ENGINEERING ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE - Contributing to innovation, understanding, monitoring and mitigation
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2020/2021
ENGINEERING ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE
Contributing to innovation, understanding, monitoring and mitigation
Inside this issue
Features
4 It’s personal
2
Alumni take special pride in retuning to their alma
mater to lead the design and construction of the Ferland
Engineering Education and Design Center.
10 Aiding aquaculture
Lauren Ross’ suspended particle research tackles pol-
lution longevity prediction in estuaries to help provide
water quality and shellfish harvesting solutions.
16 Evergreen AI
Development of new wireless sensor networks by Ali
Abedi will monitor, forecast dynamics of New England’s
forests.
20 Harnessing offshore wind power
World-class faculty research in the Advanced Structures
and Composites Center led by Habib Dagher and
Andrew Goupee focuses on improving efficiency and
16
cost effectiveness of floating wind turbine technology.
26 Alt energy
The UMaine Catalysis Group led by Thomas Schwartz is
delving deeper into chemical reactions to catalyze fuel
and chemical development from biomass.
32 Minimizing outages
David Dvorak directs the New England Combined Heat
and Power Technical Assistance Partnership that helps
organizations in the region in adopting combined heat
and power.
35 Designing new materials
Liping Yu and Yingchao Yang will use artificial
intelligence-aided design to develop new materials for
improved batteries and supercapacitors. 20
Photographs of those not wearing masks were taken prior to the coronavirus pandemic or were
Departments socially distanced to allow showing an unmasked face. The University of Maine follows federal
and state Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health and safety guidance, which in-
cludes social distancing and use of face coverings since the start of the 2020–21 academic year.
Engineering news briefs Alumni success
2 COVID response 14 George Sakellaris
9 Two alums who changed our world 30 Julia Holmes O’Neill engineering.umaine.edu
24 Core strength 31 Andrew McCullough
36 2020 Outstanding students, faculty
The University of Maine is an EEO/AA employer, and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color,
religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender expression, national origin, citizenship status,
Student focus Primary editorial content by Marcus Wolf, age, disability, genetic information or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other programs
primary photography by Adam Küykendall, and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination
8 Jordon Gregory design by Val Ireland, editing by Margaret Nagle, policies: Director of Equal Opportunity, 101 North Stevens Hall, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-
25 Zoe Vittum Division of Marketing and Communications 5754, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).
Dean’s message
T
he year 2020 will go down in the record
books for UMaine engineering. In March,
the engineering faculty accomplished the
herculean task of shifting all their courses
online in a matter of a week due to COVID-19.
Our labs responded with a focus on developing
personal protective equipment and producing
hand sanitizer as highlighted in this issue.
Despite these challenges, the college posted
10 a record $35 million in funded research and
industrial contracts. Much of this work focused
on renewable energy sources and monitoring our
environment as featured in several articles in this
magazine. Finally, undergraduate enrollment is at
record levels — for the first time over 1,900. Our fall 2020 incoming class of
first-year students is 15% above last year.
The design team of WBRC and Ellenzweig completed the design of the
$78 million Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center. Moreover,
thanks to support from alumni, corporations and foundations, we reached
32 our fundraising goal. In late April, we held a virtual groundbreaking. Since
then, Consigli Construction has made steady progress. They are well along
with the foundation work and they placed the first structural steel in late
26 October. A point of pride is the number of UMaine engineers who are part of
the design and construction teams, as showcased in this issue.
In October, the Harold Alfond Foundation announced an unprecedented
$240 million pledge to transform the University of Maine System. This
includes $75 million to create a statewide Maine College of Engineering,
Computing and Information Science, led by UMaine. This needs to be
matched 1:1 with private, state and federal funding so the total impact will
be $150 million. Funding is included for expanded faculty and staff, student
scholarships, and remodeling or replacement of Boardman, Barrows, Jenness
and Crosby. This will propel our remarkable engineering heritage into the
future. I predict that 2021 will be another great year for UMaine engineering.
Dr. Dana Humphrey
Dean, College of Engineering
4 Saunders Professor of
Engineering Leadership and Management
6
On the cover Extensive estuary closures can adversely affect the livelihoods of
fishermen and aquaculture farmers for a whole season. To help them and state regulators,
assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering Lauren Ross and faculty from the
UMaine School of Earth and Climate Sciences are devising tools that will help predict pollutant
travel in estuaries and enhance the scientific basis for shellfish closures in response to coastal
runoff. Their assistance could possibly offer an alternative evaluation to the 2 inches of rainfall
in 24 hours benchmark, opportunities for shorter closures and more insight into runoff
pollution for fishermen and aquaculture farmers. Cover photo by Neil Fisher
COVID response College of Engineering expertise key to UMaine helping address pandemic needs in Maine and beyond 2 UMAINE ENGINEERING 2020/2021
Engineering news brief
I
n March when the pandemic hit Maine
and University of Maine System campuses
pivoted from in-person to remote learning,
College of Engineering faculty, staff and
students got to work to help the state’s research
university address COVID-19-related needs
statewide and beyond. With hand sanitizer in short
supply, UMaine partnered with the state’s craft
distillers and brewers to make more, led by team
members in the Process Development Center and
in the Department of Chemical and Biomedical
Engineering. More than 3,000 gallons of sanitizer
were distributed by UMaine to more than 50
Maine health care providers, with thousands of
gallons more produced by distillers and brewers
thanks to UMaine technical assistance. At the
request of the Maine Center for Disease Control
and Prevention, and for use by the Maine National
Guard, the same chemical engineering team
manufactured more than 2,200 bottles of testing
solutions required to perform aerosol fit tests of
N95 masks. In addition, teams from the Advanced
Manufacturing Center and Maine Manufacturing
Extension Partnership worked with hospitals
and manufacturing partners in the state to build,
test and start production of two variations of an
“aerosol box.” The boxes are designed to protect
frontline medical staff as they intubate or trans-
port patients who may be sick with the corona-
virus. College of Engineering experts were part
of a broad-based COVID-19 innovation team at
UMaine that brought together multiple university
research centers and representatives from Maine
health care, manufacturing and government to
solve emerging challenges related to the pandemic.
