Campus Events and Media Releases

Spring and Summer 2009 Michael D. Wilson Scholars Honored at University of Maine at Farmington

FARMINGTON, ME (April 2, 2009)--Eighteen undergraduate research student
scholars at University of Maine at Farmington have recently been honored as
Spring and Summer 2009 Michael D. Wilson Scholars for their outstanding
original scholarship and innovation by the UMF Undergraduate Research
Council. This selective academic award has become increasingly sought after
by students at UMF as it underwrites research project expenses and helps
promote expanded opportunities for pre-professional academic investigation.

"We are so proud of these students and their commitment to the pursuit of
academic excellence," said Theodora J. Kalikow, UMF president. "They
exemplify the creative student and faculty collaboration that takes place
in all corners of UMF."

According to David Heroux, assistant professor of chemistry and chairman of
the UMF Undergraduate Research Council, applications for the spring 2009
award increased by over 50 percent compared to previous semesters.
"Students are excited about the opportunity the Wilson Scholars program
offers them to explore what they find fascinating and share it with the
campus on UMF Symposium Day," said Heroux. "We have students developing
low-cost software for radio stations, writing original literature while
backpacking cross country, and using a new method of chemical analysis to
determine the sources of prehistoric stone artifacts in Maine. Developing
the ability to do serious academic research and communicate it to others
prepares our students as creative thinkers and leaders for the future."

The annual Michael D. Wilson Research Scholar Program has been supporting
single-semester research, scholarship and creative projects at UMF since
the fall of 2006 and was expanded in the fall of 2007 to include two
full-year Wilson Fellow awards. The students are nominated by a UMF faculty
sponsor and, after a competitive selection process, awardees are selected
by the UMF Undergraduate Research Council. The awards are funded by a
generous gift from Michael and Susan Angelides, Stonington, Conn., in honor
of their good friend and UMF alumnus Michael D. Wilson, class of 1976, who
died shortly after graduating.

The spring 2009 Michael D. Wilson Research Scholars and their hometowns
include: Emily Baer, Brunswick; Amy Blankenship, Naples; Michael Camacho,
Chelmsford, Mass.; Adam Case, New Vineyard; Danielle Cerone, Winslow; Derek
Gilbert, Augusta; Anthony Greenlaw, Thorndike.; Sara Groves, Brooksville;
Adeline Harris, Falmouth; Gillian Laidlaw, Eustis; Kenneth Masloski,
Monroe, Conn,; Oreva Olakpe, Idheze-Delta State, Nigeria; Carla Powers,
Buckfield; Ian Putnam, Presque Isle; Christopher Stevens, Bedford, Mass.;
Andrew Thompson, Plymouth, Mass.; Ty Thurlow, Lee; Christian Tuttle, Cape
Cod, Mass.

Additional Information on the Spring and Summer 2009 Michael D. Wilson
Research Scholars

Emily Baer -- Brunswick
A senior with a double major in English and art, Baer is looking at the
history of art as activism and the role women have played in it. Her
faculty sponsor is Kate Randall, UMF assistant professor of art.

Amy Blankenship -- Naples
A junior majoring in creative writing, Blankenship will be backpacking
cross country and creating a chapbook of short fictional pieces about her
experience. Her faculty sponsor is Patricia O'Donnell, UMF professor of
English.

Michael Camacho -- Chelmsford, Mass.
A senior majoring in environmental science, Camacho is researching the
effect excessive rainfall has on lake transparency. His faculty sponsor is
Daniel Buckley, UMF professor of biology.

Adam Case -- New Vineyard
A senior with a double major in computer science and mathematics, Case is
designing a computer program using algorithms and heuristics to discover
optimal solutions to the coin-moving puzzle. His faculty sponsor is
Christopher Bennett, UMF assistant professor of computer science.

Danielle Cerone -- Winslow
A junior majoring in rehabilitation services, Cerone is sharing a Wilson
Scholars award with Carla Powers. They are conducting a student based
photography exploration and reflection regarding transition issues of the
upward bound college student. Their faculty sponsor is Chad Duncan, UMF
assistant professor of rehabilitation services.

Derek Gilbert -- Augusta
A senior majoring in computer science, Gilbert is developing and designing
a low-cost radio automation package for low-budget radio stations using
existing open source and self-created software. His faculty sponsor is Gail
Lange, UMF professor of mathematics and computer science.

