USM School Plans for Expansion/Changes Name

In an effort to meet the workforce demands of southern Maine, the USM School of Applied Science will expand programs in biotechnology, information science and precision manufacturing, areas that the state has identified as critical to economic growth.

As a result of the expansion plans, the name of the school has been changed to the School of Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology (ASET) to more accurately describe the educational opportunities that are offered. ASET is made up of four academic departments: Computer Science; Engineering; Technology; and Applied Medical Science.

"The expansion of ASET will have a direct impact on the immediate and long-term workforce by providing students who are ready to enter the workplace as manufacturing technologists, electrical and computer engineers, computer programmers, systems analysts, applications specialists, and biomedical technologists," said Dean John Wright.

Wright noted that workforce development “is more complex than just graduating students from college. We also need a special effort to increase the technological literacy levels of middle and high school students.” At a time when Maine is placing increased emphasis on the need for highly trained employees in emerging industries, Wright questions why school districts are discontinuing technology education programs.

"I'm not sure why it's happening," said Wright, "but it's something I intend to find out." Wright's school offers the state's only program that trains technology teachers for Maine high schools.

He is working with local school districts, the Maine Science and Technology Foundation, and the Maine Department of Education to create a Technology Teacher Enhancement Center. Starting next fall, the center will offer high school and middle school teachers new methods of teaching technology-based courses and ideas on how to expose students to advanced technologies and related careers. "I believe a lot more kids could be successful in these types of careers if our public schools encouraged them.”

In addition to the renewed emphasis on technology education, Wright hopes to attract more students to computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing technology and biotech, all growth industries in southern Maine.
The success of the expansion will depend, said Wright, on increasing collaborations with the University of Maine and the Maine Technical College System. In cooperation with UM, the doctoral degree in computer science will be offered at USM. Additional cooperative programs will be established to offer more graduate-level coursework in southern Maine, including a professional master’s degree in manufacturing systems.

In addition to current transfer agreements with Maine’s Technical Colleges, Wright will propose that his school and the region’s technical colleges form a special consortium to allow students to move freely between programs at the two-year and four-year levels. “The advantage of this concept is flexibility and shared usage of advanced technical facilities, staff, and faculty,” said Wright.

Wright also wants to expand services provided to the region’s industries, ensuring that they have access to product testing, customized training and technical consulting.

Earlier this year, the school opened renovated engineering labs. Wright also has proposed a 20,000 square-foot advanced technology wing for USM’s John Mitchell Center in Gorham to house an ergonomics laboratory, a computer engineering laboratory and an electro-mechanical laboratory and the new Institute for Research in Information Science (IRIS). Discussions are underway to solicit funding from Maine’s advanced technology industry.

“Our goal is to establish the school as a center of excellence," said Wright, "a school of first choice for all our incoming students and the regional businesses and industries we serve. We want to become even more responsive to the economic and educational needs of Maine.”

For more information , call 780-5585 or visit the Web site at www.usm.maine.edu/aset