Two UMaine Composites Center Student Employees Recognized as 2017 Outstanding Graduating Student

Two student employees associated with the UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center were named as 2017 Outstanding Graduating Students by the University of Maine. Click here to view the full article.

Donald Bistri, Outstanding Graduating International Student in the College of Engineering
Donald Bistri of Tirana, Albania is a mechanical engineering major who has been a student research assistant for two years in the Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC). At UMaine, his honors included the Alton S. and Adelaide B. Hamm College of Engineering Scholarship. At ASCC, Bistri’s research focused on the structure of a hypersonic inflatable aerodynamic decelerator (HIAD) technology developed by NASA to enable spaceship to carry astronauts and heavy loads to explore Mars. He also was a research assistant in the Alfond W2 Ocean Engineering Lab. His capstone project involves the modeling and fabrication of a lightweight autonomous land drone to address the need for a cost-effective, safe method for patrolling borders. When not in the research lab or in class, Bistri is on the field as part of the Friday Night Soccer Club. He has been a mathematics tutor, and a grading assistant in the departments of mechanical engineering and mathematics and statistics. Bistri has been awarded a full scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in aerospace engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Hoang Anh Thi Le, Outstanding Graduating International Student in the Maine Business School
Hoang Anh “Christine” Le of Hanoi, Vietnam is majoring in accounting. Although English is not her first language, her Honors thesis is: “A Creative Thesis: The Me You Don’t Know.” Le interned with KPMG in Boston and Purdy Powers & Company in Portland, Maine. For three consecutive terms, she served as the vice president of financial affairs in Student Government. She was an instructor assistant in accounting, a resident assistant, and a student accounting/finance assistant at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center. Le is a member of All Maine Women, and was a finalist in the UMaine Business Challenge and a Blackstone Accelerates Growth Innovate for Maine Fellow. On campus, she also has been active in SPIFFY and the International Student Association. She received the Academic Achievement in Accounting Award from the Maine Business School. Le will start work as a tax professional at KPMG Boston while pursuing her passion for learning languages. She speaks English, Vietnamese, French and Mandarin Chinese.

UMaine names its 2017 Outstanding Graduating Students