The UMaine-led group tackled needs and worked
swiftly to address problems the state was facing,
and initiated collaborations that would reach far
beyond UMaine’s campus.
ENGINEERING.UMAINE.EDU 3
Alumni on the Consigli Construction team leading the Ferland Engineering
Education and Design Center project and other UMaine alums from the School
of Engineering Technology: left to right, front row: Stacey Harris, B.S. CIE ‘11,
Consigli superintendent; Will Manion, M.S. CIE ‘92, director of the School of
Engineering Technology; second row: Bridget Cullen, B.S. CIE ’19, Consigli project
engineer; Pete Parizo, B.S. CET ‘02, project manager with Sargent Corp.; Joe
Frazier, B.S. CET ‘18, foreman with Sargent Corp.; third row: Geoffry Nye B.S.
MEE ‘17, mechanical, electrical and plumbing superintendent with Consigli;
It’s personal Adam Kapaldo, B.S. CET ‘15, project manager with Sargent Corp.; back row:
Matthew Tonello, B.S. CIE ’94, Consigli project executive. Photo by Adam Küykendall
Alumni take special pride in returning to their
alma mater to lead design and construction of the
Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center
4 UMAINE ENGINEERING 2020/2021
Engineering news
U
niversity of Maine alumna
Stacey Harris returns
to campus annually for
homecoming, but school
spirit takes on a new meaning for her
this year.
Nine years after graduating
with a bachelor’s degree in civil and
environmental engineering, Harris
joins other alumni in helping erect a
facility that will reshape the academic
landscape for engineering majors for
years to come: the Ferland Engineering
Education and Design Center (Ferland The WBRC team on the Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center
EEDC). project is led by alums, left to right, A. Ray Bolduc, B.S. CIE ‘90, principal-
“It’s a career dream, ” says Harris, in-charge; Andrew Rudnicki, B.S. MET ‘05, senior mechanical engineer;
who also serves on the UMaine Stephanie Laplant, B.S. EE ‘96, principal electrical engineer; Daniel Monroe,
Alumni Association Board of B.S. MET ‘94, principal mechanical engineer. Photo by Mark Wellman ’72
Directors. “Everybody wants to say
‘Hey I got my degree here, and I built
a building here.’” and collaborative learning classrooms The senior project manager
The 108,000-square-foot center will provide more hands-on learning from Consigli, who interfaces with
will serve as the new home for opportunities. the UMaine Facilities Management
the Department of Mechanical “I think it’s going to really transform group and various project partners,
Engineering and the Biomedical the UMaine campus and be able to complimented WBRC and university
Engineering Program. It will expand the capacity of the engineering staff for how they designed the center.
feature teaching laboratories for the program,” Harris says. “We don’t pump He highlighted the central corridor that
Mechanical Engineering Technology out enough engineers. We need more, will connect the main level to a new
Program, spaces for all engineering more and more.” welcome and outreach center, the food
majors to complete their senior Other alumni from Consigli service area with a two-story commons,
capstone projects, and collaborative involved with the project include and the “open feeling throughout the
learning classrooms available to all Matthew Tonello, director of Maine building.”
UMaine students. operations, and Bert Kiesow, senior “Being involved in the most
Crews from WBRC Architects project manager. significant addition to the engineering
Engineers and Consigli Construction, Tonello, who graduated with a department in decades is exciting,”
tasked with designing and building bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in Kiesow says. “Being able to make a
the three-story complex, respectively, 1994, says he most looks forward to the permanent mark on my alma mater is
include College of Engineering capstone project spaces and welcome also rewarding, but mostly, it is able
graduates who studied in Boardman center, as “they are going to be incredibly to demonstrate to future construction
and Barrows halls years ago. They will flexible and valuable spaces.” management students that a UMaine
use the knowledge they acquired and Kiesow says he believes it will engineering education allows you to
skills they developed at UMaine to produce graduates who can help Maine build exciting, impressive, sustainable
improve its academic offerings with a become a leader in the biomedical buildings, like the Ferland EEDC.”
new, transformational asset. engineering field. He graduated from UMaine graduates from WBRC
Harris, a superintendent with UMaine with a bachelor’s degree who participated in developing Ferland
Consigli, assists with on-site logistics in construction management and EEDC include A. Ray Bolduc, a firm
and educational outreach for the an associate degree in engineering principal and education studio director;
project. She says when students look technology in 1996, and notes that the Daniel Monroe, another firm principal
up the stairway of the building, ground-floor collaborative spaces will and mechanical engineering department
they’ll see the landing and pedestrian allow students to “experience success manager; and Stephanie Laplant, the
bridge on each floor, and the skylight and failure, versus reading about it in electrical engineering department
at the top. The new laboratories textbooks.” manager and firm principal.
ENGINEERING.UMAINE.EDU 5
Timeline for Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center
April 2018 April 2019
building programming select construction April 28, 2020
and site selection manager virtual groundbreaking
January 2018 September 2018 Spring 2020
start design schematic design and construction
cost estimate documents complete
Laplant, who graduated from His diverse portfolio of facilities firm until joining Consigli’s Maine
UMaine with a bachelor’s degree in and assets he helped erect include a bureau in 2016.
electrical engineering in 1996, serves as bridge connecting Waterville to his “Anyone who grows up in Maine
the engineer of record for the project, hometown of Winslow “that forever and goes to school in Maine, they learn
meaning she fields any questions changed the traffic flow in the adjacent work ethic,” Harris says. “If you work
about the design drawings and ensures communities,” a biotech manufacturing hard and be kind, it can go a long way
construction workers understand and facility, semiconductor plants, biomass in your career.”
follow their directions. heating plants and data centers. Despite several years passing from
“It will be an incredible recruitment “I have spent the majority of my the time they worked in a classroom
tool for both students and faculty. To career building world-class facilities or lab, these alumni still cherish their
let prospective students know that this for companies in medical research, memories of UMaine and their college
building was designed by alumni — development and production,” he says. careers. Recollections of hockey games,
what better way to say ‘UMaine knows Tonello began his career in 1994 in particular, still excite them as if they
what they’re doing!’” Laplant says. as a civil engineer. He then secured a were still in the stands cheering on the
These alumni demonstrate the deep structural engineer position with Boston Black Bears.
