Faculty Awards

Contents

Faculty Awards............................................................................... 4 Graduate Student Awards............................................................... 8 Undergraduate Student Awards .................................................... 13 Top Juniors and Seniors.................................................................15 Additional Awards and Scholarships..............................................16

College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture..........................................................16 School of Biology and Ecology .............................................................................................16 Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders .......................................................17 School of Earth and Climate Sciences ..................................................................................17 Ecology and Environmental Sciences ....................................................................................17 School of Economics .............................................................................................................17 School of Food and Agriculture.............................................................................................17 School of Forest Resources ....................................................................................................18 School of Marine Sciences.....................................................................................................18 Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences...............................................................19 School of Nursing..................................................................................................................19 School of Social Work ...........................................................................................................19 Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology...............................................19

2021

Photographs of students and others not wearing masks were taken prior to the coronavirus pandemic. The University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias follow federal and state Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health and safety guidance, which includes social distancing and use of face coverings for the 2020–21 academic year.

FACULTY AWARD WINNERS

Outstanding Research Award

The Outstanding Research Award honors faculty who make significant contributions to their profession and have demonstrated excellence in scholarship.

Mehdi Tajvidi, Ph.D.

Cellulose nanofibrils are miniscule. You would need 100,000 to cross the width of a single human hair. In the lab of Dr. Mehdi Tajvidi, these tiny structural building units of wood hold tremendous potential.

The associate professor of renewable nanomaterials uses cellulose nanofibrils and their composites to invent better packaging and building materials.

Pulpwood is a significant byproduct of timber harvest, especially on projects that aim to improve stand growth or reduce disease risk. Traditional market opportunities for wood pulp, however, are limited and Maine is beset with a surplus. Tajvidi’s research aims to turn that challenge into a lucrative opportunity for the industry while addressing other environmental concerns.

Cellulose nanofibril additives and alternatives developed in Tajvidi’s lab offer renewable, biodegradable solutions to issues associated with cement, plastic, resin and other nonrenewable products. They also consistently outperform their traditional counterparts and offer health advantages to users—from food packaging with oxygen and grease barrier properties, to particleboard free of formaldehyde, a probable human carcinogen. A drywall alternative he is developing is lighter, fire resistant, and a better insulator than is currently used in construction. Tajvidi’s lab has also developed strong insulation and packaging products made completely from renewable resources.

True to UMaine’s land grant mission, Tajvidi explores not only what is possible, but what is practical. His lab is also working to improve the refining process of cellulose nanofibrils to make mass production and commercialization economically feasible and collaborates extensively with the industry in Maine and beyond.

Tajvidi’s research has garnered more than $21 million in external funding and been the focus of 64 peer-reviewed papers, two book chapters, and more than 35 conference presentations since he joined UMaine in 2013. He is the inventor of four patents generated from his research.

He also advances the work of others as a reviewer for journals and serving on editorial boards, and has served on the National Sciences Foundation’s Materials Engineering and Processing Review Panel. He has advised or co-advised more than 50 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom are lead authors on his published papers.

At UMaine, he holds an appointment in the School of Forest Resources and cooperating appointments in the Advanced Structures and Composites Center and Forest Bioproducts Research Institute. n

FACULTY AWARD WINNERS

Outstanding Public Service Award

The Outstanding Public Service Award honors faculty who make significant contributions to the University of Maine’s mission of service—disseminating university resources into the community.

Amy Engler Booth, M.A., CCC - A, FAAA

No matter the miles or pandemic safety measures, Amy Engler Booth strives to provide audiology care to patients who need it most.

The staff audiologist and lecturer in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders provides hearing tests and other audiology services to Mainers and underserved communities across the globe.

“Amy adapts and understands. With her warmth, sense of humor and her wonderful laugh she connects with people whoever they are,” said Sharon Daley, Director of Island Health and a registered nurse for the Maine Seacoast Mission.

Booth supports professionals working with some of the world’s most disadvantaged people through the Global Coalition for Health Hearing. In one collaboration with audiology professionals in South Africa, she helped develop practical solutions for treating hearing health in resource-depleted rural areas.

In Maine, Booth boards the vessel Sunbeam for three-day tours to deliver hearing tests and other audiology services to Maine’s islanders. She has conducted similar health outreach with the Penobscot Nation and Wabanaki People, and organizations focused on older adults. She has also served as clinical director for the Healthy Athletes/Healthy Hearing program hosted by Special Olympics Maine for more than 15 years.

Booth is the only audiologist at the University of Maine, shouldering sole responsibility for maintaining audiology services at the Madelyn & Albert Conley Speech, Language and Hearing Center where she treats nearly 700 members of the public each year.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Booth developed a novel concept called “Curbside Audiology” to provide clients hearing aid services from the relative isolation of their cars. She also offered extended hours to high-risk patients, so they could receive care when the building was least populated.

Booth’s work at the clinic also serves as a springboard for future audiologists and speechlanguage pathologists. There, she connects students with the clinical experiences essential to their education. She also teaches every audiology course offered by UMaine, which is home to the state’s only undergraduate program in her field.

Despite having no formal advisory role, Booth’s mentoring is highly sought by aspiring audiologists and students completing a thesis for the Honors College. She also frequently invites students to join her at conferences and brings speakers to campus. This dedication to the next generation of audiology professionals helps address a critical workforce need in Maine’s health system. n