Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1519888
W O R K F O R M E / S P R I N G 2 0 2 4 48 scientists at the Maine Health Institute of Research. He is look- ing at the tissue near the cancer, rather the tumor itself, to help predict if the cancer will remain docile or will expand, and how volatile or aggressive it will be. He plans to complete his Ph.D. in 2026 and hopes to be part of research team after grad- uation. After being in school for more than 20 years, he's look- ing forward to a change from academics and hopes to work in a corporate setting. His doctoral advisor, Andre Kahlil, says Hamilton always take the extra step — or two or three — to learn as much as about a subject as he can. When he first studied coding, or computer programming, in college, Hamilton made a point of learning as much as he could about it even outside of the classroom, so much so that his coding skills now surpass Kahlil's in some areas. Khalil, who is a professor of chemical and biomedical engi- neering, says he's seen numer- ous students through the years whose success can be traced back to a single teacher in secondary school. And like those students, Kahlil himself had a math teach- er in seventh or eighth grade in the 1980s who inspired him and steered him toward math. Conversely, he's also seen students turned off to certain subjects because of a teacher. "At some point they have someone teaching them who didn't have that passion," he says. "Often it comes down to that one teacher." Kahlil's also seen many stu- dents, like Hamilton, from low- income rural families, who are perhaps first-generation college students, excel in higher educa- tion; he calls them "diamonds in the rough." Not all work Hamilton's success isn't limited to just academics, and he makes an impression on others with his long dark hair, his infectious smile and laugh, and his will- ingness to help others. Through his college career, he's taken on leading roles with student orga- nizations, he plays the drums with his musician friends, and he competes in esports such as Su- per Smash Bros. Melee, in which he is ranked No. 1 in Maine. He would advise any student to find a teacher early on who can help steer them in the right direction. "As a student who's bored, it's hard to get out of that mindset; you're young and you don't have that self-awareness yet," he says. "But if you know there's some- body who's trying to get you out Scarborough, ME // Pittsseld, ME // Auburn, NH AAAENERGY.COM Contact us to learn about customized HVAC-R service plans for your facility. SERVING CLIENTS SINCE 1948 DESIGN/BUILD SERVICES COMMERCIAL REFRIGERATION BUILDING CONTROLS HVAC, PLUMBING & ELECTRICAL MAINTENANCE PLANS Building efficiency. It's what we do. T e c h n o l o g y « C O N T I N U E D F R O M P R E V I O U S PAG E What I did was try to foster their love for a subject. That's a key. If a teacher can convince a kid that what they're studying is worthwhile studying, the kid's going to excel. But it's challenging to convince kids of that sometimes. — Rad Mayfield educator