and diverse expertise UMaine needs Building Consultants in 1996. He Harris began attending UMaine
to bring the vision of the multifaceted received a master’s degree in structural hockey games as a child, and Laplant
Ferland Engineering Education and engineering from UMass Lowell in says she remembers watching matches
Design Center into reality. 1998. Revit Technology, Waltham, when Shawn Walsh coached and Paul
After graduating from UMaine in Massachusetts, then hired Tonello as Kariya, who went on to play for the
1996, Laplant began her engineering a product manager in 2000, and he Anaheim Mighty Ducks, was on the
career working for R.G. Vanderweil worked for the firm for two years until UMaine team. Kiesow and Tonello say
Engineers, now called Vanderweil he joined Consigli as a project manager the excitement from the 1993 hockey
Engineers, in Boston. She then returned in 2002. Tonello received his master’s season, which peaked when the Black
to Maine to work for WBRC in 1999. degree in business administration from Bears won the NCAA Hockey National
She became a firm associate in 2008, Boston University in 2006. Championship, still reverberates
a senior associate and shareholder in Harris earned her master’s degree through their minds like cheers in
2016, a department leader in 2017 and in global enterprise management Harold Alfond Sports Arena.
a principal shareholder in 2020. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, “I was a member of the newly
Kiesow’s career encompasses roles Troy, New York, in 2012, a year formed Blue Line Club, which granted
that include surveyor, ironworker, after graduating from UMaine. After me a great seat to every home UMaine
project engineer, MEP engineer, or studying abroad in Rome and Shanghai, Hockey game. I didn’t miss a single
mechanical, electrical and plumbing and interning with IBM, Harris joined second of hockey that (1992–1993)
engineer; project manager, area Turner Construction, Boston, in 2012 season,” Kiesow says. “The energy
manager and senior project manager. as a field engineer. She worked for the on campus that winter and the night
6 UMAINE ENGINEERING 2020/2021
June 2020 July 2022 Early fall 2022
start construction substantial completion ribbon cutting
May 2020 February 2021 August 2022
demolition of existing top out (last structural final completion
machine tool lab steel placed)
we won the title was something I can still for a Howe Truss bridge constructed from Laplant says they should learn real-world
remember.” eastern hemlock. Our presentation of the applications by participating in hands-
Each alum interacted with the campus design of the structure to Galen Cole turned on learning. They should also “push the
community in different ways, but all left with out to be my first engineering interview,” boundaries of (their) comfort zone(s).”
experiences worth reminiscing. Tonello says. Kiesow says students should participate
Joyful memories of participating in the “Habib’s urging of Mr. Cole to include me in as many opportunities the College of
Society of Women Engineers, joining Pi in the construction team got me my 1993 Engineering offers as possible, because
Beta Phi, munching on a Winslow (chicken summer internship constructing the covered they will refer back to their experiences
caesar) wrap in the Boardman Hall student bridge at the Cole Land Transportation throughout their careers.
lounge, singing the “Stein Song” and meeting Museum in Bangor,” he says. Harris says students should remember that
her husband, Brian, keeps Harris connected Per Garder, a professor of civil and they will not know everything by the end of
to her alma mater. Laplant says she enjoyed environmental engineering at UMaine, their college careers, and they should embrace
participating in Maine Hello. taught Harris leadership and management learning how to learn.
“I love that the current students greet the skills, and encouraged her to obtain an Engineers, she says, should never “build a
new ones and give them a helping hand in MBA, she says. Laplant says Fred Irons, bridge from memory.”
getting settled,” Laplant says. former professor of electrical engineering, “Engineering is really problem-solving,
Lessons from the College of Engineering and Allison Whitney, a former lecturer in and we’re going to find problems and you
remain with these alumni many years after electrical engineering, broke down their have to know where to find answers. That’s
graduation. Particular faculty helped mold subject matter in ways all students could something you don’t have to do from
them into the engineers who now participate understand. Professor Chuck Gould’s memory,” she says.
in shaping the future of the university. incorporation of real-life experiences into The center was named after Skowhegan,
Habib Dagher’s instruction and passion his lectures provided an education that still Maine natives E. James “Jim” Ferland and
for wood structure design inspired Tonello to influences Kiesow today. Eileen P. Ferland, who gave $10 million
become a structural engineer. While teaching “I still regularly tell stories about his toward the project.
a design of wood structures class, Tonello says teaching style, and the experiences (although The University of Maine Foundation raised
Dagher, founding executive director of the I didn’t know it at the time) he was teaching $78 million in public and private donations
Advanced Structures and Composites Center, us would resonate through my entire career,” for the facility. Ferland EEDC was part of
encouraged the class to “feel the beam” when Kiesow says. UMaine’s $200 million Vision for Tomorrow
calculating bending stresses and determining Seniors from the Class of 2023 will be the comprehensive campaign, led by the UMaine
failure modes of different loading conditions. first to complete their capstone projects in Foundation.
The professor of civil engineering also Ferland EEDC after construction concludes “There has been a tremendous amount
helped Tonello obtain his first construction in 2022. The alumni tasked with helping of time spent in discussions with end users
internship. build it have advice for those future seniors to really tailor this building for the future. I
“He and I worked during the spring and all students who join the campus can’t wait to see it in use and know that I had
semester on the design and shop drawings community. a part in it,” Laplant says.
ENGINEERING.UMAINE.EDU 7
Student focus
Jordon Gregory. Photo by Adam Küykendall
Hands-on learning
JORDON GREGORY of Minot, Maine, hit the ground running University faculty have fostered a welcoming and supportive
on her path toward an engineering career in the pulp and paper atmosphere by answering any questions and helping her
industry. succeed, she says. College of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey’s
The Pulp and Paper Foundation scholarship recipient secured Introduction to Engineering Leadership class stands out for
internships at Verso Paper in Jay, and Solenis at ND Paper in teaching her leadership skills through real-world examples.
