 |
| news brief archive |
|
|
|
|
|
| newsletter archive |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| home // about us // news: |
|
ASET news for week ending June October 16, 2009
Construction Management
class tours Martin's Point Health Care construction project
On September 21st our ITC 100,
Intro to Construction Management Class toured the 42,000
square foot Martin's Point Health Care project under
construction. When completed the clinic will be on top
of 2 levels of parking (218 cars total). The exterior of
the structure will be brick with CMU backup. The Clinic
will have a stone ballasted EPDM roof. The 17.2
Million Dollar project is scheduled for completion in
January 2011. Pictured with the students is Tim Street,
Project Superintendent for Pizzagalli Construction, our
Tour Leader. Garret Bertolini, Senior Project Manager and
Jared Ballard, Senior Project Engineer also explained
important elements of the project to the students along
with Kevin Freeman, Pizzagalli's Business Development
Manger.
ASET Research for September 2009
In the September 2009 issue of So Noted, the USM Office of
Sponsored Programs reported the following extramural
awards: Bruce MacLeod (Department of Computer
Science), MoTech Ghana Health Initiative, Columbia
University (R&D); Karen Wilson (Department of
Environmental Services), Penobscot River Restoration:
Monitoring Marine-Freshwater Food Web Linkages Using Stable
Isotopes(SI), Phase One sample collection and trial
analysis (TNC), Nature Conservancy (R&D), and
Sherman Marsh 2009 Monitoring Contract, Maine
Department of Transportation (R&D); John Wise
(Department of Applied Medical Sciences), Effects of
Altered Gravity on Cellular Function, Maine Space Grant
Consortium (R&D), Particulate Cr(VI) Toxicology in Human
Lung Epithelial Cells and Fibroblasts, National
Institutes of Health (R&D), Mechanisms of Altered
Gravity Potentiation of Metal-Induced Genotoxicity,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (R&D), and
The Effects of Toxic Particles in Human Lung Cells,
U.S. Department of the Army (R&D and W. Douglas Thompson,
Child and Family Services Workforce 09/10, Maine
Department of Health & Human Services (R&D).
ASET news for week ending June 12, 2009
Team Dirigo ready to fly - news from Houston
 "Here we are in front of the Saturn rocket!
Team flies on Thursday and Friday."
Team Dirigo, USM’s
student led microgravity team, has arrived in Houston to
fly their experiments with NASA. The team is shown here in
front of the Saturn 5 rocket at Johnson Space Center. The
Saturn 5 rocket was used for the Apollo missions and taking
us to the moon. At the top you can see the small capsule,
which housed 3 astronauts, and which was commonly seen
during splashdown on return to earth. The capsule has
about the same interior space as a minivan.
Mark Gardner '78,
Department of Technology alum receives honors
Mark Gardner, president and chief executive
officer at Sappi Fine Paper has received the highest
recognition for leadership and management by the management
division of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper
Industry. He has been named the 2009 Executive of the Year
by that organization. Mark is a 1978 graduate of the
Department of Technology. He has been with Sappi Fine Paper
since 1981, and was appointed president and CEO in October
of 2007.
Registration for ASET
Camp still open!
 Alternative
Energy!
ASET Camp @ USM
June 29 - July 2,
2009
An exploration of science, engineering, and technology
for students in grades 7 - 8
ASET Camp is designed to provide students with an
opportunity to explore the many education and
career opportunities that exist in the fields of
applied science, engineering, and technology. The
theme of this year's camp is "Alternative energy!"
Click
here for information and registration. |
ASET news for week ending May 8, 2009
Casco Bay High School
intern does week-long job-shadowing of USM graduate student
in Duboise Laboratory
Donald Bennett, a high school junior from
Casco Bay High School, joined Victor Serio (ScienceCorps
Fellow and Biology Department graduate student) in a
weeklong research experience in the Duboise Virology Lab.
He expanded his laboratory skills, toured the research
facilities at USM, attended the Evolution Revolution across
the Universe lectures and helped with the NanoDays 2009
exhibit, enjoyed the camaraderie of the lab group, and
initiated an environmental bacteriophage isolation project.
When asked to reflect on the week, Donald wrote, "Overall,
I had a really great week, I learned a lot, and I’m very
interested in pursuing scientific research in the future."
Having high school students and undergraduate students is
not unusual in the Duboise Lab. In 2008-09 there have been
three undergraduate biology students working on projects in
close association with USM graduate students and in prior
years students from Catherine McAuley High School, Portland
and Biddeford High School have pursued summer or semester
long projects. One of these students went on to became an
outstanding student at Brandeis University and is nearing
completion of her medical degree at University of
Connecticut Health Sciences.
