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Three Maine high school students received scholarships as part of the Tyler Technologies and Educate>Maine Project Login Maine App Challenge. The annual challenge invites high schoolers interested in STEM to build a mobile application.

The 2023 winners – representing high schools in Scarborough and Yarmouth – built apps to help students work with math equations, job prospects produce resumes, and patients prepare for colonoscopies.

Read more: Tyler Technologies Announces 2023 Maine App Challenge Winners

bluShift Aerospace conducted a full-scale test of a new biofuel rocket that’s both less expensive to launch and more environmentally-friendly. They hope to use the results of the successful Brunswick test to do a full launch of the rocket by the end of the year.

CEO Sascha Deri:

We wouldn’t be able to launch from Maine if it wasn’t for the fact that our propellants are nontoxic. Mainers wouldn’t tolerate traditional rockets with toxic chemicals launching off their shores.

Read more: Brunswick-based aerospace company tests carbon-neutral rocket

Biddeford’s Ocean Balance will soon be able to process tens of thousands of pounds of seaweed every day, thanks to a new industrial dehydrator.

Maine seaweed can be used for cosmetics as well as food for humans and pets. The specialized machinery also has potential uses to dry and mill other crops after the kelp harvest wraps up in May.

Read more: Called a ‘game-changer,’ dehydrator will handle up to 30K pounds of kelp a day

Caribou artist Kim Chabre is turning trash into artistic treasure. Chabre collects colorful aged glass that likely originated from factories that were in operation during the town’s industrial peak during walks along Caribou Stream and the Aroostook River.

Pieces from the rainbow of glass find their way into a variety of art sold locally and online – and the river flows on with a little less waste.

Read more: A Caribou artist turning riverfront waste into unique creations

Bea Van Dam, a Ph.D. candidate in the University of Maine’s School of Earth and Climate Sciences, has created a tool to monitor bacteria and how they can impact shellfish off the coast of Maine.

The interactive “Estuary Builder” GIS mapping tool provides insight into how land-sea connections affect waters and provides data on flows in tidal estuaries.

Read more: University of Maine develops new tool to predict pollution vulnerability in coastal waters

Culinary arts students from area high schools converged in Orono to compete in a cooking challenge featuring only ingredients from Maine.

The students chose what to create and had an hour and a half to prepare their courses for judges. It’s part of a larger push to give students more opportunities to discover and experience Maine food and agriculture.

Read more: Student chefs show their skills at ‘Innovative Local Foods Cooking Challenge’

The former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone will soon be a new hub of artificial intelligence R&D using quantum computing.

Kennebunk’s Eternal Mind plans to ramp up an advanced datacenter in the coming months, bringing new jobs to the area and positioning Maine as a potential future leader in the industry.

Read more: Eternal Mind and Green 4 Maine Announce the World’s First Quantum Computing Datacenter

Northeastern’s Roux Institute has launched its Future of Healthcare Founder Residency program, working with nine companies in the healthtech space.

The program pairs the companies with experts and mentors, as well as an investment to use in their ongoing growth.

The lineup of companies includes Scarborough’s Apriquot, which works to improve public health with dynamic data, and Portland’s EmTech Care Labs, which is developing a platform to help families manage long-term care.

Read more: Roux Institute Launches Healthtech Residency Program in Maine