Rumford. Solenis also offered her another internship to continue Gregory describes UMaine as “innovative” — from its
to learn about the industry, and gain hands-on experience running nanocellulose research and the launch of the world’s largest 3D
trials and improving the papermaking process. printer to the pilot paper machine that provides hands-on learning
Extracurricular activities also have opened engineering pathways for future pulp and paper industry leaders.
for Gregory. The third-year student participates in the UMaine “The University of Maine engineering program is always on
chapters of the American Institute for Chemical Engineering and the search for new opportunities for students to help impact the
the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry. She also world,” she says.
is a member of Team Maine, the Campus Activities Board and When she graduates, Gregory says she plans to work as an
Alternative Breaks. engineer in the pulp and paper industry.
“It is crazy to think that just in this small amount of time, this “I am very excited to see where my career in the industry is
university has opened so many doors for me,” she says. “Since going to take me, whether it is working for a chemical supplier like
coming to UMaine, I really have been able to catch a glimpse into Solenis or working for a manufacturer like Verso. The need now in
what the future holds for me.” the industry is for new engineers,” Gregory says.
8 UMAINE ENGINEERING 2020/2021Engineering news brief
Two alums who THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING is proud to have
presented these outstanding Black Bears with the Edward T.
Bryand Distinguished Engineer Award — Frank Woodard in
changed our world 2001 and Chuck Peddle when he visited campus in April 2019.
CHUCK PEDDLE, a Maine native who graduated in 1959
with a degree in engineering physics, led the development of
a revolutionary microprocessor — the 6502 — that ultimately
made personal computers possible.
Peddle died Dec. 15, 2019 in California at the age of 82.
It was as a UMaine undergraduate that Peddle was intro-
duced to “computer language” and its possibilities. “I was
convinced computers were the future,” he said in a 2019
interview. “I knew I wanted to do computers for the rest of
my life.”
After serving in the Marine Corps, Peddle worked 11 years
for General Electric. He then joined Motorola and led the
design of an early microprocessor, the 6800.
Peddle and a team of engineers were determined to make
cost-effective microprocessors that consumers could afford.
They created the 6502 at MOS Technologies, which was pur-
chased soon after by Commodore Business Machines.
His vision and innovation launched the age of personal
computing and gaming.
“We took an idea and created an industry — a big in-
dustry,” said Peddle, whose microprocessor drove the most
Chuck Peddle successful personal computers of the 1970s and early 1980s.
Alumnus and College of Engineering faculty member FRANK
WOODARD, co-founder of Woodard & Curran, an environ-
mental engineering consulting company, died in Maine on
March 14, 2020, at the age of 80.
The Maine native graduated from UMaine in 1961 with
a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s two
years later in environmental engineering. He also received a
Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Purdue University.
The Franklin Woodard Environmental Engineering Labora-
tory in Boardman Hall is named in his honor.
After serving in the U.S. Army, Woodard taught for 12
years as a member of the UMaine engineering faculty. In
1979, he co-founded Woodard & Curran, which today has
100 locations nationwide.
Woodard wrote what is considered to be the seminal text
on industrial waste treatment. He was a leader in the devel-
opment of many of today’s professional practices involving
Frank Woodard wastewater, water quality, hazardous waste, solid waste, air
quality and permitting.
ENGINEERING.UMAINE.EDU 9her team
Ross and
n g in e e ri ng Lauren ter in the Jordan
ental e in wa ed
environm r particles as expand
fe ss o r o f civil and residence times fo r research scope h around
pro
Assistant g models to quanti
fy ck, he bodies
er feedba er water
pin stakehold n estuary and oth
are develo k rivers. Based on iva
ma River, Sull
and Medo sample the Union
d e l a n d
to mo d.
sert Islan
Mount De
ry
uise McGar
Lauren Ross
photo by Lo Particle research tackles pollution
longevity prediction in estuaries
Aiding aquaculture
L
auren Ross and her students spent 13 consecutive hours of time it takes for a particle located in the estuary to exit, also
collecting data in the Jordan River on multiple occasions in known as residence time. This time scale is critical for understanding
the past couple of years. Half-day cruises in the five miles water quality, Ross says. Sohaib Alahmed, a Ph.D. student in coastal
between Trenton and Lamoine allowed the assistant professor engineering, created the model so he, Ross and their team could help
of civil and environmental engineering’s team to gather water level state officials improve their response to contamination threats in
and velocity data throughout the tidal cycle, along with salinity and estuaries by providing enhanced predictions for how long pollutants
temperature data. could linger.
The data validated a 3D numerical model that demonstrated When a portion of an estuary experiences 2 or more inches of rain
how long water remains in the Jordan River before exchanging with in 24 hours, the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR)
adjacent coastal ocean or river flow. The model quantified the length typically shuts down shellfish harvesting in that area for two weeks
10 UMAINE ENGINEERING 2020/2021Civil and environmental engineering
or until it can be deemed clean through testing. Runoff can bring
bacterial pollution from land into the water. Filter-feeding shellfish
can ingest pollutants from runoff, and anyone who consumes those
shellfish can become sick. Closures can last a couple of days or longer
when heavy rainfall hits. Shellfish harvesting in some coastal water
bodies stops when they experience 1 inch of rain in 24 hours.
Extensive closures can adversely affect the livelihoods of fishermen
and aquaculture farmers for a whole season, Ross says. To help them
and state regulators, she and UMaine faculty from the School of
Earth and Climate Sciences are devising tools that will help predict
pollutant travel in estuaries and enhance the scientific basis for
We want to help
shellfish closures in response to coastal runoff. stakeholders, aquaculture
Their assistance could possibly offer an alternative evaluation to farmers and policymakers
the 2 inches of rainfall in 24 hours benchmark, opportunities for make decisions for how long
shorter closures, and more insight into runoff pollution for fishermen
and aquaculture farmers.
farms should close due to
Building on previous studies from her colleagues, Ross and pollution using science.”
her team are quantifying residence times for particles in water in
the Jordan and Medomak rivers and other estuaries. The project
Lauren Ross
is supported by a $35,000 grant from the U.S. Geological Survey
(USGS).
“We want to help stakeholders, aquaculture farmers and
policymakers make decisions for how long farms should close due to
pollution using science,” Ross says.
Estuaries, like many bodies of water, are dynamic. How long
water remains in one before flowing out can differ throughout the
tidal cycle, seasons and levels of precipitation. Therefore, the models
and data to validate them have to account for variations resulting
from spring tide and neap tide, which involve relative positions of
the sun and moon, low tide and high tide, which are affected by the
moon’s gravitational pull, salinity, and the wet and dry seasons, which
affect changes in river flow.