Nathan Clifford School
class magnifies their world with the help of Victor Serio
from the Duboise Virology Lab
The Duboise Lab provided microscopy
activities in the fourth grade classroom of Peg Hillman at
Nathan Clifford School in December. Victor Serio (ScienceCorps
Fellow and Biology Department graduate student) brought
four microscopes equipped with digital cameras and laptop
computers and provided guidance as her students
enthusiastically made wet mounts of a variety of
environmental specimens, studied plant leaves and made
slides of the stomata of lettuce leaves. These are the same
microscopes which schools receive when grade 3-8 teachers
participate and receive training in their use during the
two week Science Education Partnership Award summer program
at USM, funded by the NIH, NCRR grant, and directed by S.
Monroe Duboise, associate professor in Applied Medical
Sciences.
USM scientists bring microscopy
experiences to elementary classroom
Farmington River Elementary School: Karen Moulton,
the Director of the Transmission Electron Microscopy
Facility and the Laboratory Manager of the Duboise Virology
Laboratory at USM, along with her colleague, Jennifer
Jamison, an Electron Microscopist and Research Associate,
visited the Farmington River Elementary School, grades 5
and 6, to introduce the students to the world of microscopy
through the use of digital Motic microscopes and computers.
Following an introduction to microscopy including
differences between light and electron microscopes,
magnification capabilities, and scale, the students viewed
diatoms, cross sections of pine needles, human hair, a
variety of insect legs, and hay infusions containing live
rotifers at magnifications of 40x to 1000x. Slide
preparation techniques and methods for quieting the lively
rotifers were employed. The students had ample time to ask
questions and their comments showed their appreciation and
understanding of the experience: "This was the best class
ever because we got to see every cell in a pine needle
cross section."
The program sponsors for this visit are the University
of Southern Maine, National Institutes of Health, Science
Education Partnership Award (SEPA) and National
Center for Research Resources (NCRR, R25RR024280).
ASET news for week ending April 17, 2009
New research in microgravity and
hypergravity
The Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health
is pleased to report that their NASA proposal entitled
"Mechanisms of Altered Gravity Potentiation of
Metal-Induced Genotoxicity" has been funded. This
$257,502 grant will help to fund research that compares
whale cells and human cells in microgravity and
hypergravity. The Principal Investigator on this project
is Dr. John Pierce Wise, Sr., professor of toxicology and
molecular epidemiology in the Department of Applied
Medical Sciences.
The long-term objective of this research is to develop a
model of the effects of microgravity on the cellular
response to genotoxicity. The effects of microgravity on
genotoxic response is important because NASA astronauts
and personnel in microgravity will be exposed to
significant genotoxic agents including chemicals (e.g.
metals) and radiation and the potential for microgravity
to exacerbate the genotoxic outcome is poorly understood.
The short term objective of this research is to initially
focus on chromium (Cr) because it is one of the only
metals with a well-established DNA repair response to
genotoxicity that is also a component of lunar soil.
The research team will investigate the central hypothesis
that altered gravity potentiates metal ion- and
particle-induced genotoxicity. They will test this
hypothesis through two Specific Aims: 1) Determine
Altered Gravity Effects on Metal-induced DNA Damage
Formation and Repair in Human Cells and 2) Determine if
Altered Gravity Effects Are Conserved Across Cell Types
and Species.
These data when combined with the team's existing data
generated by studies of lunar dust in cells at normal
gravity can be used to help determine appropriate
exposure limits to moon dust. The MCTEH data will also be
the first to evaluate how altered gravity affects
metal-induced DNA repair gene expression and signal
transduction as well as effects on metal-induced
apoptosis. These data will also indicate which responses
are general and which are cell or species specific.
Altogether, these data should provide important insight
into the mechanisms of altered gravity on metal-induced
genotoxicity and suggest possible approaches for
potential countermeasures.
The Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health
is directed by Dr. John Pierce Wise, Sr. For more information, contact Dr. Wise at
207-780-8049.
ASET news for week ending March 13, 2009
Research Awards for January and February
2009
In the January 2009 issue of So
Noted, the USM Office of Sponsored Programs reported
the following extramural awards: S. Monroe Duboise
(School of Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology)
and Lisa Moore (College of Arts and Science),
Developing Multidisciplinary Astrobiology Research
Infrastructure Through Exploration of Extreme Environments
at the Intersection of Maine’s Metal Mining Past and the
Gulf of Maine, Maine Grant Consortium (R&G); Brian
C. Hodgkin and Julie Ellis, Scientific
Ballooning Senior Design Project, Maine Space Grant
Consortium (R&D); and W. Douglas Thompson,
Capacity Building in Environmental Epidemiology, Maine
Space Grant (R&D).
