UMF 2023-24 Wilson scholars and fellow, front from left, are Rain Smith, Katherine Berube, Sean Tenney and Shaina Fusco. Back from left are Gillean Hamilton, Julia Anise, Sadie Gray and Riley Boucher. UMF photo

The University of Maine at Farmington has announced its Fall 2023 Michael Wilson scholars and fellows and their research projects.

This semester’s student researchers includes Katherine Berube from Houlton, Riley Boucher from Williston, Vermont; Shaina Fusco from Reading, Massachusetts; Sadie Gray from Saco, Gillean Hamilton from Euclid, Ohio; Rain Smith from Eliot, Sean Tenney from Augusta, along with Julia Anise.

Undergraduate research helps students develop professionally with in-depth, career-focused examination and analysis. Farmington’s Wilson program provides top UMF student scholars with faculty mentorship and project funding to help them pursue the highest level of academic inquiry.

Awardees, named twice a year, include single-semester scholars and year-long fellows. They will be presenting their research at the annual spring university-wide Symposium day in April, according to a news release from Apri Mulherin with the university.

2023-24 Wilson Fellow

This academic year’s UMF Wilson Fellow, Sadie Gray, is researching zooplankton sensitivity to climate-driven conditions in high-elevation lakes in Maine. Submitted photo

Sadie Gray, a senior majoring in Earth & Environmental Sciences with a minor in Environmental Policy & Planning, is researching zooplankton sensitivity to climate-driven conditions in high-elevation lakes. Rachel Hovel, associate professor of biology, is the faculty sponsor.

Fall 2023 Wilson Scholars

The project of Katherine Berube, a senior majoring in creative writing and English with a minor in editing and publishing, is the “Rise of the Wolf Queen: An Academic and Creative Exploration of the Monstrous Feminine in Contemporary Speculative Fiction.” Noelle Dubay, Upward Bound student services coordinator, is the sponsor.

Riley Boucher, a senior majoring in Earth & Environmental Science, is researching using eDNA to assess the distribution of the smallmouth bass, an invasive species, in Maine. Donelle Schwalm, assistant professor of environmental biology, is the faculty sponsor.

The project of Shaina Fusco, a junior majoring in psychology and performing arts, is “Adventures in Signification: An Exploration of Graphic Musical Notation.” Aaron Wyanski, assistant professor of music composition, is the faculty sponsor.

Gillean Hamilton, a senior majoring in Earth & Environmental Science with an emphasis on Geology, is exploring the continuation of stream geochemical analysis near the Plumbago North lithium deposit in West-Central Maine. Doug Reusch, professor of geology, is the faculty sponsor.

Julia Anise is creating a collection of lullabies. Aaron Wyanski, assistant professor of music composition, is the faculty sponsor.

Rain Smith, a junior majoring in anthropology, is exploring “Persephone and Hades Through a Modern Lens.” Noelle Dubay, Upward Bound student services coordinator, is the sponsor.

Sean Tenney, a senior majoring in psychology, Tenney is exploring “Art, Artist and Audience: An Interdisciplinary Investigation.” Steven Quackenbush, associate provost and dean of Arts & Science, and Dawn Nye, professor of art and new media, are the faculty sponsors.

Gray, this year’s full-year Wilson Fellow, is devoting her project to calculating how climate change is impacting essential organisms in the food chain in higher elevation Maine ponds. UMF Geology and Biology professors Julia Daly and Rachel Hovel have been conducting long-term research monitoring conditions and organisms in nine high-elevation ponds in Alpine zones in nine Maine mountains, including Bigelow, Saddleback and Tumbledown.

Gray served as Hovel’s summer intern several years ago and is now conducting her own independent research project on how zooplankton — microscopic living organisms — are affected by temperature and water quality changes due to climate change.

Student researchers are individually sponsored by faculty and supported at every stage of their research. These faculty mentors assist with proposal development, research methodology, project presentation and continuing follow-up on pre-professional and post-graduate opportunities.

For more information, email Stephen Grandchamp, assistant professor of literature and digital humanities, at stephen.grandchamp@maine.edu.

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