CUGR Announces Academic Year 25-26 Awardees

The University of Maine’s Center for Undergraduate Research (CUGR) has announced the 2025-26 academic year fellowship awardees. This year’s awards were supported by CUGR, Office of the Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School, Maine Space Grant Consortium [MSGC] Research Experience, the UMaine Institute of Medicine, and the UMaine Building Science Project, part of the Maine Governor’s Energy Office Clean Energy Partnership. We have received a large number of applications this year and were able to fund a record number of awards thanks to our sponsors. 

The CUGR Research and Creative Activities fellowships were developed to enhance and increase undergraduate student involvement in faculty-supervised research and are supported through the office of the Vice President for Research. Each fellowship provides $3,000 per student for costs associated with the project. 

The 2025-26 Academic Year MSGC Undergraduate Research Fellowship awards help provide research opportunities to undergraduate students in aerospace technology, space science, human exploration and space development, Earth science, and other science- or engineering-related fields. The focus of proposed projects funded by the fellowships must be aligned with the research priorities of NASA’s Earth and space science strategic enterprises. Selected projects will be awarded up to $3,000 each.

Students interested in learning how to write successful research proposals and receive their responsible conduct of research training, are highly encouraged to sign up for the INT 125 course this Spring and participate in Experiential Programs Innovation Central (EPIC). For more information, visit umaine.edu/epic

This year’s recipients are: 

2025-26 Academic Year CUGR Research and Creative Activities Fellowship 

• Emma Beauregard, History, “Implementation of Abenaki Historical Markers in Bath, ME,” advised by Tobias Hrynick
• Nathan Brame, Earth and Climate Science, “Unlocking the Unknowns of Climate Through Ice: Investigating Missing Periods in Ancient Climate Records,” advised by Dominic Winski
• Faust Case, Anthropology, “Histories of Place: Wassumkeag & The Penobscot Bay Region; tracing history through plant stories,” advised by Anthony Sutton
• Sofia Diaz, Marine Science, “Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to Evaluate Lipid Reserves and their Potential Role in Mortality Events in Maine Oysters,” advised by Paul Rawson
• Alden Falardeau, Animal and Veterinary Sciences, “Detection Of Gastrointestinal Parasites And Lungworm (Dictyocaulus sp.) In Moose,” advised by Pauline Kamath
• Jamie Fogg, Marine Science, “Evolution of Viral Disease Resistance in Harp Seals: Implications for Marine Pathogen Dynamics in the North Atlantic,” advised by Kristina Cammen
• Jason Hart, Biochemistry, “Investigating the role of low dosage arsenic exposure in inhibiting the anti-inflammatory GR-Klf9 pathway during influenza infection,” advised by Benjamin King
• Rowen Holmes, International Affairs, “Analyzing Incarceration in Maine: Trends in Race, Geography, and Gender Over 50 years (1970-2020),” advised by Sarah Walton
• James King, Finance, “The Relationship Between Clinical Attributes And Treatment Costs In Rural Maine: Modeling Insight and System-Wide Financial Implications,” advised by Yonggang “Tim” Lu
• Olivia Marsanskis, Biology, “Antioxidant Effects of Partridgeberry Leaf Extracts against PFOS and Methylmercury,” advised by Jennifer Newell-Caito
• Alexandra McGhee, Biology, “Experiences Of Stigma Among Pregnant People Who Use Tobacco: A Preliminary Needs Assessment,” advised by Karyn Sporer
• Madeleine Nuesslein, Mechanical Engineering, “Rheological Characterization of Bimodal Cellulose Nanomaterial–PVPP Microgel Suspensions for Potential Use in 3D Bioprinting,” advised by Siamak Shams Es-haghi
• Avery Richard, Physics, “Fabrication and Characterization of Organic Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors,” advised by Loc Duong

2025-26 Academic Year MSGC Research Experience

• Shane Barker, Mechanical Engineering, “Anti-Icing Thermo-Fluid Interaction on an Airfoil,” advised by Ahmed Aboelezz
• Abrial Davis, Chemical Engineering, “Growing Better Barriers: Using Vacuum Coating and Fungal Mycelia to Create Sustainable Alternatives to Plastics,” advised by Caitlin Howell
• Veronika Davis, Mechanical Engineering, “Improving the mechanical performance of 3D printed parts through substrate heating,” advised by Philip King
• Lana Friess, Mechanical Engineering, “Investigating the In-Route Energy Saving of Wingsail Ship Under Drifting Effects,” advised by Kewei Xu
• Abigail Gurney, Computer Science, “Comparing Students’ Perceived and Demonstrated Preferences for Control in Coding Education Tools,” advised by Zihan Wu
• Zechariah Hoeft, Mechanical Engineering, “Recyclable Paper Barriers for Space Food: Scaling CNF Coating to Production,” advised by Caitlin Howell
• Kristian Jacques, Biomedical Engineering, “Developing a Physics-Based Mathematical Model for Angiogenesis in Retinopathy of Prematurity,” advised by Giovanna Guidoboni
• Tyler Judd, Biomedical Engineering, “Collagen Hydrogel Contraction Caused By M1, M2 and M4 Breast Tissue Cell Lines,” advised by Karissa Tilbury
• Declan Lally, Biomedical Engineering, “A Comparison of Breast Cancer Prediction Models on the OPTIMAM Dataset,” advised by Andre Khalil
• Eric Mabry, Mechanical Engineering, “Actively Cooled Metal Casting,” advised by Philip King
• Sarah Rathburn, Mechanical Engineering, “Lost-PLA Casting,” advised by Philip King
• Samuel Robinson, Civil Engineering, “Understanding The Role Of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungi (AMF) In PFAS Uptake From Contaminated Soil,” advised by Jean MacRae
• Noah Roos, Mechanical Engineering, “Design and Fabrication of an Off-Surface Flow Visualization System Using Fog Seeding and Laser Light Sheets,” advised by Ahmed Aboelezz

2025-26 Academic Year Institute of Medicine Fellowship

• Audrianna Prentice, Music Performance, “Loneliness in Older Adults: Can Listening to Music Help to Combat Symptoms?,” advised by Rebecca MacAulay
• Mia Poirier, Biology, “Identifying a Probiotic That Maximizes The Conversion of Glucoraphanin In Vivo To Sulforaphane Found In BSDExo,” advised by Sue Ishaq

2025-26 Academic Year Building Science Project Fellowship

• Evalynn Schlett, Botany, “Rooted Futures- A Living Landscape for Community and Research,” advised by Melissa Ladenheim