The following awards were reported for
February, 2009: S. Monroe Duboise, School of Applied
Science Engineering and Technology, Micro and Nano-space
Exploration of Health and Disease, National Institutes
of Health; W. Douglas Thompson, School of
Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, A Regional
Multi-Institutional Academic Partnership for Excellence in
Environmental Public Health Tracking, University of
Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; John P. Wise, Sr.,
School of Applied Sciences, Engineering, and Technology,
Toxicology of Metal and Lunar Particles in Biological
Systems, Maine Space Grant Consortium.
From the Department of
Environmental Science
Travis Wagner and Rob Sanford, professors in the
Department of Environmental Science, had the second edition
of their Environmental Science Active Learning
Laboratories book published in January. They have also
signed a contract to produce a main text to go with the lab
book.
USM, 9th annual Northern New England Science Bowl was
held recently in Bailey Hall, bringing 80 high-achieving
students from high schools in Maine, Vermont, and New
Hampshire to campus. Rob Sanford, from DES is the
coordinator of the event. Faculty and Students from ASET
and CAS, along with staff from IDEXX and NSC volunteers.
Professors Jim Smith and John Marshall organized the
mousetrap vehicle contest at the competition.
ASET news for week ending February 28, 2009
Northern New England Science Bowl,
February 28
More than 90 high school students from Maine, Vermont and
New Hampshire will travel to the University of Southern
Maine this Saturday, February 28, to compete in the
Northern New England Science Bowl. The event, co-sponsored
by USM, National Semiconductor, and IDEXX Corporation, will
be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in USM’s Bailey Hall,
Gorham. This event is free and open to the public.
More at
https://blogs.usm.maine.edu/publicaffairs/archives/170#more-170
ASET news for week ending February 21, 2009
Engineering Expo at USM, Entrepreneurship
Week in Maine:
Under one roof
Two weeks come together on February 21 at the USM
Field House in Gorham
Maine Entrepreneurship Week and Maine Engineering Week
are being celebrated together as the the two weeks come
together under the one roof of the USM Field House on
the USM Gorham campus for the Engineering Expo from 9
a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 21, 2009.
 Engineering
Expo: USM brings together the engineers who design and
create things, with those who become business owners and
sellers of products and services in the field of
engineering. The Maine Engineering Promotional Council
organizes this annual celebration for Engineers Week that
culminates in the Engineering Expo to promote engineering
in Maine. Over 100 exhibits are expected, open to anyone
interested, especially children. For information, visit the
Web site of the Maine Engineering Promotion Council.
www.EngineeringME.com.
Among the exhibitors at the Engineering Expo will be the
USM Center for Entrepreneurship who is helping to kick off
Maine Entrepreneurship Week with activities that focus on
starting and running your own business in Maine. A full
week of activities follow around the state. For more
information about National Entrepreneurship
Week in Maine, visit
www.eweekmaine.com.
 Maine
Entrepreneurship Week begins:
In
the past, entrepreneurs have been the source of economic
innovation, improving the entire society with new ways of
doing things. During these difficult economic times, it
is all the more important to inform, recognize and
celebrate entrepreneurship. It is estimated that 70
percent of high school seniors want to become
entrepreneurs, and will need entrepreneurial skills to be
successful. National Entrepreneurship Week's many
workshops and presentations in Maine during the last week
of February encourage and inspire these young
entrepreneurs as well as the state's more mature and
seasoned ones!
Celebrate Engineering
Week and Entrepreneurship Week
on Saturday, February 21, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
at the Engineering Expo at USM in Gorham. National
Entrepreneurship Week in Maine runs through February 28.
National
Entrepreneurship Week in Maine has one goal: to
support the creative efforts of entrepreneurs and small
businesses throughout Maine. The
Engineering Expo
at USM has one goal, to promote engineers and engineering
in Maine.
ASET news for week ending January 2, 2009
Wise Laboratory
of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology
USM student research at the national level
Undergraduate biology major and member of the Wise Lab, Jane McKay, has won a travel
award to attend the national meeting of the Society of Toxicology. Jane is also part
of the DIRIGO microgravity team that was selected to fly again at NASA this year
(see the article about DIRIGO further down on this page).
