Self-made Engineering Leaders of the Future (SELF) for High School Students

SELF Participants 2014

Self-made Engineers of the Future (SELF) 2024 Application

June 23 to June 26, 2024 (Applications are CLOSED for 2024)

SELF Flyer 2024

SELF Activities Slides

Connecting young rural girls  to STEM careers through research, mentoring and community service in forest bio-products

The  SELF Institute is a residential program for Maine’s rural  high  school  students. The three-and-a- half day  program will focus  on the  responsible use of forest  ecosystems as a building block for sustainable and  renewable energy. Students will explore  cutting-edge forest  bioproducts research at the  University of Maine  by participating in demonstrations, hands-on projects and  field trips. Participants will also have recreational activities at the  New  Balance  Student Recreation Center.

This program started as a partnership  between College of Engineering, Forest Bioproducts Research Institute, and University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H funded by the  National Institute of Food and  Agriculture (NIFA), USDA. 

 Institute activities include

  • Demonstrations of physical principles and  properties of wood  and  wood  products
  •  Visiting University Forest to learn  about harvest methods and  systems, logging equipment and  costs
  • Observation and  work  on chemical and  physical processes in the  making of transportation fuels (ethanol, jet fuel) from woody  biomass and  estimate the cost  of manufacturing
  • Analysis of sustainability attitudes
  • Focus group on renewable energy in Maine

To qualify for the institute applicants must

  •  Be a high school student, preferably a sophomore from Maine
  • Have an interest in science and technology
  • Submit a report card
  • Submit an essay on why she wants to participate in the institute
  • Have at least one  letter of recommendation

For more information contact:

Christina VonTorne
christina.vontorne@maine.edu
Phone: 207.581.1489