Ross says she initially chose to study the Jordan and Medomak
rivers because they have vastly different characteristics. The Jordan
River has a “small nontidal watershed contributing freshwater
flows to a straight rectangular channel,” while the Medomak River,
which begins in Liberty and flows into Muscongus Bay, has a
“relatively large nontidal watershed of irregular shape with multiple
subembayments that create more complicated hydraulic conditions,”
according to Ross.
Stakeholder feedback encouraged Ross to expand her scope to
model and sample the Union River, Sullivan estuary and other water
bodies around Mount Desert Island.
“It’s really great that we are expanding our study area because of
all of the different sizes, shapes and river flows found in the additional
systems,” Ross says. “It really gave us more of a wide variety of
estuaries to consider.”
Ross and her team began their research in 2018. When they
started interacting with stakeholders, Alahmed began designing the
model for the Jordan River and they began sampling data. Gwyneth
Roberts, who wrote her Honors thesis with Ross, was awarded a
UMaine Center for Undergraduate Research Summer Internship
ENGINEERING.UMAINE.EDU 11Award to collect and analyze data collected from the Jordan River. Roberts, who
was awarded Outstanding Undergraduate Student Contribution to Sustainability
Research by the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions,
provided Alahmed with the processed data needed to validate his model.
Developing the 3D numerical model required several software programs,
including TELEMAC, AutoCAD and others; existing data from the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration USGS and other repositories;
... and computing power from the computer cluster managed by the Advanced
Computing Group at UMaine, Alahmed says.
The model for the Jordan River depicts the individual water particles moving
Clammers, aquaculture through it. The particles in the model flow toward the mouth of the river
farmers, mussel fishermen, connected to Frenchman Bay, moving back into the estuary when a theoretical
DMR officials and other tide pushes them, and looping through different sections as a result of the
stakeholders reviewed hydrodynamic forces at work and the complicated structure of the coastline.
Using the model, Alahmed, Ross and collaborating researchers can determine
the model and the team’s the residence time of particles in sections of the Jordan River. For instance,
findings. Several aided particles released from downstream near Crippens Brook during low tide and at
Ross by identifying suitable low river discharge would remain in the river for about two days before entering
testing locations, and Frenchman Bay. Therefore, a bacterial pollutant that enters the estuary around
that location at those conditions would likely remain in the river for two days.
speaking to them helped Their simulation also reveals flushing times, or the amount of time needed for
the UMaine scientist frame the volume of water in an estuary to be completely renewed, for the Jordan River
her research questions and based on different moments in the tidal cycle and year. The model, for instance,
discover the best way to found that only 20% of the particles released during low tide and low river
discharge in the Jordan River remain in the system after approximately four days.
share her findings Alahmed also developed models for other estuaries, including the Sullivan
with the public. estuary. The model for that estuary, which flows between the towns of Sullivan,
... Franklin and Hancock, allowed him and Ross to discern residence times for
different quadrants and flushing times. This is useful in estuaries that have a
complex shape, Ross says. For example, at the mid-reaches of the Sullivan estuary,
there are reversing falls and the hydraulic conditions that change depending on
whether someone is located upstream or downstream.
The portion of the estuary encompassing its mouth at Frenchman Bay, as an
example, has a residence time of about five days at neap low tide and low river
discharge. After nine days, about 80% of particles released in the Sullivan estuary
exit into Frenchman Bay.
The model also reveals that some particles from the Sullivan estuary also flow
into the Skillings River, which runs between the towns of Hancock and Lamoine.
About 10% of the particles that flow out of the Sullivan estuary enter the Skillings
River after about five days.
“I looked at how the actual particles and pollutants are transported through
these estuaries,” Alahmed says.
Once Alahmed crafted the models, he, Ross and her other students needed to
determine their accuracy by sampling the estuaries they mimicked. If the salinity,
water level and velocity of the water bodies mirrored that of the information used
to create their models, they could advocate the residence and flushing time results
from the models to stakeholders, Ross says.
They started with the estuary that inspired this project: the Jordan River. Ross’
team attempts to obtain as many samples as possible to validate any model.
“It’s so time intensive because we have to be on the boat for 13 hours at a
time,” she says. “We can’t do that everywhere at all times, which is why the model
12 UMAINE ENGINEERING 2020/2021results are so important. They allow us to extrapolate the data to a larger says the research from Ross’ group helped her and her husband, Theo,
spatial domain.” evaluate a new site for their farm. The mussel farming couple, who
Ross and her students dipped a Sontek Castaway conductivity lent Ross and her students the boat they used to collect samples from
temperature depth (CTD) profiler to collect temperature and salinity the Jordan River, wanted to lease a new plot along the Mount Desert
data from the Jordan River. The devices gather information from the Narrows where they could install a collection system for mussel seed,
surface to the bottom of the river, and throughout the tidal cycle. The but wanted to ensure the site would be suitable. The simulations
red and orange bobbles, which resemble plump fishing lures, collected helped the de Konings predict how mussel seed might travel in the
data during both high and low tide in the wet season in the spring and narrows, and showed that their prospective site would support their
dry season in the fall. collection system, Fiona de Koning says.
