UMaine launches Maine College of Engineering and Computing

ORONO, Maine (WABI) - The University of Maine has launched its Maine College of Engineering and Computing.

It’s described as the signature initiative of a $240 million investment to revitalize the University of Maine System.

It will look to provide University of Maine students across the state with better opportunities.

Hoping that it will enable them to one day change the world.

“Engineering historically has always been leading change. And that because every time that you take a problem, and you find a solution for that problem, you have changed the world and so that is really what we are trying to enable,” said Giovanna Guidoboni, dean of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing.

When you spend a bit of time walking around the Ferland Center you’ll see students innovating in a number of different ways.

“I’m working on building a rescue sled retrofit system which are used to rescue people who have been in snowmobile accidents where traditional ambulances can’t actually get to them,” said UMaine Senior Zoe Vittum.

The university hopes to encourage students across different disciplines to work together.

Combining what they know to spark change.

“And having those dialogues with various different disciplines and opening your mind and to think about things differently. That’s where those really earth shattering innovations take place,” said Biomedical Assistant Professor Karissa Tilbury.

Some of those earth-shattering innovations are already in the works.

“Working in this space has made it really easy to actually complete our capstones. So being able to be working with the mechanical engineering students, and there’s even like MET’s that are in and out, having a really interdisciplinary space where there’s always other students who have different expertise than you working around has made it really easy to kind of find the best solutions and also work within a team that isn’t just biomedical engineering,” said Vittum.

The Maine College of Engineering and Computing is another step forward for the university that has been shaping engineers since 1865.

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