UMaine students’ affordable housing pitch places second in competition
Photo / Courtesy Ling Li
Liam O'Brien (left) and Albert Putnam stand in front of a nature exposure facility used and built for research.
A University of Maine team consisting of a graduate and an undergraduate placed second in the 2024 Hack-A-House: A Housing Affordability Hackathon organized by Ivory Innovations, a nonprofit operating as an applied academic institution at the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business.
Liam O’Brien and Albert Putnam presented their idea on innovation incentives for mass timber, titled “Building Innovation Centers: A holistic approach to education in the built environment.”
O’Brien is an interdisciplinary Ph.D. student with a concentration in building science. Putnam is an undergraduate double-majoring in construction engineering technology and sustainable materials and technology.
The presentation highlighted the significance of workforce training and education within the construction sector to aid in the adoption of new bio-based building materials and technology. The program would provide public access to technical information in one centralized location, with UMaine to act as the first place-based hub, according to a news release.
In their comments, judges said they liked that the team’s submission emphasized the importance of workforce training and educating the public about opportunities in construction.
The team was among about 400 participants from more than 60 schools across the country.
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