Black Bear profiles

A composite image of Eddie Nachamie

Eddie Nachamie: Environmental advocate wins prestigious scholarship

From the gardens to the farms and forests, Eddie Nachamie has dedicated his undergraduate career toward protecting the environment. At the University of Maine, he has worked on projects to reduce food waste, preserve wild blueberries and mitigate the spread of a group of chemicals known as PFAS. As a result of his efforts, Nachamie […]

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A composite image of Madelynn deBest

Madelynn deBest: Inspiring coastal conservation through creativity 

Motivating people to protect hermit crabs, whelks, periwinkles or other animals that reside within the ocean tides can be challenging outside of coastal communities. That’s why University of Maine senior Madie deBest of Baroda, Michigan is using science communication and illustration to create a new field guide to encourage conservation.  As part of her Honors […]

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A collage featuring images of Jeremy Juybari

Jeremy Juybari: From defense research to fighting breast cancer with AI

For Jeremy Juybari, the path from managing a defense research company to developing artificial intelligence (AI) models has been anything but ordinary. Now a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Maine, he is pushing the boundaries of AI to help improve breast cancer detection and save lives. While pursuing his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, […]

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An image collage of Bence Rosenberg in the outdoors

Bence Rosenberg: Maine’s outdoors are ‘a catalyst for change’

Bence Rosenberg, a parks, recreation and tourism major from Morristown, New Jersey, knew he wanted to attend the University of Maine after discovering its outdoor recreation program. During his time at UMaine, he has turned a love of the outdoors into a profession in progress. “I like being outside,” Rosenberg said. “I had an adviser […]

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An image collage featuring a portrait of Samuel Seekins

Samuel Seekins: From intern to professional in one summer 

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Oct. 20. At the beginning of the spring 2025 semester, Samuel Seekins was uncertain about what career he wanted to pursue. By the end of the summer, he became a licensed property and casualty agent in Maine at the age of 20.  Seekins, a senior from Oakland, is […]

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A photo collage featuring a portrait of Shane Harriman and a photo of a group of people posing outside

Shane Harriman: Searching for lost history

Shane Harriman could never have predicted his research would earn an award or bring him to the mountains of northern Italy. Raised in Orrington, Maine, Harriman has always had an affinity for the outdoors. After graduating from John Bapst Memorial High School in 2022, he chose to attend the University of Maine for its comfortable […]

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A collage of images featuring Dori Leadbetter

Dori Leadbetter: Leading adult learners like herself to new horizons

For much of her life, Dori Leadbetter didn’t think of herself as “college material.” She dropped out of high school, had two kids by age 20 and earned her GED during her second pregnancy. By age 39, as a recent divorcee with three children, Leadbetter discovered the Maine Educational Opportunity Center (MEOC), a federally funded […]

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A photo collage of Nolan Dries

Nolan Dries: Brewing innovation through internship 

From brewing beer to building a business model, Nolan Dries is getting hands-on experience with innovative entrepreneurship.  A junior from Windham, Maine, Dries landed an internship with Orange Bike Brewing Co. through the Innovate for Maine Fellows program. He’s not just learning about the booming non-alcoholic beer industry; he’s helping shape it.  “I’m piloting a […]

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An image collage featuring an image of Chyanne Yoder.

Chyanne Yoder: Turning the tide on disposable food containers 

Roughly 15% of plastic waste cleaned up along Maine’s coastlines comes from foodware. Chemicals used in plastic production often leach into the environment and pose health risks once absorbed into the body. Chyanne Yoder, a Ph.D. student at the University of Maine, aims to squash this source of pollution by supporting coastal communities’ efforts to […]

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