Solinst Levelogger pressure sensors, shaped like long thermometers, “I’m really grateful; really super grateful to work alongside (Ross),”
were used to measure water levels and their variation throughout she says. “If you’ve got the data to make decisions scientifically, you can
the tidal cycle. Measuring the velocity of the Jordan River required avoid expensive trial and error.”
extra ingenuity from Ross and her students aboard the vessel. They Ross says she and her students must validate their other estuary
used a Teledyne RDI Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), a models as they did with the Jordan River, including simulations for the
cylindrical device, and towed it back and forth in a small red boat. Sullivan estuary, Union and Skillings rivers, through sampling. They
“I love it. It’s my passion, really. It’s why I went into this field,” Ross recently worked with stakeholder, Graham Platner, owner and operator
says. of Waukeag Neck Oyster farm in Sullivan to deploy an ADCP near his
When compared with the samples Ross’ team collected from location to collect velocity data for a little more than a month. These
the Jordan River, she and Alahmed found that his model was 99% and other similar data will be used to gain confidence in the model for
accurate. Ross says the finding gave her confidence in the accuracy a larger domain, Ross says.
of the simulation. Alahmed was elated, saying he then knew the Ross and her team will continue their work as part of a larger
clammers, oyster farmers and other stakeholders would have a USGS project, funded at $249,985, to model harmful algal bloom
trustworthy tool. (HAB) transport in the waterways and estuaries surrounding Mount
“These people rely on these data. Giving people untrustworthy Desert Island. Her research builds on the New England Sustainability
simulations is the last thing we want to do,” Alahmed says. Consortium’s (NEST) Safe Beaches and Shellfish project, which shared
Preliminary findings also supported Ross’ conclusion that estuary the goal of providing tools that would help officials make science-based
geometry and forcing mechanisms influence residence time. For decisions when determining whether to close shellfish harvesting in
example, residence time in the Jordan River, a shallow, narrow and response to bacterial pollution in estuaries.
short water body, varies depending on the tidal phase, whether it One objective of the three-year project, executed by scientists
experiences spring or neap tide, and the rate of discharge. On the other from Maine and New Hampshire between 2013 and 2016, involved
hand, the residence time for the Sullivan estuary, a long and narrow developing a bacterial pollution vulnerability analysis for more than
water body with complicated geometry, depends primarily on whether 500 coastal water bodies by investigating and quantifying the pollution
it experiences the spring or neap tide. The Union River, a wide and sources, deliveries and residence times. The analysis now includes about
deep system, was found to completely depend on freshwater inflow. 2,000 locations along the coast as a result of ongoing development.
“Every estuary is different, and they’re all beautiful in their own NEST scientists also developed a decision support system with datasets
ways,” Ross says. and analytical tools to help natural resource managers and other
Clammers, aquaculture farmers, mussel fishermen, DMR officials officials make scientific-based decisions when responding to pollution
and other stakeholders reviewed the model and the team’s findings. in coastal waters.
Several aided Ross by identifying suitable testing locations, and UMaine NEST team member Sean Smith, an associate professor of
speaking to them helped the UMaine scientist frame her research the School of Earth and Climate Sciences, says Ross’ work was “a game
questions and discover the best way to share her findings with the changer” for the ongoing research that arose from the Safe Beaches
public. and Shellfish Project. Smith, who worked with Ross on her research,
While Ross and her team presented their models as a tool for says she further enhanced quantifications for residence time in coastal
enhancing responses to bacterial pollution, some stakeholders found estuaries, particularly by factoring in circulation and salinity. The
alternative uses for them. Officials from DMR believe the models models produced and tested by Ross, Alahmed and their colleagues
could help plan mitigation efforts for harmful algal blooms, which can could help advance both NEST’s bacterial pollution vulnerability
cause amnesic shellfish poisoning, and aquaculture farmers claim they analysis for coastal water bodies and decision support systems.
could help them expand their operations, Ross says. “Lauren made the first thorough, consistent effort to quantify
“It felt rewarding,” Alahmed says. “I love seeing my work put into estuary dynamics while plugging in the residence time category,” Smith
practice. This is our currency as scientists.” says. “Lauren and Sohaib really helped us understand how that part of
Fiona de Koning, co-owner of Acadia Aqua Farms in Trenton, the story plays out.”
ENGINEERING.UMAINE.EDU 13A clean, green focus Ameresco founder George Sakellaris an energy industry leader George Sakellaris ‘69, president and CEO of Ameresco, anticipates significant technological improvement in the efficiency of solar panels in the next decade. Pictured here with Ameresco’s MassDOT project. Photo courtesy of Ameresco GEORGE SAKELLARIS is the president is on the baseball team. In the past decade, what have and chief executive officer, and board chair For nearly 40 years, Sakellaris has been three of the most pivotal of Ameresco Inc., a leading North American been a leader in the energy industry. He drivers in the renewable energy energy efficiency and renewable energy founded Ameresco in 2000 as a product- industry? company headquartered in Framingham, neutral and supplier-independent energy What made climate change-impacting Massachusetts. company. The company went public in initiatives move primarily was what I would Sakellaris earned a bachelor’s degree in 2010, and continued to focus on providing call “enabling legislation” on the federal electrical engineering from the University of energy-efficient, renewable solutions to and state levels. You can see more solar Maine in 1969, and received an honorary organizations it serves, all in pursuit of a plants or wind farms with the help of doctorate from his alma mater in 2012. He sustainable future with the development renewable energy credits, tax credits and also holds an MBA and master’s in electrical of clean, green energy sources. Today, his other incentives. At Ameresco, we have engineering from Northeastern University. company is leading nearly 200 projects been lobbying at the federal and state Sakellaris lives in Milford, Massachusetts nationwide. levels to be able to promote these initiatives with his wife, Catarina Papoulias Sakellaris. We asked Sakellaris to talk about his and programs. Their daughter, Christina, attends Stanford company’s approach to renewable energy Secondly, the technological evolution University and has been working full time and green technology, and how engineers we have seen for the last one or two for Ameresco while studying remotely; their are addressing climate change-related decades has been important, resulting in son, Peter, attends Virginia Tech, where he challenges. improvements in technical and economic 14 UMAINE ENGINEERING 2020/2021
Alumni success
efficiency. Take the wind power industry, Ameresco completed a comprehensive maintaining their HVAC system, combined
with improved technology in turbines, energy resiliency project at MCRD Parris heat and power.
blades and more. Similarly with solar, we’ve Island, which included the development of And at Fort Bragg, we’re developing a
come to a point that in many parts of the distributed generation, energy storage and floating solar plant on a lake.
country, it can compete with electric rates. secure microgrid controls. In the next 10 years, we will see a big
Another piece of the puzzle: Also this summer, Ameresco received technological improvement in the efficiency
improvements in battery storage and other Frost & Sullivan’s 2020 Global Company of of the solar industry. There will be more
effective storage. Ten years down the road, the Year Award as a leader in the global distributed generation, more localized,
advanced batteries might be one of the distributed energy resources (DER) market. smaller-sized solar plants, and smaller-sized
ways you store energy. And there will be Ameresco has implemented a large, diverse combined heat and power plants. More
many others. It might be hydrogen, it might number of DER installations across North distributed, local power. And some kind of
be the flywheel. Or somebody might come America and Europe. mega storage.