James Wise, an undergraduate chemistry student in the Wise Lab, won a position as an
alternate for the same award as Jane's and may earn one as well. James is presenting
his work on the toxicology of cellulose nanoparticles at the meeting. He too is part
of team DIRIGO.
Although neither biology nor chemistry are majors in the School of Applied Science,
Engineering, and Technology, but in the College of Arts and Science, it's important
to note the collaboration that goes on across disciplines at USM and in ASET through
research teams like the Wise Lab, which is an integral member of ASET. We are pleased
with and proud of these accomplishments, which continue to show our students are successfully
competing on a national level. The meeting is in Baltimore in March. Several faculty and other
students are going as well to present posters at the meeting.
Learn more about the
Wise Lab at
http://www.usm.maine.edu/toxicology/
ASET news for week ending December 5, 2008
 News from the Wise Laboratory
of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology
Two research papers accepted for publication last week!
Last week was a good week in the Wise Lab. Two papers
were accepted in one week!
The first paper: "Particulate and Soluble Hexavalent Chromium Are Cytotoxic
and Genotoxic to Steller Sea Lion Lung Cells" by Sandra S. Wise, Fariba Shaffiey,
Carolyne LaCerte, Caroline E. C. Goertz, J. Lawrence Dunn, Frances M. D. Gulland,
AbouEl-Makarim Aboueissa, Tongzhang Zheng, and John Pierce Wise, Sr. was accepted
for publication in Aquatic Toxicology.
 The Steller sea lion population in Alaska has plummeted almost 75% for unknown
reasons. This paper identifies a possible role for chromium as a risk factor in that decline.
For student tally - Sandra is a doctoral student here in AMS, Carolyne is a
Master's student in AMS and Fariba is a Master's student in biology here at USM.
 The second paper: "Particulate Hexavalent Chromium Is Cytotoxic and Genotoxic to
the North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) Lung and Skin Fibroblasts" by Tânia
Li Chen, Sandra S. Wise, Scott Kraus, Fariba Shaffiey, Kaitlynn M. Levine, W. Douglas Thompson,
Tracy Romano, Todd O’Hara and John Pierce Wise Sr." which was accepted for publication in the
journal Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis!
This work continues to document the potential threat of inhaled chromium exposure
to the highly endangered North Atlantic Right Whale that often passes through Maine waters.
It documents that chromium particles, a form likely to be inhaled does damage DNA in right whale cells.
For student tally - Tânia and Sandra are doctoral students here in AMS, Fariba is a Master's
student in biology here at USM. Kaitlynn at the time was a high school student at Poland high and
is now at Middelbury College.
This paper is Tânia's first as a first author!
Credits: The photo is of the Research Vessel "The
Odyssey" courtesy of Iain Kerr. "Sea Lion" photo
courtesy of Mystic Aquarium. Photo of the "North
Atlantic Right Whale" courtesy of Scott Kraus. Learn more about the work of the Wise Laboratory's
work on the ocean at:
http://www.usm.maine.edu/toxicology/
ASET news for week ending November 29, 2008
Engineering: Polymer Chemistry for
Engineers
Adjunct Professor presents paper in Orlando
Jim Masi, adjunct professor of engineering, presented at the Electrical
Manufacturer's Expo from November 3-5 in Orlando, Florida. He was invited
to present his paper, "Plastics Future," published in the proceedings of the
conference. While there, he gave a six-hour course to 20 engineers on
"Polymer Chemistry for Engineers." Professor Masi is a Professor Emeritus
from Western New England College, and researches and teaches part-time at USM.
Applied Medical Sciences seminar December
4
Visiting research scientist speaks about the study of
breast cancer treatment
Lynne W. Elmore, Ph.D., of the Department of Pathology at
Virginia Commonwealth University will be presenting her
seminar, "Accelerated Senescence: an emerging role in
breast tumor response to chemotherapy," from 2 - 3 p.m.,
Thursday, December 4, 2008. The seminar will be presented
in the Luther Bonney Auditorium, and is free and open to
the public. For more information, please contact the
Department of Applied Medical Sciences at 228-8250, or
write to
annj@usm.maine.edu.
Environmental Science student wins award
Laura Wurst is going to Chile!
Environmental science student Laura Wurst has been
offered one of the student scholarships to the
Conservation Capital in the Americas Conference this
coming January in Valdivia, Chile. Responding to
announcement passed on by department chair, Samantha
Langley-Turnbaugh, Laura's winning essay was selected
from among 42 essays by students across North America.
