Russian Company Considering UMaine Bridge Technology for 2014 Olympics

Construction of a bridge using carbon fiber tube structure.

The Russian company is also considering the technology for use in railroad bridge construction and other public infrastructure construction in Russia and neighboring countries. 

Advanced Structures and Composites Center Director Habib Dagher and AIT President and CEO Brit Svoboda will host the Russian delegation, which includes the strategic development director of Noviy Proekt and heads of bridge engineering and railway development for the Russian Railway. They will be joined during Friday's announcement by officials from UMaine; Deputy Administrator Greg Nadeau from the Federal Highway Administration, who will travel from Washington D.C.; Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner David Cole and MDOT engineers; and representatives from Maine's congressional delegation.

Engineering researchers at the University of Maine are receiving more than $533,000 in grant funding to create a new biomechanical laboratory to help test and evaluate injury-reduction, repair and rehabilitation equipment under development by several small Maine companies.

The lab will employ a family of state-of-the-art crash test dummies on which to perform impact and vibration tests to determine, for example, which new protective materials work best in reducing head trauma - from simple falls to sophisticated composites to protect soldiers from head wound complications due to helicopter vibration during air evacuation. The design, development and commercialization of an assistive robotic exoskeletal rowing machine for people with disabilities or in rehabilitation is another objective planned as part of multiple product-development partnerships between the university and private sector companies.

With grant funding from the Maine Technology Asset Fund through the Maine Technology Institute, UMaine will create a Biomechanics Laboratory for Injury Reduction and Rehabilitation within the College of Engineering's Mechanical Engineering Department in the next year. The AMC Building on campus will undergo minor renovations to accommodate the new lab.

The collaborative research is a part of the university's commitment to help small companies with good ideas but limited access to testing facilities develop products and verify that they are ready for commercialization, says principal investigator Vincent Caccese, a professor of mechanical engineering and expert in structural mechanics.

The new biomechanics lab will expand the university's capacity to conduct such testing into the future. New testing equipment will include the acquisition of crash test dummies to be used for impact-testing of neuro-protective head gear that looks like a fashionable cap or headband, but actually serves as a lightweight helmet that people will, in fact, be willing to wear.  In addition, a state-of-the-art robotic manipulator will be purchased that allows fast development of robotic-based exercise equipment.

In vibration-mitigation research, researchers also will be using the dummies on the university's vibrating "shaking table" to test composite padding and stabilization materials designed to protect people with head wounds - caused on the battlefield, on highways or elsewhere - from further injury during evacuation.

Another area of interest is in vibration reduction for infants during med-vac transport, a project idea that originated in discussions with LifeFlight of Maine. Much of the biomechanical research planned at UMaine has not been done before, says Caccese.

University of Maine co-researchers also working under the MTAF grant include Ashish Deshpande and Mohsen Shahinpoor of the mechanical engineering faculty; Elizabeth Depoy and Stephen Gilson of the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies; and Richard Eason of the electrical and computer engineering faculty.

Private partners include Alba-Technic, LLC of Arundel, a company that has developed fashionable lightweight protective head gear; Wiscasset-based Rynel Inc., a manufacturer of specialty hydrophilic polyurethane foams; LifeFlight of Maine, a Bangor-based medical helicopter service; and Astos Innovations, a Newberg nonprofit that works to improve accessibility resources.

The collaboration with Alba-Technic involves support from the Department of Veterans' Affairs research center in Florida and the Division of Geriatric Medicine at UCLA.

Assisting Alba-Technic with the head gear testing is "going to help people by developing products to prevent or lessen injuries, which is also good for our economy and will help create jobs in the meantime where we can make these products in Maine and sell them elsewhere," Caccese says. A market study has estimated the sales potential of the neuro-protective head gear at more than $10 million with a mature market in five years.

"We're trying to create a laboratory where we can transfer technology in both directions," says Caccese. "The Alba-Technic project is one really good example where a small business in Maine had a great idea on how to help improve injury prevention using some advanced materials."