up with some better idea. But ultimately, I In Phoenix, we built the largest green
think the puzzle is going to be put together gas — RNG or renewable natural gas — as What is your advice to students
by having an effective and economic way part of a sewage treatment plant. Also this who are beginning their
of storing electricity. year, that project received an honorable engineering careers at the
Let’s also be clear: consumer demand mention in Fast Company’s 2020 World University of Maine today?
also has made climate change-impacting Changing Ideas Awards in the energy Get involved in the climate change-
initiatives occur. They have become more category. The awards honor businesses, remediation initiatives. Participate in
environmentally aware. And as a result, you policies, projects and concepts that are one of the biggest transformations in
see more and more companies developing actively engaged and deeply committed the electric industry and the same with
plans to go carbon free by 2050, or 50% to solving the climate crisis, social injustice the gas distribution industry. It will be
reduction of their carbon footprint by a and economic inequality. The facility is the a huge transformation, comparable
certain number of years. When Ameresco largest wastewater treatment biogas-to- to what happened to the internet and
started out, we were talking to consumers RNG facility of its kind in the country. telecommunications.
about energy efficiency, but few paid too The next revolution will happen to
much attention. Now everyone has come to What’s next? the electric industry. Smart buildings,
realize that it’s important for them and for Many of the gas utilities want to nanotechnologies, whether it is the
the planet. decarbonize their pipelines. The only way communication back to a central location
they can do it is with green renewable gas. or the smart cities or battery storage,
What are some of your It’s the next evolution we expect to see in hydrogen. So many things that happen
company’s most recent points renewable technologies. We built the plant in that space will keep them very,
of pride? in Phoenix and now have six more planned. very interested, rather than building
This summer, our project at the United Tremendous, tremendous potential there. transmission lines to the central power
States Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) We’re also working with a couple of plant, which was back 10 years ago. Now
Parris Island received a Top Project of the universities to help get them to 100% you’re building smaller, remote units. Now
Year Award in the Environment + Energy carbon neutral. I think those are great, they have to communicate with each other.
Leader Awards program. The MCRD great projects. We’re talking to other It’s a great time to be a student in
Parris Island project was cited as a leading universities about being their energy this field where electrical engineering,
example of the innovative work being provider. It’s a new concept, known as mechanical engineering and
done today in the fields of energy and Energy as a Service, or EaaS, providing communications will merge, because you
environmental management. In June 2019, for their energy needs, operating and need them all.
ENGINEERING.UMAINE.EDU 15Evergreen AI
Developing new wireless sensor networks to monitor,
forecast dynamics of New England’s forests
N
ew technology to enhance scientists’ understanding forces to create a digital framework capable of gathering
of the complex yet highly dynamic Northern New near real-time data about the forests spanning the north-
England forests began its first trial in a flowerpot. ern portions of their respective states and New York — the
Ali Abedi, a professor of electrical and computer Northern Forest Region. The digital framework will consist
engineering at the University of Maine, tasked his new of many small networks of wireless sensors spread across the
wireless sensor with gathering soil moisture data and sending region. Governed by artificial intelligence, the sensors will
it to a computer in his lab in mid-April, one of multiple collect data about soil moisture, soil temperature, ambient
tests for the prototype. The device, with rubber-coated wires temperature, carbon dioxide, sunlight exposure and other
connecting a red converter and two metal prongs, and its characteristics; and communicate with each other to create a
development will lay the groundwork for a multi-institutional cohesive, regulated and self-monitoring network.
effort to assess and forecast changes in 26 million acres of New Abedi, who also serves as associate vice president for
England forestland. research and director of UMaine’s Center for Undergraduate
Researchers from UMaine, the University of New Research, leads development of the new sensor technology
Hampshire and the University of Vermont have joined that serves as the first phase of the multiyear interuniversity
16 UMAINE ENGINEERING 2020/2021Electrical and computer engineering
hardware and power management technology, says Abedi,
co-principal investigator for INSPIRES.
“I think it’s exciting because it’s close to home here in
Maine,” he says. “We live in the forests. It’s important to under-
stand what we have.”
Current technology used to capture near real-time and
high-resolution data for forests at broad spatial and temporal
scales can vary in quality and availability, according to research-
ers participating in INSPIRES. The information obtained can
also lack the specificity desired by scientists, land managers and
policymakers.
Furthermore, the tools can prove costly, Abedi says. For
example, one sensor unit station in the Northern Forest
Region that collects research data costs hundreds of thousands
of dollars, and the extent of information provided from it is
limited. Abedi, therefore, aspires to develop wireless sensors
with hardware and software that cost only a few hundred
dollars. Deploying several small wireless sensor networks, which
Abedi says he hopes researchers could use anywhere, would
help capture and encode more data than possible with existing
technology.
The Advanced Computing Group has already begun
creating the digital infrastructure needed for sensors to transmit
data to the UMS computer cluster. With 20 years of operation
Electrical and computer engineering professors Bruce Segee,
left, and Ali Abedi are leading the development of new sensor and updates, propelled by the formal creation of the Advanced
technology in the first phase of a multiyear project — Intelligent Computing Group in 2013, Segee says the cluster should suit
Informatics and Smart Data for Improved Understanding of the needs of archiving and processing forest data. One challenge
Northern Forest Ecosystem Resilience (INSPIRES). The initiative,
the computing group and colleagues in INSPIRES will have
funded by a $6 million award from the National Science
Foundation, involves networks of wireless sensors collecting data to overcome involves transmitting data to the cluster from
on the Northern forest region. Photo by Adam Küykendall remote areas with few or no overhead wires, cell towers, or other
telecommunications infrastructure.
“The idea of a small, low-cost battery-operated wireless
sensor communication is pretty darn cool,” Segee says. “It is
project, Leveraging Intelligent Informatics and Smart really a question of ‘what can we do at this scale in a reasonable
Data for Improved Understanding of Northern Forest way?’ Ideally, to understand the forest ecosystem, you want as
Ecosystem Resilience (INSPIRES), which was awarded a many data points as possible. If the infrastructure costs $50,000
$6 million National Science Foundation grant in 2019. apiece, it’s just not going to be deployed at a scale that is useful.”
