Student Spotlight: Zechariah Hoeft

Written by Luke O’Neil, UMaine Center for Undergraduate Research Student Administrative Aide

Meet Zechariah Hoeft, a senior Mechanical Engineering student participating in a research project developing a scalable method for coating cellulose nanofibrils onto paper to create oil and grease barriers specifically for food packaging. “The goal of our research is to apply this at scale in existing paper mills and converters to help revitalize Maine’s forestry economy, and bring back some of those mill jobs,” said Hoeft. 

Hoeft’s interest in participating in a research project started at the beginning of his college career. “I reached out to many researchers on campus, particularly those working on offshore wind, but due to budget constraints, I was unable to work on those projects. I received an S-STEM scholarship, and at one of our meetings, I met a PhD student who was looking for an undergraduate student to help with his research project,” he said. 

Hoeft described his experience in the lab, saying, “My lab is made up of engineers from many different backgrounds. We have mainly biomedical engineers, some chemical engineers, and some computer scientists. I am used to working with like-minded people in my classes, so it is nice to work in a lab with people who may think differently than I do, but we are still able to see eye to eye.”

Throughout his research experience, Hoeft has worked with Dr. Caitlin Howell. He discussed the benefit working with Dr. Howell has had, saying, “Working with faculty mentors has humanized them. Being a student, your only interaction with the faculty is when they’re teaching or when you get your paper back, and it’s not the grade you wanted. We meet weekly with our Principal Investigator, and it’s incredibly valuable because you understand why people are in the positions they are in.”

He discussed his experience winning an award from the Maine Space Grant Consortium, which is administered through the CUGR program, and how it has enabled him to continue his research project. “Having an organization like the Center for Undergraduate Research that allows students to continue their research, it’s really great to have that to bridge the gap.”

Hoeft encourages students to get involved with research projects, saying, “Honestly, just take the step and get into it. For most things you apply for, there is no punishment if you do not accept it after you receive it.”