NSFA 2013 Graduate Student Awards
The College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture announces the winners of this year’s graduate student awards.
The Norris Charles Clements Graduate Student Award—Matthew Jones
Matthew Jones is a master’s degree student in ecology and environmental science who is investigating how farm management and surrounding landscape variables affects the actions of beneficial insects in lowbush blueberry fields. His research involving dung beetle scavenging could have important implications for Maine lowbush blueberry production as the federal government debates ways to limit E. coli contamination in fruits and vegetables. (Advisor: Frank Drummond)
George F. Dow Graduate Scholarship Fund—Yucheng Peng
Yucheng Peng, a Ph.D. student in the School of Forest Resources, is investigating methods for drying cellulose nanofibrils—a new generation of nano-scale material from forest products. Yucheng has won several awards for his research including first place in the Wood Award Competition sponsored by the Forest Products Society. (Advisor: Douglas Gardner)
Fred Griffee Memorial Award—Stefano Vendrame
Stefano Vendrame is a Ph.D. degree candidate in food science and human nutrition. His research investigates the role of wild blueberries on risk factors for metabolic syndrome in the obese Zucker rat. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors that increase the risk of type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Stefano received a Fulbright Fellowship from Italy to study at the University of Maine.(Advisor: Dorothy Klimis-Zacas)
Outstanding Master’s Degree Student Award—Alisha Autio
Alisha Autio is a master’s degree student in the School of Forest Resources whose research focuses on understanding the physiology and behavior of trees as they pass through life stages. These studies address the essential paradox of species that have a defined lifespan, yet continually produce new, young tissue. (Advisor: Michael Day)
Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award—Alper Kiziltas
Alper Kiziltas is a Ph.D. student in the School of Forest Resources whose research focuses on the use of cellulose fillers (such as wood flour or flax fibers) rather than on conventional fillers (such as glass or carbon fibers). He has received numerous awards for his research, including the Automotive Composites Conference & Exhibition’s Graduate Scholarship Award for the 2012-2013 academic year.(Advisor: Douglas Gardner)
Outstanding Service Award—Spencer Meyer
Spencer Meyer, a Ph.D. candidate the School of Forest Resources, has been exceptionally active in service to his profession, school, and community. He serves on the advisory committees of the Forest Society of Maine and Baxter State Park, and on the review committee for the town of Hampden’s Comprehensive Plan. He plays an active role in UMaine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative, serving on a graduate student search committee and representing UMaine at a national conference. (Advisors: Robert Lilieholm and Christopher Cronan)
Graduate Research Excellence Award—Nathan Briggs
Nathan Briggs is a Ph.D. student in oceanography who is studying the role of CO2 drawdown during the important North Atlantic spring phytoplankton bloom. In 2010, Nathan was awarded a prestigious NASA doctoral fellowship. He was also first author of a significant paper showing how simple optical sensors can be used to assess rates of removal of organic carbon from surface ocean waters—an approach that has already been adopted in a major European program. (Advisor: Mary Jane Perry)