![individual pictures of participants](https://umaine.edu/research-development/wp-content/uploads/sites/446/2021/08/collage.jpg)
UMS Research Ambassadors FY22
Expanding the reach, capacity, and collaboration of research across UMS.
- Nicole Achey– UMF Assistant Professor Rehabilitation Services; research interests include diverse cultures, survivors of modern day slavery, human trafficking, sexuality of adults with disabilities, advocacy, professionalism and undergraduate support for transition.
- Eklou Amendah– USM Assistant Professor Business; research interests include technology and consumer attitudes, mobile payments, augmented reality and retail marketing, physician and patient relationship/decision-making, services and healthcare delivery, shared services cooperative
- Jennifer Blossom– UMaine Assistant Professor Psychology; research interests include evidence-based child & adolescent psychology, youth internalizing concerns-anxiety, depression & suicide prevention, improving service delivery, access & efficiency, service provision at schools and primary care facilities
- Tara Casimir– USM Assistant Professor Nursing; research interests include global and public health, community health, simulation- based nursing education, telehealth, community-academic partnerships, community-based participatory research
- Bee Chim- UMPI Assistant Extension Professional; research interests include potato research, soil health, cover crops
- Scott Eaton- USM Assistant Professor Mechanical Engineering; research interests include energy conversion and thermodynamics, combustion & fuels, K-12 outreach-high altitude balloons, engineering design, design for accessibility, fire and fire safety, spacecraft systems engineering
- Sara Flanagan- UMaine Assistant Professor Special Education; research interests include learning disabilities, ADHD, literacy, written expression
- Kaisa Holloway Cripps– UMFK Assistant Professor Business
- Rachel Hovel- UMF Assistant Professor Aquatic Biology; research interests include aquatic ecology, phenology in lakes and river systems, climate change, acidification, arctic fish migration (high elevation ME lakes)
- Dan Jackson- UMF Associate Professor Math; research interests include mathematics, computing, education
- Tora Johnson– UMM Associate Professor GIS; research interests include GIS, rural community resilience, environmental resources, emerging community needs, rural health and well being
- Shannon Larsen– UMF Associate Professor Elementary Education; research interests include how teachers learn to teach, mentoring & coaching, STEM education
- Jesse Minor– UMF Assistant Professor of Geography & Environmental Planning
- Emily Newell– USM Assistant Professor Sport Management; research interests include support systems for student athletes with special needs & minorities, link between sports & education, retention issues, career development, universal design, culturally sustaining pedagogy
- Amanda Nowak– UMA Director of Prison Education Partnership; research interests include community based research & learning- Including for asynchronous courses
- Gina Oswald– UMF Associate Professor Rehabilitation Services
Valerie Rubinsky– UMA Assistant Professor Communication; research interests include interpersonal communication, relationship research, sexuality and reproductive health, diagnostic communication, community health communication - Deborah Saber– UMaine Associate Professor Nursing; research interests include PPE, environmental and financial costs, microbial movement in the healthcare environment, sustainable solutions for PPE creation, food waste
- Donelle Schwalm– UMF Assistant Professor Environmental Biology; research interests include wildlife biology and ecology, endangered species conservation, conservation genetics, wildlife responses to climate change, student engagement in STEM
- Juyoung Shim– UMA Assistant Professor Biology; research interests include biochemistry, environmental toxicology, arsenic assays, C. elegans modeling, Planaria assays, aging research
- Fred Strickland– UMPI Assistant Professor of Cybersecurity and Computer Science; research interests include computer science, cybersecurity, collaboration with rural schools, radio spectrum, battlefield communications, AI
- Tara Whiton– UMF Assistant Professor Health Administration
- Kathryn Will– UMF Assistant Professor Literacy; research interests include curriculum and assessment design, literacy teacher preparation, communities of practice, rural education, literacy development and technology
- Li Zuo– UMPI Associate Professor of Biology; research interests include oxygen and cancer cells, radiation and STEM cells, exercising and cancer reduction, new treatments, zebrafish, hypoxia-O2 therapy-resp & skeletal muscles
Program Goals:
- Coordination of research and research learning opportunities within UMS, facilitated by recognized cohorts of researchers working together.
- Coordination of expertise for interdisciplinary research and development of research and academic partnerships to increase engagement with local, state, and federal government sponsors.
- Enhance external funding potential, creating new revenues for UMS and broadening the portfolio of externally-sponsored projects.