The conference will include one hundred conservation
finance practitioners, educators, and students from North
and Latin America. Topics ranging from conservation
investment banking to ecosystem services will be covered.
A book to be published in 2009 will emerge from the
conference case analyses and discussions. Laura is a
major in environmental planning and policy at USM.
She is particularly interested in the fundamental
scientific, social, and economic components of growth
management and resource conservation. Laura hopes to
develop a career protecting and restoring natural
resources in Maine through innovative environmental
planning. For more information about the Department of
Environmental Science, visit
http://www.usm.maine.edu/~esd/, or call 207-780-5390.
ASET news for week ending November 14, 2008
Department of Technology
2008 National Association of Industrial Technology Annual
Conference
Five faculty members from the USM Department of
Technology will travel to Nashville next week to attend
the annual NAIT conference along with their peers from
around the nation. USM faculty include John Wright, dean
of ASET, Andy Anderson, associate dean, Bill Moore, chair
of the Department of Technology, John Zaner and Dave
Early. During the conference, Associate Professor John
Zaner will present his paper, "Developing On-line
Surveys and Evaluation Instruments."
Traditionally, paper instruments have been used for feedback
from our students and graduates for the monitoring and
continuous improvement of our educational program. Dr.
Zaner's paper and presentation shows that on-line survey
techniques can greatly facilitate the collection,
summarizing, and reporting of that data. In his
presentation, he will describe how on-line survey
instruments are developed and used to collect and report
course evaluation and graduate follow-up data. His
presentation will include issues of security and privacy.
He will discuss and illustrate examples of each stage of
the process, and will show examples from recent course
evaluations, graduating seniors, and graduate surveys.
 Dispelling
the popular notion that the field of technology is only
about computers, Technology is actually the
study of the creation and utilization of adaptive systems
including tools, machines, materials, techniques, and
technical means, and the relationship of those elements and
systems to human beings, society, and the environment.
According to NAIT, "Industrial Technology is a field of
study designed to prepare technical and/or technical
management oriented professionals for employment in
business, industry, education, and government. Industrial
Technology is primarily involved with the installation,
maintenance, operation, and management of complex
technological systems while Engineering and Engineering
Technology are primarily involved with the design,
application, and manufacture of these systems." (
www.nait.org )
The National Association of Industrial Technology is the
accrediting board for the USM Department of Technology. It
is recognized as the premier professional association
responsible for the promotion of industrial technology in
business, industry, education and government, the
accreditation of industrial technology programs in
colleges, universities, and technical institutes, and the
certification of technologists and the recognition of their
continued professional development. The Department of
Technology is housed in the Advanced Technology Wing of the
John Mitchell Center on the Gorham campus. To learn more
about the USM Department of Technology and its programs,
visit
www.usm.maine.edu/tech.
ASET news for week ending November 7, 2008
STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
New Learning Community being offered for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
students!
EAST-2 (Eastern Alliance in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
supports students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Most recently
EAST-2 is offering a STEM Learning Community to be held on the Gorham campus (Wednesdays, 4:10 - 5:30,
dinner provided) starting in the spring semester. The Learning Community is for all students at
all levels and will support communication with others having similar challenges, navigation of
the college experience, connections with faculty, designing individual success plans, and meeting
goals. Students will benefit who are wondering where their STEM major will take them, are eager to
succeed in college, are looking for a supportive college network, want to improve their study
skills and learn new ones, need to boost their math and science grades, want a boost in confidence.
For additional information contact: Samantha Langley-Turnbaugh,
Langley@usm.maine.edu, 780-5361 or
Pauline Mateyko,
pmateyko@usm.maine.edu, 780-5785
"Ecoterrorism: Reality or Media Invention?"
 A research presentation by Travis Wagner
Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 12:15 to 1:00 p.m. 205 Bailey Hall, USM-Gorham campus:
Travis Wagner, Assistant professor of environmental science and policy, will be discussing his
research on the media framing of acts of environmental sabotage referred to as ecoterrorism.
His research sought to answer two questions. First, do national newspapers frame ecotage acts
as terrorism? Second, if ecotage is framed as terrorism, is the discourse of fear used in reporting
ecotage related stories? More information on this
topic can be found in the following
publication: Wagner, T. (2008). Reframing ecotage as
ecoterrorism: news and the discourse of fear. Environmental
Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture, 2(1):25-39.
Foro more information about the Department of Environmental
Science, go to
http://www.usm.maine.edu/~esd/.
ASET news for week ending October 31, 2008
Engineering
A New Experiment
 Engineering 100 students were introduced to a new experiment in October.
