Advanced Structures & Composites Center

The UMaine Offshore Wind Program was cited by Real Clear Politics’ John Connor Cleveland in his article titled, “Offshore Wind Power’s Promising But Complicated Future.” About 1,000 feet off the coast of Castine, Maine, floats an angular yellow structure, stark against the blue of the harbor. No, it’s not a buoy, although one might mistake […]

Bridge-In-A-BackpackTM Technology Featured in Trade Industry Publication, Construction Data “According to the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) National Bridge Inventory, 147,870 of the 607,751 bridges in the country are deficient. This includes 63,522 structurally deficient and 84,348 functionally obsolete bridges. Structurally deficient bridges are bridges with critical load-carrying elements that are in poor condition due to […]

Article by Gene Russo, published in Nature, Vol 513 from September 2014. “The town of Castine, Maine, feels like a place bypassed by time. First settled in the early seventeenth century, its streets are lined with buildings hundreds of years old. Boats bob in its small harbor and a white lighthouse, constructed of rough-hewn stone, […]

A blog post authored by Asst. Secretary of Energy David Danielson featured his recent visit to UMaine and a successful first year of the VolturnUS 1:8 deployment. “Here at EERE, we work to bridge the gap between research and development and deployment of clean energy innovations. Our task is to bring these game-changing, greenhouse gas […]

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud welcomed top officials from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to Castine on Sept. 5 to celebrate a successful year of the VolturnUS floating wind turbine deployed off Castine. “This anniversary is another great day for our state, the university and its many partners, and for […]

Jeff Thaler, assistant university counsel and visiting professor of energy law and policy, was asked by the editor of Ocean and Costal Law Journal to write an article. The focus is on how climate change’s impact on public trust resources (e.g. oceans, wildlife, fisheries) compels a faster move to ocean-based renewable energy — and a […]

Douglas Gardner, professor of forest operations, bioproducts and bioenergy, will receive the 2014 Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST) Distinguished Service Award at the society’s 57th international convention, June 23–27 in Zvolen, Slovakia. The award recognizes distinguished service to the profession of wood science and technology. In his nomination, Gardner was cited for his […]

Advanced Materials in Infrastructure and Energy has been selected as one of seven Signature Areas at the University of Maine, alongside Forestry and the Environment, STEM Education, Climate Change, Marine Sciences, College of Engineering, and the Honors College. The designation will inform strategic and focused planning in resource allocation to preserve UMaine’s national stature and […]

“There’s a great deal of satisfaction knowing that something we developed and designed is being used and is helping to save lives,” says Paul Melrose, engineering manager at the Advanced Structures and Composite Center. The University of Maine’s Modular Ballistic Protection System saved lives inside the United States consulate during a September 2013 attack in […]

An update to a story we told you about last week… an offshore wind energy project in Maine has received a key approval from state regulators. This article from CompositesWorld.com says the Maine Public Utilities Commission gave the go-ahead for the Maine Aqua Ventus project, a pilot offshore wind farm project designed to prove the feasibility of floating […]