Student Profile
Will Chabot, about-face
When Will Chabot graduated from high school in 2014, he didn’t see the point of going to college. But his viewpoint took an about-face when he enrolled at SMCC three years later.
After high school, Will worked as a cashier at Sears and then as a repairman at a cell phone repair shop. But he eventually realized that he knew more about electronics repair and running a business than the repair shop owner, so he decided to give a college a try ― with no expectations.
After arriving at SMCC in 2017, it didn’t take him long to appreciate the value of college, a 180-degree change from when he completed high school and thought he could learn whatever he needed on the internet.
Will has earned a perfect GPA and will graduate in May with a degree in Pre-Engineering. Beyond engineering, he’s taken a wide range of classes ― entrepreneurship, leadership, welding, precision machining and philosophy, to name a few ― simply for the learning experience.
He’s also immersed himself in campus life as vice president of the Student Senate and president of the student car club (which he started) and the philosophy club. Once a week, he teaches pupils at a Portland elementary school in the field of science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM.
Following graduation, he plans to transfer to the University of Maine. In time, he hopes to have his own business researching and developing new STEM-related products and devices.
“The point of college is all the connections. It’s being in class talking to people who have been there and done that. It’s about people who are doing it here and now. It’s about the experience.”
Faculty Profile
Daniel Moore, from research to teaching
Daniel Moore was a scientist at research institutions and a pharmaceutical company before following his real passion, teaching. As Chair of the Biological Sciences Department, he teaches classes and oversees three programs: Liberal Studies – Focus in Science, Marine Science and Biotechnology.
Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Oregon and a master’s in liberal education from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland. While earning his master’s, he worked as a lab technician at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.
Moore next earned a Ph.D. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before working his way up to a senior scientist position at a small pharmaceutical company outside of Boston.
He moved to Maine in 2001, first working as a researcher at Maine Medical Research Institute in Scarborough and eventually coming to SMCC in 2007.
Moore was drawn to the academic world because of a passion for teaching. In years past, he has taught partner dances such as ballroom, Lindy hop and Argentine tango, as well as teaching adaptive skiing. He also used to train new disc jockeys at a college radio station outside of Boston.
Moore likes to clearly communicate to students what is expected of them and then get out of their way and let them explore and learn from experience.
“I love teaching even more than research. I try to make my classes just the right amount of challenging; the challenging courses are the courses I remember the best from my time in college.”