That's one instance of UMaine helping private partners. "An example of it going in another direction is we have product ideas here and we have advanced technology here that we would like to transfer outward, as well," Caccese says.

He cites an unmet need in the fitness industry to make exercise equipment accessible to people with disabilities, limited movement or those recovering from injury. Robotics expert Deshpande and Eason, an expert in motors and controls, in conjunction with Gilson and Depoy, have designed an assistive robotic rowing machine that can be adjusted to enable people with physical limitations to reduce, adjust or modify resistance.

"Our hope is to have laboratory where we can get ideas out into commercialization, or when someone has ideas they can come to us for some testing," he says. "It's a chance to use some of the knowledge and some of the concepts that we teach to develop products that are going to help people. That's the most exciting part. If we help save one person from a severe injury then it's worth it."

Edward Bryand Recognition Banquet

This past November, the College of Engineering honored some of our finest in the 31st Annual Edward Bryand Recognition Banquet.  Below you will find short bios on each of the people who were recognized for their outstanding achievements over the past year.

(L-R) Merida Batiste, Edward Allgeyer, George Bernhardt, Rosemary Smith, Lawrence Kazmerski, Alireza Sarvestani, Nicholas Giudice, Peter Davulis - Congratulations!

(L-R) John Vetelino, Lawrence Kazmerski, Dean Humphrey

Rosemary Smith & Dean Humphrey

UMaine Engineers Without Borders Planning Return Trip to Honduras

The University of Maine student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-UMaine) will travel to Dulce Vivir, Honduras during their academic spring break in March of 2011 to construct a septic system and improve the sanitation of the small community.

Back row, left to right: Robert Sypitkowski (DEP) and members of the Engineers Without Borders: Michael Parker and Brandon Newman in Honduras in 2009

 EWB-UMaine was formed in 2007. Through a contact in UMaine's Central America Service Association (CASA), the students started a partnership with Dulce Vivir, Honduras and have been working hard to finish their project and build the system that will greatly change the lives of the community. The sanitation project is EWB-UMaine's first project.

For the past four years, students have been working with the 120 inhabitants of Dulce Vivir to find solutions to their drainage and sanitation problems. EWB-UMaine has sent students and professional mentors to consult with the community, collect information for the design of a drainage ditch and a septic system, and develop contacts needed to successfully implement both projects. For the past 2 years, the community has seen and reported a reduction in flooding due to the drainage system designed by EWB-UM and constructed by the community in 2008.

Although the EWB-UMaine-designed storm water drainage ditch system has eliminated flooding, sewage still overflows into each of the family's backyards from their cesspits due to low soil permeability and a high groundwater table. The homes in Dulce Vivir have no indoor plumbing: they have a pour-flush latrine behind each house that empties into a covered cesspit. During the rainy season, these cesspits overflow and contaminate the yards with sewage.  The presence of raw sewage in their backyards exposes the community to water- and waste-born diseases such as dysentery, in addition to the numerous other diseases found in the area.

The new system proposed by EWB-UMaine will pipe all the waste from the latrines into a communal septic system consisting of 4 septic tanks and a raised leach field. Community members will receive training on how to maintain the proposed system and EWB-UMaine will maintain contact with them and provide technical support for at least five years to ensure the sustainability and functionality of the project. The project design was developed by students and a group of mentors and professional engineers from Maine and Honduras. The design has been also presented to and evaluated by community members and the local municipality.

"Through our project, we are all learning how to use the material we're studying in class to help people and make a real difference," said chapter president Rita Cooper, a junior civil engineering student. "We are very lucky to have such passionate students and great professional mentors who put in time outside of classes and jobs to work together to design and construct this challenging project."

The chapter has only a few short weeks before their final design is due and they are working hard to raise the final amount of funds needed to implement the design in March. "Not all of our students can participate in the design side of the project," Cooper added, "however, we do involve everyone in fundraising and publicity actions, we are all building skills that are valuable in support of the chapter and in our lives and careers after we graduate."

