BioME Student Showcase 2025
This spring, BioME held the seventh annual Student Showcase, providing students with an opportunity to demonstrate their presentation skills and share their passion for life science research.
The BioME Student Showcase is an exciting opportunity for aspirational scientists to showcase their passion for research and bioscience. Each year, Maine high school and college students present their original life science-focused research projects in competition for cash and academic prizes.
On April 17, 2025, BioME organized the seventh annual BioME Student Showcase University of Maine’s Collins Center for the Arts in Orono, ME. A panel of judges, industry experts, and mentors were present to evaluate the presentations of 12 high school, 10 undergraduate and 7 graduate students selected for their original biotech research.
The Showcase kicked off with the poster competitions for high school and college undergraduate students. Each student presented their poster, discussed their research, and fielded questions from the judges. Following a snack break, winners were announced and then it was time for the college graduate students to take the stage. Participants presented their research or bioscience business plan through a 5-minute pitch, followed by an in-depth Q&A session to demonstrate their knowledge of the subject. After a pizza break, attendees and contestants convened for the winners announcement and award presentations.
BioME Student Showcase Top Finalists
College Graduate Finalists
- 1st Place – Samantha Costa, University of Maine
Expansion of bone marrow adipocytes in obese mice leads to PD-L1 driven bone marrow immunosuppression and osteoclastogenesis - 2nd Place – Romain Menard, University of Maine
Revolutionizing Melanogenesis Inhibition: A Novel Dual-Purpose Therapeutic Approach for Skin Disorders - 3rd Place – Jordan Miner, University of Maine
A Prospective Therapeutic Reduces Migration in Metastatic Breast Cancer
College Undergraduate Finalists
- 1st Place – Emily Hammond, University of Maine
Optimizing 3D Breast Cancer Heterospheroid Production To Enhance Diagnostics And Instrument Testing - 2nd Place – Hannah Lembree, University of Maine
The Role of Calcium in Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore Formation - 3rd Place – Annabelle Warren, Colby College
Understanding reproductive timing of American oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations in Maine estuaries through histological analysis
High School Finalists
- 1st Place – Cadence Overlock, Medomak Valley High School
How To Turn Invasive Carcinus maenas From Terrible To Sustainable - 2nd Place – Giuseppe Aulisa, John Bapst Memorial High School
Computational Modeling of Retinal Angiogenesis in Retinopathy of Prematurity - 3rd Place – Zafir Bashir, Bangor High School
Desalination and Contaminant Removal Through 3D Printing Enhanced by Capillary Rise and Nanomaterials
The BioME Student Showcase started as an initiative in 2019 to support innovation and commercialization of student ideas in Maine, as well as connect current students with potential future employers and entrepreneurial resources in the state. The event was sponsored by Maine Technology Institute, The Roux Institute, FocusMaine, and M&T Bank.
BioME Student Showcase Judges
Gary Goodrich – Past President of the Bioscience Association of Maine Board of Directors
Casey Doucette, PhD – Senior Manager, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Kristin Gordon – Quality, Regulatory & Compliance Consultant
Janet Yancey-Wrona, PhD – Technology Business Development Manager, University of Maine
Melissa Maginnis, PhD – Associate Professor of Microbiology, University of Maine
Liza White, PhD – Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Maine
Cory Johnson, PhD – Postdoctoral Researcher, MDI Biological Laboratory
Jacquelyn Ames, PhD – Senior Research Scientist, University of New England
Contestants
High School Contestants
Computational Modeling of Retinal Angiogenesis in Retinopathy of Prematurity, Giuseppe Aulisa, John Bapst Memorial High School
Desalination and Contaminant Removal Through 3D Printing Enhanced by Capillary Rise and Nanomaterials, Zafir Bashir, Bangor High School
Developing an Easier and More Comfortable Preliminary Method of Sleep Apnea, Preston Couto, Bangor High School
Assessing Bird-Building Collisions in Downtown Bangor, ME, Ella D’Auria, John Bapst Memorial High School
Convolutional Neural Network(CNN) for High-Accuracy Emerald Ash Borer Detection in Ash Bark, Conner Hickson, Bangor High School
Development of a Brain Computer Interface using EEG Signals from the Brain for Functional Motor Control, Brayon Nguyen, Bangor High School
A Soft-Flexible Exoskeleton Glove for Motor-Impaired Patients in the Hand, Brandon Nguyen, Bangor High School
Developing an Inexpensive Non-Mydriatic Fundus Camera for Early Detection of Diabetic Retinopathy, Emme Nguyen, Bangor High School
How To Turn Invasive Carcinus maenas From Terrible To Sustainable, Cadence Overlock, Medomak Valley High School
The analysis of the effects of temperature and pH on the growth and development and survivorship of juvenile Atlantic Sea Scallops, Elmer Robichaud, John Bapst Memorial High School
What Organs of Nephropidae are Most Impacted by Microplastic Pollution, Corrie Simmons, Medomak Valley High School
Optimising Intercropping To Minimise The Use Of Nitrogen Fertilisers, Ryan Waweru, Bangor High School
College Undergraduate Contestants
Production and Characterization of Herpes Specific Antibodies, Joshua Goldman, Colby College
Optimizing 3D Breast Cancer Heterospheroid Production To Enhance Diagnostics And Instrument Testing, Emily Hammond, University of Maine
Pathways to establish a heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) mouse model, Raheem Khadour, College of the Atlantic
Investigating the interaction of fatty acid binding proteins and high-fat diet in a murine myeloma model, Katherine Knox, University of Southern Maine
Degradation of Ibuprofen using Aspergillus niger, Natasha Kopeck, Maine Maritime Academy
The Role of Calcium in Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore Formation, Hannah Lembree, University of Maine
The effects of co-culturing on the growth rates of two dinoflagellates, Alexandrium fundyense and Prorocentrum micans, and one diatom, Thalassiosira pseudonana, Mackenzie Morin, Maine Maritime Academy
Examining Correlations between Atlantic Sea Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) eDNA Concentrations and Organism Abundance in Coastal Marine Waters, Patrick Tardie, Maine Maritime Academy
Expression of the metallothionein (MT) gene isoform, MT10, as an indicator of zinc bioaccumulation within Mytilus edulis., Noelle Tavares, Maine Maritime Academy
Understanding reproductive timing of American oyster (Crassostrea virginica) populations in Maine estuaries through histological analysis, Annabelle Warren, Colby College
College Graduate Contestants
Expansion of bone marrow adipocytes in obese mice leads to PD-L1 driven bone marrow immunosuppression and osteoclastogenesis, Samantha Costa, University of Maine
Finding the broccoli bacteria: analysis of gut-derived bacterial isolates for GLR hydrolysis, Johanna Holman, University of Maine
Determining the mechanism of FUdR-mediated inhibition of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response, Nate Jordan, University of Maine
Revolutionizing Melanogenesis Inhibition: A Novel Dual-Purpose Therapeutic Approach for Skin Disorders, Romain Menard, University of Maine
A Prospective Therapeutic Reduces Migration in Metastatic Breast Cancer, Jordan Miner, University of Maine
Deep Learning based Omics Mapping for Precision Oncology, Satya Nandivada, The Roux Institute
Understanding and Mitigating Stickiness in Biochar Produced through Acid Hydrolysis and Dehydration at Bench Scale to Scale-up Pilot Plant Production for Commercialization, Ehsan Sardar, University of Maine
Thank you event sponsors