After studying forces in trusses and forces and stored energy in elastic materials, they
launched a hackisack from a slingshot attached to a truss. The objective was to determine
how the range, the distance the hackisack traveled before landing, varied as the slingshot
stretch and the angle of launch changed. In addition to learning some physics and mechanical
engineering principles, they learned about modeling real systems based on experimental
results as well as on theory.
Microbes, Microscopy, Molecules, and More
The NIH
Science Education Partnership Award at work
 October 27, 2008: The Duboise Lab in the Department of Applied
Medical Sciences has an on-going six week Saturday morning program (Oct. 18 –
Nov. 22) called Microbes, Microscopy, Molecules, and More for K-12 teachers as
the first academic year offering generated from their five year NIH Science
Education Partnership Award (SEPA). There are eight teachers in attendance from
Auburn, Berwick, Brunswick, Freeport, and Portland schools.
 The program staff
includes USM's electron microscopy lab staff, other scientific and education
professionals with capable help from a few AMS and biology graduate students
as well as Dr. Ah-Kau Ng and Dr. Gerald LaSala. Variations of this program are
planned for future fall and spring semesters. For more information, contact Gail
Fletcher, the Coordinator of Maine ScienceCorps.
NSF-Funded Project Launched To Attract Maine Students with Disabilities To Technology Careers
Eastern Alliance in Science and Technology
The National Science Foundation has awarded $3.1 million to
a team based at the University of Southern Maine (USM) to increase the number
and diversity of Maine students receiving degrees in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The five-year grant will fund the
development of an alliance among USM, several Maine Community Colleges and
southern Maine high schools which will provide support and training in STEM
activities for educators and students. The alliance, called the Eastern
Alliance in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (EAST), will
have an inaugural meeting to announce its plans from 3:30 to 5 p.m., Monday,
October 27, at Portland High School. In addition to USM, EAST members include
Portland High School; Deering High School in Portland; the Casco Bay High
School For Expeditionary Learning in Portland; Bonny Eagle High School in
Buxton; Southern Maine Community College and Central Maine Community College.
The $3.1 million grant is an extension of a project first funded in 2003
designed to encourage students with disabilities throughout New England to
study a STEM discipline and, ultimately, to pursue a STEM-based career. For
more information, contact USM Professor Samantha Langley-Turnbaugh at 780-5362,
langley@usm.maine.edu or Lynn Lovewell, director and project manager of EAST
at 780-5449, llovewell@usm.maine.edu.
ASET news for week ending October 24, 2008
Computer Science and Undergraduate Research
 Genetic
and Evolutionary Computation
Pictured here are Computer Science Professor Clare Bates Congdon and
students at the Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO)
this past July in Atlanta. Left to right are Junes Thete,
Clare Bates Congdon, Rachel Teo, and Ryan Small. Junes and Ryan are USM
undergrads; Rachel is an undergrad at the University of British Columbia
who also worked with Dr. Congdon this summer. The students presented both
talks and posters as part of the Undergraduate Research Workshop at GECCO:
Another great week in the Wise
Laboratory
Published again!
The Wise Lab is having a really good month. Their
paper: "Carcinogenicity of Hexavalent Chromium" by Amie
L. Holmes, Sandra S. Wise and John Pierce Wise, Sr. was
accepted for publication in the October 2008 issue of
the Indian Journal of Medical Research. This is a review
article that covered most of the recently published
literature on chromium and in a companion to Sandra's
review article published earlier this year. Amie and
Sandra are doctoral students here at USM.
ASET news for week ending October 17, 2008
From the Wise Laboratory
John Wise in the Wise Laboratory reports some great
news this week. Their paper "Zinc Chromate Induces
Chromosome Instability and DNA Double Strand Breaks in
Human Lung Cells" by Hong Xie, Amie L. Holmes, Jamie L.
Young, Qin Qin, Kellie Joyce, Stephen C. Pelsue, Cheng
Peng, Sandra S. Wise, Antony S. Jeevarajan, William T.
Wallace, Dianne Hammond, and John Pierce Wise Sr. was
accepted for publication in the journal Toxicology and
Applied Pharmacology. Amie, Jamie, Qin and Sandra are
all doctoral students at USM. Kellie was an undergrad at
Drew University who is from Cumberland and came home in
the summer to work. She is now working as a tech in
the lab with hopes of graduate study here at USM, drawn
back to Maine to do research at USM!. Jamie is a first
generation college grad from rural Maine who stayed here
in Maine because of research opportunities at USM.