Anthony Greenlaw -- Thorndike
A junior majoring in geology with a minor in geography, Greenlaw is using
field relations, petrographic features and geochemical data to determine
the history of igneous plutons in the Farmington area. His faculty sponsor
is David Gibson, UMF professor of geology.

Sara Groves -- Brooksville
A junior majoring in English with a minor in history, Groves is exploring
how the Algerian War has been represented in French cinema. Her faculty
sponsor is Daniel Becker, UMF visiting instructor of history.

Adeline Harris -- Falmouth
A senior with a double major in biology and English, Harris is sequencing
the DNA of larval male damselflies to use as a template in identifying
females. Her faculty sponsors are Ronald Butler, UMF professor of biology;
and Jean Doty, UMF associate professor of biology.

Gillian Laidlaw -- Eustis
A junior with an individualized major in anthropology with an emphasis on
socio-cultural and archaeological studies, Laidlaw is conducting an
ethnographic study of the New England lumberyard culture. Her faculty
sponsor is Julianna Acheson, UMF associate professor of anthropology.

Kenneth Masloski -- Monroe, Conn.
A senior majoring in biology, Masloski is researching grasshopper diversity
by surveying its population in central Maine. His faculty sponsor is Ronald
Butler, UMF professor of biology.

Oreva Olakpe -- Idheze-Delta State, Nigeria
A senior majoring in international studies with a minor in French, Olakpe
is examining the participation of community organizations in the conflict
resolution process in Liberia from 1997-2003, during and after their Civil
War. Her faculty sponsor is Linda Beck, UMF assistant professor of
political science.

Carla Powers -- Buckfield
A sophomore majoring in rehabilitation services, Powers is sharing a Wilson
Scholars award with Danielle Cerone. They are conducting a student based
photography exploration and reflection regarding transition issues of the
upward bound college student. Their faculty sponsor is Chad Duncan, UMF
assistant professor of rehabilitation services.

Ian Putnam -- Presque Isle
A senior majoring in geology, Putnam is using a new, non-destructive method
of chemical analysis to determine the sources of prehistoric stone
artifacts in Maine. This will aid in the reconstruction of prehistoric
trade routes. His faculty sponsor is David Gibson, UMF professor of geology.

Christopher Stevens -- Bedford, Mass.
A senior majoring in biology, Stevens is sequencing the DNA of larval male
damselflies to use as a template in identifying females. His faculty
sponsors are Ronald Butler, UMF professor of biology, and Jean Doty, UMF
associate professor of biology.

Andrew Thompson -- Plymouth, Mass.
A senior with a double major in art and music/arts, Thompson is researching
Missa Ukulele, the combination of the rich traditions of the Catholic mass
and Hawaiian folk music to create a unique composition that joins history
and community. His faculty sponsor is Philip Carlsen, UMF professor of music.

Ty Thurlow -- Lee
A senior majoring in English, Thurlow is studying how three unique
sources--Hollywood films, the thoughts & feelings of family members of
soldiers killed in action, and the observations of the author who has lost
two friends in the Iraq War--can produce an overarching narrative of our
country's attitudes towards the Iraq War. His faculty sponsors are Michael
Johnson, UMF associate professor of American literature; and Kristina Wolff
UMF assistant professor of sociology.

Christian Tuttle -- Cape Cod, Mass.
A senior majoring in secondary education with a concentration in English,
Tuttle is researching the cultural symbolism and significance of the
Oliphant, an iconic war horn carried by Roland, the namesake of La Chanson
de Roland. His faculty sponsor is Eric Brown, UMF associate professor of
English.

# # #

For more information, please contact David Heroux, UMF assistant professor
of chemistry at 207-778-7368, or david.heroux@maine.edu.

EDITOR'S NOTE: You will find photo at
http://www.umf.maine.edu/campus/docs/RP089-045.jpg

Photo Credit: UMF Photo

Photo Caption: University of Maine at Farmington Spring and Summer 2009
Michael D. Wilson Research Scholars are (left to right) first row: Emily
Baer, Michael Camacho, Adeline Harris, Gillian Laidlaw; second row: Adam
Case, Andrew Thompson, Sara Groves, Ty Thurlow, Amy Blankenship; third row:
Derek Gilbert, Ian Putnam, Christopher Stevens, Anthony Greenlaw. Not
pictured: Danielle Cerone, Kenneth Masloski, Oreva Olakpe, Carla Powers and
Christian Tuttle.