Saturday, February 28 | 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
University of Southern Maine Field House
37 College Avenue, Gorham
As Maine’s economy and workforce adapt to demographic shifts and new technologies, the Maine Engineering Promotional Council (MEPC) invites families, students and professionals to learn more about engineering education, achievement and employment opportunities.
Maine’s annual E-Week Expo is a family-friendly, interactive event with dozens of exhibitors showcasing STEM achievements and live demonstrations for attendees of all ages. Recent or soon-to-be college graduates and job seekers will have direct access to Maine’s top engineering firms, engineering schools, educators, government agencies, industry and engineering societies. It is held in conjunction with National Engineers Week, which begins on Sunday, Feb. 22 through Saturday, Feb. 28.
MEPC president Andrew Cote highlighted a few of the participants that Council members were excited to see this year, starting with Bath Iron Works, who will have a number of cutting edge displays and hands-on activities like virtual reality welding and spray paint simulators, an augmented reality sandbox and HoloLens2 headset, 3D printed ships and shipbuilder aides, a 3D pen art station and a wave tank shipbuilder challenge.
The Robotics Institute of Maine (RIM) will bring along their competition robots, some of which will be available for Expo guests to control. RIM is a non-profit organization that works with middle and high school students across Maine to explore robotics in a competitive, yet supportive environment. They work with both the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC), VEX Robotics Competition (VRC), and FIRST® LEGO League.
Attendees will be able to do other classic activities like building a toothpick and marshmallow tower, and stop by the Maker Innovation Studio at the University of Southern Maine which will have interactive 3D printing activities. The Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) will offer concrete hand-printing for a great take-home souvenir.
These face-to-face, hands-on experiences can create impactful memories, as they show young people all the exciting places that their math, science and communication skills can take them, and hopefully inspire them to pursue an education or career in engineering. While traditional engineering principles are at the center of these demonstrations, Cote emphasized that there are many lateral fields – like architecture, graphic design, computer programming and even traditional studio arts like sculpture – where engineers thrive as students or professionals.
As we move further into the 21st century, it’s clear that engineering and technology talent is critical to continued improvement of Maine’s infrastructure, health, natural resources and economy. MEPC’s mission is to inspire bright young people to pursue engineering and technology careers, and then show them a path to staying in their home state. Cote grew up in the Bangor area and graduated from the University of Maine College of Engineering with a degree in electrical engineering. His first job out of school was at Bath Iron Works, working on the DDG 1000 ship class, also known as the Zumwalt Destroyer. He is now a Senior Application Engineer at Generac Power Systems.
With the size of the state’s population and the economic base, it’s easy to focus on what we lack. “But when you do that,” said Cote, “you forget about what’s here, and there are some really good things happening.”
A singular educational highlight is that the Maine Community College System offers high school graduates from 2023-2025 a Free College Scholarship, covering 100% tuition and mandatory fees after state and federal grant aid has been applied. According to MCCS data, a total of 22,327 free-college eligible students have enrolled, many who previously thought they could never afford to go to college. 91% of Free College Scholarship recipients are pursuing associate degrees. (See Page T8 to learn about the University of Maine’s affordability programs for Bachelor’s degrees.)
In the professional space, there are thousands of Maine-based engineering firms, architects, manufacturers, mechanics, builders and other businesses in the state where talented engineers are solving problems and simply making our everyday lives more functional.
There are also innovators like UMaine’s Advanced Structures & Composites Center, which has created 14 spin-off companies and received 120 patents. HighByte in Portland is an industrial software company that showed up as No. 232 on the most recent Inc. 5000 List of the nation’s fastest-growing companies. The Maine Connectivity Authority was recently awarded $48.4 million to increase broadband infrastructure across the state. Multiple international biotech companies have Maine locations, while veterinary science giant IDEXX is headquartered here.
Maine is also the recipient of a $22 million federal grant to help it develop as a Forest Bioproducts Advanced Manufacturing Tech Hub, which is led by the Maine Technology Institute with support from a consortium of private public partners.
According to the Tech Hub, Maine is the No. 1 global public supplier of cellulose nanofiber, made from wood pulp and used in various products such as biomedical devices, paper and concrete. A newer Maine-based technology and manufacturing business has benefited from loans and awards from the Maine Technology Institute in the past is Tanbark Molded Fiber Products in Saco. They make Type 3 molder fiber products suitable for packaging and containers and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC).
The MEPC will recognize Tanbark at their Exhibitors Banquet on Friday, Feb. 27 at the McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success on the USM-Portland campus. Charlie Langston, Director of Sales and Marketing, and Andre Clement, Industrial Engineer, will be keynote speakers.
The Engineering Expo is one of Maine’s best opportunities for students, job seekers and curious people to experience the creativity, collaboration and real-world impact of engineering. As the state and its residents continue to cultivate new ways of thinking and doing, MEPC hopes to see all types of minds at the Expo this year.
Visit engineeringme.org to see up-to-date details about the Expo and learn more about the Maine Engineering Promotional Council.
Does your school need financial help to transport students to the EXPO?
Thanks to our sponsors, MEPC is offering bus grants of up to $1,000 per school. While the priority deadline has passed, grant requests will be accepted through the day of the Expo, and will be considered on a first-come, first-serve basis. Grant applications submitted after that date (February 28) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Visit engineeringme.com/busgrants to apply.
Student showcases
If your school has engineering-related projects, MEPC would love to feature them at the Expo. Schools are invited to showcase student projects by reserving a display table.
Please contact [email protected] if you’d like to participate.
Parking
Parking will be available in the G16, G17, and G19 parking lots on Campus Ave. Additional parking can be found at lot G20 on Husky Drive or the G13a, G13b, G13c lots on University Way Extension (by the athletic fields) for Exhibitors and the general public. Additional parking is available at posted visitor parking lots. A complimentary parking code will be available at the sign-in table.