Hannah Berten
Advisors: Dr. Andrew Goupee, Dr. Habib Dagher, Dr. Anthony Viselli
Education
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering- University of New Haven, 2015
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering- University of Maine, 2019
Bio & Research Interests
The research I am conducting is centered around optimization of hull designs for offshore floating wind turbine projects such as Aqua Ventus I. This project seeks to expand the use of offshore wind turbines in Maine’s energy production. A variety of hulls have been tested offsite in the past, but there are many new and in-the-works designs that present interesting advantages including structural simplicity, shorter draft heights, and more. My major contribution will be in the refinement of these novel designs and subsequent verification of their performance via model testing in the Alfond W2 Ocean Engineering Laboratory.
I grew up in Farmington, Maine and attended Mt. Blue High School. After graduation, I went to the University of New Haven in West Haven, Connecticut to explore a completely new environment. While there I studied Mechanical Engineering and got my Bachelor’s degree in ME with a minor in Sustainability Studies.
After completing my undergraduate career, I went into the working world as a mechanical engineer at QuEST Global. While there I worked with a team of engineers to set inspection limits for the F119 and F135 military jet engines. Although I learned a lot through this experience, my true passion lies is sustainability. Having seen portions of the VolturnUS project at UMaine during one summer break of my undergraduate years I wondered about any chance I’d have to work on a project like that. After hearing about the great opportunities that UMaine had to offer, I applied for and was accepted into the Mechanical Engineering Master’s program.
Memberships, Honors, Awards
- Graduated Cum Laude with Honors with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a Minor in Sustainability Studies – University of New Haven, 2015
- Member of Pi Tau Sigma – Mechanical Engineering Honor Society
