ORONO, Maine — A group of state legislators toured the University of Maine campus Friday as part of a weeklong trip across the state to give lawmakers an idea of the innovation and progress taking place throughout Maine’s economy.
Friday’s stop, which was meant to demonstrate UMaine’s impact on economic development through education, job creation and business assistance, gave the legislators a front-row seat to many of the technological advances being made at the university.
“One of the best ways for legislators to understand what’s going on in the state is to get out and about,” said Rep. Emily Cain, D-Orono. “In this way, lawmakers can use these kinds of engagements when they go to do the budget, or consider laws on education, this gives them a way to get outside of Augusta and their regions.”
Only a portion of Maine’s 125th Legislature participated in the statewide tour, as it was primarily intended for newly elected members. A number of veteran lawmakers, however, were on hand as well.
In Orono, members were given presentations that ranged from student research on aquaculture and food science to the books students were reading in the Honors College.
“You know, I’ve been on this tour about five times and I’m always amazed at what I see,” said four-term Sen. Christopher Rector, R-Knox County, who is also chairman of the Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee. “The research and development that goes on at UMaine is vital to our economic future; it’s really an engine for change.”
Legislators saw demonstrations on robotics in the form of machinery that assists in medical operations. They also had a chance to tour the university’s numerous labs, including those that deal with plant biology, marine life and nutrition.
At the Foster Center for Student Innovation, a place where students can get help launching their own companies and inventions, lawmakers heard undergraduate student Travis Wallace, 25, of Crawford share a product he’s working on with his start-up company, Thermoelectric Power Systems LLC.
They listened as Wallace explained how he managed to generate electricity from an engine’s exhaust system by transferring heat into energy with a special material. According to Wallace, the technology is already being tested for use in automobiles, but his research focuses on making the technology work in boats.
“Depending on how much electricity you generate, you could use it to power anything onboard, so that’s really the challenge right now,” he said. “The Foster Center has helped me with everything thus far, they got me off the ground.”
In all, the tour showcased the depth of research and development going on at UMaine and its positive effects on businesses across the state, according to UMaine President Robert Kennedy, who spoke to the group immediately after the tour. He added that places such as the Foster Center for Student Innovation, the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center and others included in the visit have established relationships with more than 2,500 businesses statewide.
Since Monday, when the trip began, lawmakers have visited Verso Paper in Jay to see operations and new technologies in the pulp and paper industry. They made a stop in Cherryfield, at Jasper Wyman & Son, and saw agricultural operations in Eastport in addition to hearing plans for the deep-water port being built there, which is expected to generate greater overseas trade with China and others.
The legislators also toured the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, the University of Maine at Machias and the U.S. Department of Agriculture fish hatchery in Franklin.
“After taking this trip I just want to shout out how business-friendly Maine really is. It just defies the rhetoric we’ve heard lately,” said freshman Rep. Roberta Beaver, D-Eliot. “Of course we’re going to work to reduce the amount of regulations, but the amount of innovation we saw this week has been astounding.
“People don’t always make it, but, wow, they’re really trying, and this trip has made me aware of so many things.”