Another Wise Lab Publication
The Wise Lab also reported that their paper, "Medaka
(Oryzias latipes) as a Sentinel Species for Aquatic
Animals: Medaka Cells Exhibit a Similar Genotoxic
Response as North Atlantic Right Whale Cells" by John
Pierce Wise. Sr., Sandra S. Wise, Britton C. Goodale,
Fariba Shaffiey, Scott Kraus and Ronald B. Walter was
accepted for publication in Comparative Biochemistry and
Physiology - Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology. Sandra
is a doctoral student here at USM and Fariba is a
master's student (biology) in the Wise Lab.
Undergraduate Research: Gravity
 A
diverse group of Maine students, calling themselves the
DIRIGO Flyers of the University of Maine System, carried
their experiments into near-space aboard a plane that is
often referred to as the “Vomit Comet.” The nickname is
typically associated with any airplane that briefly
provides a weightless environment similar to what one
would encounter in space flight. It is used to train
astronauts and conduct research. Versions of the airplane
are operated by the NASA Reduced Gravity Program at the
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas.
A team of
students headed by USM undergraduate John P. Wise, Jr.,
collaborated with established scientists at NASA in testing
the hypothesis that normal cell function changes in
microgravity and hypergravity. Such changes may make it
possible for toxic chemicals to have a more damaging effect
on cells and DNA under conditions of weightlessness, as
encountered during space travel. As a control for the
change in conditions, each experiment tested in flight will
also be conducted simultaneously in one of Johnson Space
Center’s laboratory facilities on the ground.
Click here to read more about the work of the Dirigo
Flyers.
From the Department of Engineering
Controlled mechanisms
 During
the Spring 2008 semester, students in MEE 373 Controlled Mechanisms designed
and built a system for the tissue culture laboratory in the research vessel,
Odyssey. In order for tissues in culture to remain alive and healty, they must
be nearly constantly bathed in a nutrient medium. Ships rock and they roll or
tilt in one direction for an extended period of time. On September 18, 2008
the class, along with instructor Dan Martin, tested the device on the Odyssey.
Data was gathered on ship motions in beautiful Casco Bay, offshore from
Portland, Maine, and is presently being analyzed. First indications are that
motions of the ship are accurately collected and stored by the system. The
information can be used to refine the control mechanism that keeps the
platform level.
Read more at "Mechanical Engineering students
ocean test a control mechanism. "
Internship at NASA's Glenn Research Center
 During
the summer of 2008, Department of Engineering student,
Richard Borders, had an internship at NASA’s Glenn
Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio through the help
of the Maine Space Grant Consortium. The specific program
he was sent under was the Maine Aerospace Workforce
Development Program.
Read more at "Student Richard Borders
internship at NASA's Glenn Research Center."
Send your ASET related news to
larsenault@usm.maine.edu.
Seminar Series in Applied Medical Sciences
On Thursday, September 25, 2008,
Dr. Susan Ceryak, Associate Research Professor, The George
Washington University, will present her seminar titled
"Survival Signaling After Genotoxin Exposure." Free and
open to the public in the Luther Bonney Auditorium from
2:00 to 3:00 p.m. For more information, call 207-228-8250.
USM dedicates computer-aided design laboratory to
Stantec
 September
18, 2008: The University of Southern Maine (USM) has
named a computer-aided design laboratory for the local
engineering firm, Stantec. Stantec donated $100,000 to
USM's School of Applied Science, Engineering, and
Technology (ASET) to help develop the lab, which is
located in the John Mitchell Center on the Gorham campus.
The dedication took place in the lab, where
representatives from Stantec told a group of students,
faculty and staff how the technologies in the lab are
used by the company. Stantec has locations all over the
U.S., with four locations in Maine. Stantec, founded in
1954, provides professional design and consulting
services in planning, engineering, architecture,
surveying, economics, and project management. Continually
striving to balance economic, environmental, and social
responsibilities, they are recognized as a world-class
leader and innovator in the delivery of sustainable
solutions. ASET has a long history of launching students
into careers that make a difference through research,
scholarship, and creative activities with companies like
Stantec.
The Wright Express Golf tournament for
Computer Science: an annual favorite
  On
Monday, September 8, 2008 the annual Wright Express Governor's Golf Tournament
was
held to benefit scholarships at the University of Southern Maine.
A morning and an afternoon flight of golf was held to benefit the Governor's Computer Science Scholarship in the USM School of Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology
or scholarships in the USM School of Business. The tournament
was held at The Woodlands Club in Falmouth, Maine where
corporate friends and partners of both schools played a wonderful day of "golf with a purpose."