Aaron Weiskittel, UMaine professor of forest biomet- The prototype sensor contains a 12-bit analog to digital
rics and modeling, and Irving Chair of Forest Ecosystem converter, features a resolution of 4.88 millivolts and consumes
Management, is the principal investigator. a few milliamperes of power. It generates electrical signals
The Advanced Computing Group, directed by UMaine through chemical reactions that carry the ecological and geolog-
electrical and computer engineering professor Bruce Segee, ical data every hour. Sensor nodes digitize the information, code
will work with Abedi to connect the wireless sensor network it in binary and send it to the microprocessor, which commu-
to the University of Maine System computer cluster in nicates with a radio to transmit data. The microprocessor
Neville Hall, which will serve as a data repository. A team determines the optimal time for data delivery.
from WiSe-Net, which Abedi directs, will help develop Solar energy powers Abedi’s wireless sensors. Some will
the sensor networks. Members include Sonia Naderi, a possess their own solar-powered batteries, while others will
Ph.D. student and project manager for the network design, connect to and share a photovoltaic panel that provides
and Kenneth Bundy, a former master’s student, now at electricity.
University of Maine at Augusta, who are helping create In the spring, WiSe-Net students conducted initial tests
machine learning algorithms. for the prototype sensor. The first test involved gathering soil
Undergraduate students also will help craft the system moisture data from a potted plant. The student team then
ENGINEERING.UMAINE.EDU 17Tapping into expertise
in data science,
ecology, electrical
engineering, computer
programming
and communications
from three institutions,
INSPIRES will help
track and predict how
the Northern Forest
Region evolves.
18 UMAINE ENGINEERING 2020/2021evaluated the accuracy of the samples gathered from wet soil deploying them across Northern New England the following
and dry soil. year and begin collecting data the year after.
They conducted a range test involving tracking the signal “This is a great example of interstate, interuniversity
strength of a sensor in the forest that communicated with a collaboration,” Segee says.
laptop serving as base station. The test, Abedi says, allowed the Climate change and other shifting environmental
team to determine whether the existing hardware and software conditions, natural disturbances such as the pending spruce
were suitable, or whether a different antenna, amplifier or any budworm outbreak, and differences in land ownership and
other component was needed. management make New England’s forests dynamic and
The student team found that signal strength between the diverse. Communities across the region rely on forestland
sensor and the laptop remained suitable as far as 175 feet with to support their economies, biodiversity and recreation.
no external antenna. Understanding how forests change over time helps policymak-
The students also tested the power system in his sensor ers, land owners and scientists take actions that ensure their
in mid-April, and how it varied based on different weather viability.
conditions. They found that from April 9–14, which exhibited Tapping into expertise in data science, ecology, electrical
shifts between sunny and cloudy weather, rain and light snow, engineering, computer programming and communications
the sensor had an average power range of 2.5–4.6 watts. from three institutions, INSPIRES will help track and predict
“The experiments conducted by students demonstrated how the Northern Forest Region evolves. The digital frame-
promising results, guiding us to develop a functional system in work it creates using emerging computational, monitoring,
the near future,” Abedi says. remote sensing and visualization technologies, such as Abedi’s
INSPIRES researchers will place the sensors at different wireless sensor networks, will yield critical real-time data vital
heights in forests, from the ground to the canopy, as well as at for analyzing the integrity and resilience of New England
different soil depths. Abedi says his team will determine how forests.
to adjust wireless channel models for sending data based on The data collected from wireless sensors will support the
sensor height. The models also will help predict when and how development and enhancement of forest models from the
sensors transmit information. Center for Research on Sustainable Forests, like the ecological
“It’s a big deal, the ability to tie the physical world into models PnET-II and the Forest Vegetation Simulator, used to
computers in real time, or near real time,” Segee says. “The forecast the effects of climate change, deforestation and other
notion that you would be able to ingest live data from a stressors.
large number of sources has implications for understanding Segee says the ability to use large data acquired in near real
the forests, understanding the weather, understanding ocean time for predictive modeling is “revolutionary.”
ecosystems.” “It would be interesting to know all the temperatures over
Abedi says his students also plan to develop an AI program the course of a day at some particular point on Earth. You may
that will operate and oversee the wireless sensor networks. want to know the temperatures of different places at different
AI would monitor network performance and stability, the points in time,” Segee says. “Combine all that and you begin
communication channels used to transmit data, sensors’ to understand how a forest is working.”
battery levels and other system components. Wireless sensors offer a variety of applications, Abedi says,
Machine learning will determine when the sensors collect and participating in the INSPIRES initiative means evaluating
and transmit data, and when to halt information gathering to a new use for them. During 15 years of research and devel-
conserve battery life and help researchers make sense of the opment at UMaine, the engineering professor created sensors
data, Abedi says. For example, they should be able to slow data used in a medical device that measures sleep movement
collection during inclement weather, or reduce the number of patterns to detect brain injury, created a leak detection system
times they transmit information to whenever they will have with wireless sensors that the International Space Station uses,
enough sunlight. They should also be able to adjust data trans- and developed other new tools with sensor technology.
mission behavior to prevent any interference with each other. Abedi says for several years he discussed the prospect
“We need to be smart in terms of how we coordinate the of using wireless sensor technology for forest research with
network in data collection,” Abedi says. Weiskittel. With INSPIRES under way, Abedi says he is eager
Researchers will next test the efficacy of Abedi’s sensor to contribute to Maine’s rural economy and environment.
against existing, more expensive technology. They also will “Forests vary dramatically over space and time, particularly
perform lab fit tests and field tests in Old Town, the Howland in New England. These new sensors will greatly improve our
Research Forest and other areas across Maine, New Hampshire ability to understand them at relevant scales and I am very
and Vermont. According to Abedi, the multi-institutional excited that they may lead to new avenues of research,” says
team hopes to begin mass producing the sensors next year, Weiskittel, who is leading INSPIRES.
ENGINEERING.UMAINE.EDU 19You can also read
