The University of Maine is constructing a new $82M GEM research facility for advanced manufacturing and education. Meanwhile, Senator Collins secures $133M for bridge replacements in Penobscot and Kennebec County to improve Maine's infrastructure.
Rendering courtesy of the University of Maine
This 50,000-sq.-ft. facility is designed to house the Factory of the Future (FoF) incorporating digital manufacturing technologies and adaptive, immersive learning spaces.
The University of Maine (UMaine) broke ground Oct. 29 on the Green Engineering and Materials (GEM) building, a 50,000-sq.-ft. facility designed to house the innovative Factory of the Future (FoF) incorporating digital manufacturing technologies and fully adaptive, immersive learning spaces for students at UMaine and across the University of Maine System (UMS).
Scheduled for completion in 2026, GEM represents a nearly $82 million investment in interdisciplinary research and innovative education. The facility has been designed to meet the research and education needs in advanced manufacturing, as well as train the engineering and computing workforce, which is essential to support and grow both the state and national economies.
GEM will operate as a partnership between the Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC), the Maine College of Engineering and Computing (MCEC) and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), with opportunities for other programs and industries on campus and remotely.
"This project started as an ambitious vision, and it is becoming a reality thanks to interdisciplinary collaboration and a vision that integrates research and learning," said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of UMaine and its regional campus, the University of Maine at Machias. "We are grateful for all who have made [an] investment in this public university research facility. Once completed, GEM will create even greater opportunities for our students, faculty, staff and partners to address a multitude of economic and societal needs for Maine and beyond."
In addition, GEM will serve as a large-scale digital additive and hybrid manufacturing test bed for entrepreneurs and companies looking to integrate advanced manufacturing and sustainable technologies into their operations. With a focus on bio-based materials and sustainable technologies, the facility aims to leverage Maine's competitive strengths and drive investment in sustainable manufacturing.
GEM will work with industry to manufacture affordable housing, marine vessel production, and renewable energy and civil infrastructure components — all while using bio-based materials.
Its role is to conduct advanced manufacturing research and workforce development training so that these modern technologies can be transitioned to industry. Students at all levels, from visiting K-12 students to doctoral candidates, will experience the innovative FoF environment through interactive, distributed and connected learning spaces.
By having access to the building, students will be able to move from interactive classroom spaces with UMaine System-wide access, to immersive learning within the mini-GEM, a microcosm of the full laboratory, and up to working within the two large manufacturing bays to research how best to design and create homes, boats, and other products.
"GEM is a cornerstone of the strategic vision at the University of Maine which, in collaboration with all campuses across the University of Maine System, emphasizes experiential learning, research and teaching integration. It is an important example of how research centers and colleges will collaborate to transform education," said Giovanna Guidoboni, dean of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing.
"Often, academic buildings host classrooms and research laboratories that enable small-scale prototyping," she continued. "In this transformative building, students can take the leap from ideating a proof of concept to manufacturing a large-scale market-ready product. This leap seems enormous; yet this is what is needed to grow our economy. Here, we make this possible."
GEM is supported by several funding sources, including the Harold Alfond Foundation through UMS TRANSFORMS, UMaine, UMS, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Maine Jobs & Recovery Act, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the State of Maine and the Northern Border Regional Commission's Catalyst Program.
Sen. Collins Announces $133M for Bridge Replacements
The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) has been awarded almost $133 million for two projects in Penobscot and Kennebec County, according to an Oct. 28 announcement from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The funding will assist in the rehabilitation or replacement of six bridges on Interstate 395 between Bangor and Brewer, as well as the replacement of another half-dozen aging overpasses on I-95 near Augusta. The money was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Bridge Investment Program (BIP).
With the two grants in hand, the state has now received more than 20 percent of the nearly $635 million being awarded nationwide through the BIP during this funding round.
According to USDOT, the BIP provides funding for bridge replacement, rehabilitation, preservation and protection projects that reduce the number of bridges in poor condition, or in fair condition at risk of declining into poor condition.
A news release from Collins' office noted that the five-term U.S. senator sent a letter to federal Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in support of MaineDOT's grant requests.
In 2021, Collins, at that time the ranking member of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, was part of the core group of 10 senators who negotiated the text of the bipartisan infrastructure law. The bill established the BIP, which is the U.S.'s single largest dedicated investment in bridge infrastructure since the construction of the interstate highway system more than 70 years ago.
"This funding will make our roadways safer and more resilient by addressing bridges that are crucial to Maine's infrastructure," Collins said in a statement. "Upgrading these routes will ensure that vital travel corridors remain accessible for residents, businesses, and commercial transport alike."
Bruce Van Note, MaineDOT's commissioner, noted that his agency's team "will replace six deteriorating bridges in Sidney and Waterville that do not provide enough vertical clearance for interstate traffic. We will also make major improvements on six bridges along the I-395 corridor in Bangor and Brewer, including the rehabilitation of the Veterans Remembrance Bridge spanning the Penobscot River."
The funding is allocated as follows:
- A total of $63 million will go toward the I-395 Bridge Bundle Project to rehabilitate or replace the crumbling bridges along that interstate to enhance safety and improve driving conditions for those traveling between Bangor and Brewer, benefiting both local and regional mobility.
- Another $69.7 million will be paid to MaineDOT for the I-95 Accessibility Improvements Minimizing Heavy-Truck Impacts Project. With the funding, the transportation agency will replace outdated bridges over the freeway, bring structures up to modern standards, allow for safer heavy-truck passage, and reduce long-term maintenance needs on this critical route in Kennebec County.
Since 2009, when Collins became a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she has secured more than $1 billion in competitive transportation grants for the State of Maine.
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