EWB-UMaine thanks and greatly appreciates the donations that have been received and are currently seeking for more sponsors. The student chapter is planning to host a community contra dance event fundraiser in mid-December at the University of Maine campus and is making plans to bring back the Annual Engineering Art Show later next spring. To help out the UMaine chapter, go to their website: www2.umaine.edu/EWB/live or email president.ewb.um@gmail.com.

About Engineers Without Borders-UMaine (EWB-UMaine)

EWB-UMaine was formed in 2007. Through a contact in UMaine's Central America Service Association (CASA), the students started a partnership with Dulce Vivir, Honduras and has been working hard to finish their project and build the system that will greatly change the lives of the community. The sanitation project is UMaine's first project. For more information about EWB-UMaine please visit www2.umaine.edu/EWB/live.

About Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA)

EWB-USA is a nonprofit humanitarian organization established to support community-driven development programs worldwide through partnerships that design and implement sustainable engineering projects.  EWB-USA members work with local communities and NGOs in over 45 developing countries around the world on projects that provide clean water, renewable energy, sanitation and more. Time Magazine called Engineers Without Borders-USA the "Blueprint Brigade." EWB-USA has grown from little more than a handful of members in 2002 to over 12,000 members today and has over 400 projects worldwide.  EWB-USA maintains over 225 dedicated chapters, including university chapters on 180 campuses in the United States, and has touched the lives of more than one million people.  For more information about EWB-USA please visit www.ewb-usa.org. 

The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 provided a retroactive extension of the IRA Charitable Rollover.  For 2010 and 2011 individuals age 70½ may transfer up to $100,000 a year from your IRA directly to charity, without incurring federal income tax on the distribution.  Married couples may transfer up to $200,000 a year for 2010 and 2011.   While this transfer may not be claimed as a charitable deduction, it is a wonderful way to reduce your taxable income on required distributions while supporting the University of Maine, College of Engineering or other charitable organization.  Further, you have through January 31, 2011 to make the distribution to charity and count it as a 2010 distribution.  The University of Maine Foundation has sample transmittal letters available on its website at www.umainefoundation.org. 

University of Maine Foundation 75^th Anniversary Match closes on December 31, 2010.

Donors of new endowed scholarship funds who pledged $15,000 or more before December 31, 2010 will receive a $5,000 match to the principal in celebration of the University of Maine Foundation's 75^th Anniversary. We would like to express our appreciation to the donors who responded to the Foundation's challenge since July 1, 2009 and designated their gifts for students in the College of Engineering or for general scholarships. With the fulfillment of these pledges and the Foundation's match, more than $390,000 in principal will be invested generating approximately $20,000 annually in scholarship support.

We would also like to congratulate and thank several companies who completed their lab endowments in 2010:

Gorrill Palmer

Kleinschmidt Associates

And those whose labs were dedicated in 2010:

Olver Associates

Eric Landis, Annaleis Hafford, Johanna Riley Evans, Mandy & Bill Olver, President Robert Kennedy, Dean Humphrey

Alton & Adelaide Hamm Student Project RoomDedication

Alton Hamm (seated) with Hamm Scholars in the Alton & Adelaide Hamm Student Project Room

Eldon Morrison received a "Block M" award from Todd Saucier, Executive Director of the UMaine Alumni Association at an alumni event in Portland in early December.  Dean Dana Humphrey participated in the presentation of the award to Eldon in recognition of his outstanding volunteer service to the University of Maine.

Martin & Nancy Grimnes and Ken & Susan Priest cheer the UMaine hockey team as guests of Dr. Robert Kennedy in the President's skybox this season.

Pat Cummings

Warm regards,

Patricia Cummings '89, '44H

Director of Development, College of Engineering

207-581-1155 or 800-671-7085

Pat.cummings@umit.maine.edu