This is an annual favorite scholarship fundraiser. Many thanks
for all of the sponsors of the event, especially Wright
Express.
ASET Research Awards for
September, 2008
In the September 2008 Issue of So
Noted, the USM Office of Sponsored Programs reported
the following extramural awards: Wilson, Glenn for
Maine GeoLibrary Project, Maine Department of
Environmental Protection (R&D); Wilson, Karen for
Colonization and Invasion: Continued Research in Sherman
Marsh 2007-2008, Maine Department of Transportation
(R&D), MDOT Contract-Sherman March Summer 2008,
Maine Department of Transportation (R&D), and Penobscot
River Research Collaboration Network Subaward,
University of Maine at Orono (R&D); Wise, John for
Effects of Hypergravity and Microgravity on DNA Damage,
Repair and Cellular Uptake in Lung Cells, Maine Space
Grant Consortium (R&D), Genotoxicity and Carcinogenicity
of Particulate Depleted Uranium, U.S. Department of
Defense (R&D), and NSF EPSCoR Forest Bioproducts
Research 08/09, Maine National Science Foundation
ESPCoR (R&D).
The continuation or supplemental
awards include Congdon, Clare for INBRE 07/08,
Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory with NH Funds
(R&D); Duboise, Monroe and Ng, Ah-Kau for
Sustaining of Maine ScienceCorps: Collaborative Integration
of Research Experiences and Active Learning into Bioscience
Education, National Science Foundation (R&D); and
Guvench, Mustafa for Micro-Electro-Mechanical
Systems (MEMS) Gas Sensors- Year 2, Maine Space Grant
Consortium (R&D).
Successful summer institute at USM
brings science research to elementary and middle school
science teachers
July 25, 2008: For two
weeks in mid July, the Duboise Lab in the Department of Applied
Medical Sciences had a very successful first summer institute
(attended by twelve middle school teachers and one elementary
school teacher) as the first public offering generated from
their five year NIH Science Education Partnership Award. Dr.
S. Monroe Duboise and Dr. Ah-Kau Ng were involved throughout,
but the success was really built upon a major team effort of
USM's electron microscopy lab staff and other scientific and
education professionals together with some capable help from a
few AMS students and one alumnus of Dr. Ng's lab group who is
now at working at IDEXX Laboratories. Read about it in the
Forecaster:
http://www.theforecaster.net/story.php?storyid=15629
K-12 Teachers at USM for a Look Into an Invisible World
July 11, 2008: Fourteen K-12 teachers from Maine
schools are spending two weeks of their summer getting a
firsthand look into the usually invisible world of
microbiology, virology, and immunology with the help of
USM faculty and staff, and some highly specialized USM
microscopes.
The first step of the project is to introduce K-12
teachers to detailed, visual images of micoroorganisms and
cells using advanced lab equipment, including a digital
transmission electron microscope. In subsequent phases,
faculty and staff in USM's Department of applied Medical
Sciences and the USM Southworth Planetarium will work with
teachers to develop visual resources fro K-12 classroom
use throughout Maine. The team also plans to integrate the
academic year programs for K-12 teachers into the academic
offerings of the Department of Applied Medical Sciences.
This program is made possible through a new, five-year
Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) of more than $2
million from the National Center for Research Resources
and the National Institutes of Health. These awards bring
together biomedical researchers, educators and others to
create and disseminate programs that give K-12 teachers,
students and the general public a better understanding of
life sciences.
ASET Doctoral
Student receives a US EPA GRO fellowship!
June 13, 2008 Breaking News: Jamie Young, our
GSBS doctoral student
working with the Wise Laboratory has just been selected to
receive a three-year, US Environmental Protection Agency
Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) fellowship
that could reach as much as $110,000. Jamie is
from Fairfield
Maine, and received her undergraduate degree from the
University of Maine at Farmington. The US Environmental
Protection Agency only gives out approximately 15 of these
fellowships each year. The first in her family to attend
college, Jamie is our third student to win an EPA
fellowship. The other two were Amie Holmes who also
received a GRO, and Laura Savery who received a STAR
fellowship. For more information about the work of the
Wise Laboratory, visit our Department of Applied Medical
Sciences.
ASET Camp is back - bring on the gizmos!
Registration is open for 2008 ASET Camp, the science and
technology camp at USM designed to provide 7th and 8th grade students
with an opportunity to explore the many educational
and career choices that exist in the fields of applied
science, engineering, and technology. This year's theme is
"Gizmos!" Download the
brochure and
application for complete information.
Back to Top |
|
|
