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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 M AY 1 6 , 2 0 1 6 Josh Plourde, communications manager and IT coordinator at the University of Maine's Advanced Structures and Composites Center in Orono, reinforced that focus on rel- evance by telling Goodwin's students about UMaine's new Harold Alfond W2 Ocean Engineering Laboratory that's capable of simulating wind and wave conditions at 1:50 scale equal to the worst storms at sea. He told them about the upcoming Maine Windstorm and Wind Blade Challenge competitions that UMaine is hosting on May 20 in partnership with the Maine Composites Alliance and Maine Ocean and Wind Industry Initiative. More than 40 Maine high school teams are competing. Although the competition isn't set up for middle school students, Plourde says he invited them to attend the event any way for the opportunity to informally test some of their fl oating wind turbine platforms in the wind and wave facility and see fi rst-hand how older high school students tackled the same problems. Goodwin says upwards of 90 students are signed up for the fi eld trip. "For many of the students at Gus's school, this will be the fi rst time they'll get to perform in an active research lab," Plourde says. "We hope it will inspire them." Nancy Berrang, community coor- dinator at King Middle School, says the school's hands-on problem-solving approach to learning has changed more than one student's outlook about the STEM disciplines. " e idea 'I can do that' is something that has to be culti- vated at a young age," she says. " ey have the capability, but for some of them, they just don't know it yet." Ja m e S M C Ca rT H Y , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r writer, can be reached at JmCC arTHY @ mainebiz.biz and @ Jame SMainebiz Have a big goal for your business? www.bhbt.com • 888-853-7100 Steve Gurin, SVP/Business Banker likes big challenges. Without a running background, he decided to run a half marathon. With guidance from experts, Steve created a training plan to help him succeed. Call Steve, who has 25 years of experience and knowledge working with entrepreneurs, to turn your big idea into reality. Photo by: Chris Pinchbeck For 38 years, we've been providing 'em. Six Locations in Maine / 207.989.4824 / ces-maine.com / Engineers w Environmental Scientists w Surveyors Sensible Solutions If kids don't get to have If kids don't get to have If kids don't get to have If kids don't get to have If kids don't get to have If kids don't get to have If kids don't get to have If kids don't get to have If kids don't get to have If kids don't get to have If kids don't get to have If kids don't get to have If kids don't get to have If kids don't get to have experiences where they experiences where they experiences where they experiences where they experiences where they experiences where they experiences where they experiences where they experiences where they experiences where they experiences where they experiences where they experiences where they can build something, make mistakes and fix them, they might not ever know that jobs exist in which creativity and problem-solving are all essential skills that they need to have. — Gus Goodwin, technology education teacher at King Middle School

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