Anthropology, “Stylistic Analysis of the Passamaquoddy Petroglyphs of the Downeast Maine Coast,” advised by Bonnie Newsom.
  • Elizabeth Bein, Biology, “Response of Photosynthesis and Tree Growth to Extreme Heat,” advised by Jay Wason III.
  • Meaghan Caron, Microbiology, “Mediating Virulence of Candida albicans Through an Administration of RBT1 Peptide,” advised by Robert Wheeler.
  • Colman Alexander, Psychology, “The Effect of Climate Warming on the Nutritional Properties of Maine’s Wild Blueberries,” advised by Yongjiang Zhang.
  • Simon Brooks, Mechanical Engineering, “Advanced Design of 3D Printing Head for Aligning Carbon Microfibers,” advised by Yingchao Yang.
  • Giacomo Pellizzari, Mechanical Engineering, “Studying the Mechanical and Rheological Behaviors of Tough Multiple-Network Hydrogels to Use Them for Impact Resistant Applications,” advised by Siamak Shams Es-haghi.
  • Syerra-Marie Carmone, Psychology, “Project CORE (CNA’s Overcoming and Regulating Emotional Burnout),” advised by Rebecca Schwartz-Mette.
  • Evan Warburton, Biochemistry, “Comparing the Mycorrhizal Connections of Mature Trees and Seedlings Between Coastal Maine Islands Varying in Size and Distance From the Mainland,” advised by Peter Avis.

2022 MSGC Summer Undergraduate Award Recipients

  • Nicholas Tiner, Civil and Environmental Engineering, “Can Coastline Configuration Create Accumulation Points for Harmful Algal Blooms and Microplastics Pollution?” advised by Lauren Ross.
  • Hayden Libby, Civil Engineering, “Measuring the “Uncharted” Water that is Penobscot River Outflow to the Tidal Bay,” advised by Sean Smith.
  • Jacob Goldberg, Engineering Physics, “Memristors: A Future in Computing,” advised by Rosemary Smith.
  • Stephen Kaplan, Computer Science, “Predicting Differences in Perception of Privacy Risk in Social Network Contexts,” advised by Sepideh Ghanavati.