Kernels from
Exciting developments abound at Apriqot! As a supporter of our work, we want to provide you with some brief updates – or kernels – about our growth thus far in 2024. We’re calling these snippets "kernels" because kernels are the seeds of an apricot, and these updates are meant to provide a snapshot of what’s happening inside Apriqot.
Celebrate with Us!
In April, we reached the first anniversary of Apriqot’s official founding.
You're invited celebrate at Gritty McDuff’s Brew Pub from 4-7 pm on Thursday, June 20 at 396 Fore Street in Portland. Hope to see you there!
Our Growing Team
Nicole Hewes joined us as a Roux Institute co-op in January and is now our Director of Projects and Communications. In her daily work, Nicole works on research, data analysis, and project management – all with a focus on ensuring Apriqot’s efforts are aligned and properly communicated. When she’s not working, her favorite adventure activity is biking, ideally near the Maine coast. Her favorite snack foods are yogurt and cheese & crackers.
Xinyan Liu also joined our team as a co-op in January. She is a top-notch Data and Software Engineer who created our first Apriqot models and estimates and is helping turn our technical and statistical vision into a reality. Unfortunately, Xinyan will leave our team in September to complete her Master's in Computer Science degree at the Roux Institute. We will continue to benefit from the technical foundation she’s laid for us. Xinyan is an avid snowboarder and spent lots of time this past winter hitting the slopes. Her favorite snack foods are ice cream and caramel popcorn.
Tim Masse stepped into a role as Fractional Chief Strategy Officer in May. He possesses deep business and client development expertise and is assisting us with strategy planning to drive Apriqot’s growth. Tim retired from BerryDunn Consulting in 2022 and became a mentor to Apriqot when we began our residency at the Roux Institute. Tim enjoys hiking mountains, maybe with one of his favorite snacks – Grandy Oats granola – in his pack. Tim is also a big fan of yogurt and ice cream.
Rafael G. Ramos, PhD joined our team as a Geospatial Consultant. He specializes in applications and mapping of GIS data and is helping us lay the foundation for our visual outputs. Rafa enjoys hiking and exploring new trails near his home in New York. His favorite snacks are ice cream/gelato and croissants.
Orijeet Mukherjee will join team Apriqot in July to serve as a Machine Learning Engineer and take over much of Xinyan’s work. He currently serves as a graduate research assistant at Northeastern’s Institute for Experiential AI and is also working toward his Master’s in Computer Science at the Boston Northeastern campus. When he’s adventuring, Orijeet likes challenging treks that help him remember that “life is more beautiful without the phone.” His favorite snack is vada pav with extra spicy chutney.
We are also incredibly grateful for the support of our team of advisors.
Stuart Sweeney, PhD
Dr. Jennifer Monti
Deborah Mills-Scofield
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Michael Balsam
Maura Cass
Our Projects
We are currently hard at work on three projects.
Mapping Food Insecurity in Southern Maine with MaineHealth and the City of Portland
Apriqot is engaged with MaineHealth and Portland Public Health for a series of projects, the first of which is generating population estimates for indicators of food security in Cumberland and York County that are both geographically and demographically downscaled. This project will help improve the food security of Southern Maine residents.
Medical Baseline Program Eligibility with California’s Investor-Owned Utilities
In conjunction with Verdant Associates (a California-based consulting agency), we will produce customer eligibility estimates for a Medical Baseline program offered by California's four investor-owned utilities. For this project, we are creating estimates of the proportion of the population whose health condition or use of a medical device may qualify them to receive energy discounts. Ultimately, these estimates will aid the four utilities with their Medical Baseline program outreach and enrollment efforts.
Alzheimer’s Surveillance and Detection with the Maine CDC
We are producing geographically detailed estimates of the burden of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias (ADRD) at the sub-county level in Maine. These estimates will assist the MaineCDC with surveillance and detection of ADRD in Maine communities and provide insights to help them allocate their public health resources and outreach efforts effectively. This work is supported by a Roux Institute Accelerator Grant.
Thanks for Supporting Apriqot!
We will have more "kernels" to share with you as we continue our growth in 2024.
Thank you for your continued support of our efforts.
And for those of you in the Portland area, we hope to see you at Gritty’s on the 20th!