Uncategorized

A Novel Robotic Glove for Hand Assistance of Older Adults in Activities of Daily Living

PI: Hejrati, Babak (Mechanical Engineering, UMaine) Sector: Biotechnology, Aging Partners: Eastern Maine Medical Center Abstract: One of the major hand functions necessary for performing activities of daily living (ADL) and having independence in life is object manipulation, which is defined as the ability to grasp, lift, and release an object. The ability to grasp and release can deteriorate due […]

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Evaluating LiDAR Tools for Large-area Enhanced Forest Inventory Applications in Maine

PI: Hayes, Daniel (Forest Resources, UMaine) Sector: Forestry, Computer Science Partners: UMaine Fort Kent Abstract: Maine’s economy depends heavily on its forest resource base: it accounts for over 6% of the total GDP and has an estimated total annual economic impact of $8-10 billion. The sound, scientifically-based management of the forest resource requires a significant investment in inventory programs. […]

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Impacts of climate change on the geographic range expansion of ticks and tick-borne disease in Maine

PI: Gardner, Allison (Biology and Ecology, UMaine) Sector: Ecology, Climate Change Partners: UMaine Abstract: The goal of our project is to investigate causal ecological and physiological mechanisms by which climate may alter human risk of exposure to tick-borne disease in Maine, and integrate these data with climate change projections for the State of Maine to develop predictive tick-borne disease […]

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Local Transportation Decisions for a Resilient Future

PI: Martha Sheils (New England Environmental Finance Center, USM) Sector: Climate Science, Policy Partners: MaineDOT, GEI Consultants Inc. Abstract: It is a challenge for Maine’s municipalities to respond to long-term impacts of sea level rise and increased precipitation that threaten their economic viability. This pilot project develops a technical assistance process to help municipalities make […]

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Predicting bad eggs: developing a high throughput respirometry system to portend growth, hatching, and survival rates of fish embryos for the aquaculture industry.

PI: Nishad Jayasundara (Marine Sciences, UMaine) Sector: Aquaculture Partners: Cooke Aquaculture, Center for Corporate Aquaculture Research Abstract: Aquaculture is a multibillion-dollar global industry that is valued at ~$130 million dollars in Maine. Atlantic salmon farming is the highest valued (over $50 million) finfish aquaculture in the State. Maine salmon is a major contributor to the […]

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Gaming Application for Multimodal Skill Acquisition (GAMSA): Improving Navigation and Independence for Blind and Visually Impaired People

PI: Nicholas Giudice (Vemi Laboratory, UMaine) Sector: Healthcare Technology, It, Computer Science Partners: Iris Network Abstract: One of the biggest challenges to educational, vocational, and social success for blind and visually impaired individuals is the inadequacy of current tools for teaching travel skills and technologies supporting independent navigation. This problem impacts the 30,000 people in […]

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Development Toward Commercialization of a Rapid Test for Beverage Spoilage Yeasts

PI: Laurie Connell (Marine Sciences, UMaine) Sector: Food Science Partners: Beacon Analytical Systems, Constellation Consortium Abstract: Our handheld, point-of-use instrument will provide the only near-instantaneous solution to detect certain environmental microbes from complex matrices with minimal sample preparation. The system is based on prior-art developed at UMaine funded through Federal, State, and Private sources. We […]

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Lobster Shell Golf Ball Production and Initial Beta Market Launch

PI: James Beaupre (Foster Center for Student Innovation, UMaine) Sector: Aquaculture, Manufacturing Partners: Cape Seafood Abstract: In an effort to accelerate the commercialization of the lobster golf ball technology developed at the University of Maine, a start-up enterprise will be nurtured and built at UMaine. This technology takes advantage of waste lobster shell from the […]

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Track III: Coastal Ecosystem Science for Maine’s Marine Economy & Coastal Communities

PI: Leslie, Heather (Darling Marine Center, UMaine) Sector: Marine Science Partners: UMaine Machias, University of Southern Maine Abstract: Coastal ecosystems are of great value. They provide food and clean water, protection from coastal storms, and also are home to some of the most productive ecosystems on the planet, fueling seafood and tourism industries valued at more than $5B per […]

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High throughput predictive bioenergetics through statistical machine learning for big-data to assess biological responses to environmental stressors

PI: Jayasundara Nishad (Marine Science, UMaine) Sector: Biology, Data Science Partners: UMaine Abstract: The goal of this research is to build a team of undergraduates to integrate biological sciences with big-data statistical approaches to develop a commercializable statistical tool that can predictively compute the capacity of an organism to maintain energy homeostasis when exposed to toxicants and other stressors […]

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