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MMA Student Scholars and Faculty Honored at Academic Achievement Awards

Posted on: November 9, 2015

CASTINE, Maine—Maine Maritime Academy’s annual Academic Achievement Awards banquet was held on Thursday evening, November 5th, to honor the scholarly accomplishments of students and the service of faculty.

Scheel Scholars
The late Henry A. Scheel of Rockport, Maine was one of America’s most respected naval architects and yacht designers. During his long and distinguished career, Mr. Scheel produced more than 250 complete designs which have been utilized by builders of sailboats and other craft in the U.S. and Europe. To express his high regard for Maine Maritime Academy, Mr. Scheel left funds in 1994 to permanently endow scholarships for students in the three upper classes who best exemplify intellectual curiosity and achievement. The nine Scheel Scholars honored on Thursday include:

Sarah McLean Anderson, Class of 2017, is a Marine Transportation Operations major from Peterborough, Ontario.

Peter Barton, Class of 2016, is a Vessel Operations and Technology major from Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Tyler Engelhardt, Class of 2016, is a Power Engineering Technology major from Pittsfield, Maine.

Beretta Ficek, Class of 2017, is a Marine Biology major from Concord, New Hampshire.

Andrew McGonagle, Class of 2017, is a Marine Engineering Operations student living in Sedgewick, Maine.

Hayden Norwood, Class of 2016, is a Marine Engineering Technology major from Bucksport, Maine.

Elin Sonesson, Class of 2016, is a Marine Systems Engineering major from Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Haley Turnbull, Class of 2018, is an International Business and Logistics major from Kittery, Maine.

Cristin Wright, Class of 2017, is a Marine Science / Small Vessel Operations major from Ellsworth, Maine.

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Scholars
ABS, a leading international classification society, is devoted to promoting the security of life, property and the marine environment, primarily through the establishment and verification of technical and engineering standards for the design, construction and operational maintenance of ships and marine-related facilities. The ABS Scholarship is awarded to deserving engineering and naval architecture students. Recipients of this prestigious academic award receive a scholarship in each of the final two years of their studies at MMA. They are also provided the opportunity to complete an internship at ABS. ABS awarded scholarships to these outstanding MMA Marine Systems Engineering students in 2015:

Sam Berner –  Corinth, Vermont

Foster Blake – Gorham, Maine

Christopher Gilman – Old Town, Maine

Taylor Ploch – Old Town, Maine

Shawn Silva – Attleboro, Massachusetts

Alexander Toth – Sandown, New Hampshire

Catherine Bailey – Scarborough, Maine

Brady MacLeod – Bucksport, Maine

Chase Reidelbach – Virginia Beach, Virginia

Elin Sonesson – Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Faculty Achievement
The 2015 Excellence in Teaching Award was presented to Laurie Stone. Associate Professor of Humanities and History, she joined the faculty in 2001 as assistant professor of composition and communications. She has taught composition, management communications, humanities, Japanese, and U.S. History. She was appointed Editor of the Mariner magazine in 2006. While at MMA, she has served as the first Director of the Maritime Aerospace Liaison Project and headed the Study Skills Center for International Students when the Academy matriculated 24 students sent to Castine by United Arab Shipping Co. In 2004, she was exchange professor to Kobe University’s Division of Mercantile Marine in Kobe, Japan.

Prior to coming to Maine Maritime Academy, Laurie was Professor of English at Miyazaki Women’s Junior College in Miyazaki, Japan for five and a half years. Before that, she was the Science Writing Fellow at Wesleyan University. In 1980 and again in 1981, Laurie had the good fortune to teach high school in Portadown, Northern Ireland and then Belfast, Northern Ireland. She holds degrees from the University of Connecticut (B.A. in English and History), the University of Hartford (MAT in English), and Wesleyan University (CAS in Science and Philosophy). In addition, she studied Japanese in Kyoto, Japan, at Wesleyan University, and at Central Connecticut State University.

In addition to the Excellence in Teaching Award, three faculty members were honored for promotion to full professor: Dr. Thomas Batt, Professor of Humanities and Composition; Dr. Leon Raikes, Professor of Humanities and Composition; and Dr. Alan Verde, Professor of Ocean Studies.

Maine Maritime Academy is a co-educational, public college on the coast of Maine offering 18 degree programs in engineering, management, science, and transportation. Year over year, the job placement rate for MMA graduates is in excess of 90 percent within 90 days of graduation. In 2014 and 2015, MONEY magazine ranked Maine Maritime Academy the #1 Public College in America on their Best Colleges list.