GRADUATE STUDENT AWARD WINNERS
Outstanding Master’s Degree Student Award The Outstanding Master’s Degree Student Award recognizes a student who has distinguished themselves in all aspects of graduate performance.
Katherine F. Jarvis Katherine Jarvis came to UMaine to meld her fascination with biochemistry and mathematics. With the guidance of her advisors, Assistant Professor Joshua Kelley at the Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences and Associate Professor Andre Khalil at the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Jarvis uses her interdisciplinary mastery of pipettes and programming to study how cells communicate using computational modeling. When the COVID-19 pandemic upended her first year study, Jarvis readily turned her efforts to developing an epidemiological model to help schools open safely. A paper she first-authored from that research is currently under review with the journal Scientific Reports, and is already ranked among the top 5 percent of all research articles scored by Altmetric. Jarvis applied her experience with the COVID-19 project to a new model of receptor signaling where each protein is considered individually. The approach is already showing promise and a publication about the research is in development. After she graduates with a M.S. in Biochemistry, Jarvis plans to continue to harness the power of data science and visualization to advance biochemistry research. n
Jean A. and David A. Webb Outstanding Professional Master’s Degree Student Award The Jean A. and David A. Webb Professional Master’s Degree Student Award recognizes a student enrolled in one of the college’s professional graduate programs who has a distinguished record of service.
Abby Frutchey Abby Frutchey came to the University of Maine to develop her ability to shape substance use response efforts in her community and across Maine. As Substance Use Response Coordinator for the Community Caring Collaborative, she works collaboratively to advance efforts for those impacted by substance use disorders. Frutchey balances the demands of this full-time role with the Master’s of Social Work program, which, in addition to coursework, requires more than 900 service hours with community agencies. She also continued her tireless commitment to advocating on behalf of people faced with and recovering from substance use disorders. Her masterful written and verbal communication skills earned her an invitation to Washington, D.C. There, she shared her experience as a social worker and treatment court graduate with the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the U.S. Surgeon General and the Senior Counselor to the President of the United States. After graduation, Frutchey plans to pursue her Licensed Master Social Worker- Conditional Clinical license and advance her work in substance use response in Washington County. n
2021 CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE
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