Your help could further MMSA’s vision of a brighter STEM future for the State of Maine and the nation. Today, I ask you to support MMSA and become a part of the movement to support exciting new ways for our youth to learn about science, technology, engineering, and math.
Partner Focus: The Jackson Laboratory
Founded in 1929, The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with more than 1,900 employees. Their guiding mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health. JAX’s programs for high school and undergraduate students and teachers predate… [Read More]
Turning Students into Citizen Scientists with WeatherBlur
WeatherBlur is an amazing MMSA citizen science initiative where school students in ten Maine elementary schools post questions, collect data, liaise with scientists and write reports on issues that affect their community. When students at Sedgewick Elementary School and Chebeauge Island School had questions about the amount and type of trash found on their local town… [Read More]
Cutting-edge Research on Video-based Professional Development
Last month, our research staff had the opportunity to present our latest research on video-based professional learning communities at the national annual meeting of NARST (National Association for Research in Science Teaching) in Atlanta. We organized and chaired the session, which brought together national leaders from Stanford, Northwestern, and TERC, along with MMSA. The session… [Read More]
Partner Focus: Maine Science Teachers Association
The Maine Science Teachers Association (MSTA) is an affiliate of the National Science Teachers Association. MSTA’s motto is “Teachers and science professionals making science education happen in Maine schools and communities.” MSTA represents science teachers at all grade levels and other science professionals throughout Maine. Their goal is to encourage and promote exemplary science teaching… [Read More]
Learning about the Process of Science Through WeatherBlur
This month, the MMSA research team is busy traveling throughout Maine for the spring data collection blitz for WeatherBlur. Over the course of three weeks, the team will travel to nine different schools throughout Maine, from Songo Locks to Sedgwick, to capture both what and how students are learning through their participation in the project…. [Read More]
Teen Science Cafes & RAPID
As we commemorate the 6-month anniversary of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, which collectively were by far the costliest hurricanes in the history of the US, it is sobering to realize that our youth will need to contend with many more natural disasters in their future. Due to climate change, the weather is becoming more… [Read More]
Funtown Splashtown Expands their Highly Successful Physics Day Program to Include Broader Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
Sure, theme parks are a gold mine when it comes to teaching physics concepts, but there’s so much more! After 25 years, Funtown Splashtown USA has elicited the help of MMSA to expand their highly successful Physics Day program to include broader Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) topics. In addition to bringing in more… [Read More]
Afterschool Coaching for Reflective Educators
The Afterschool Coaching for Reflective Educators in STEM (ACRES) is a professional development (PD) model involving frontline staff in afterschool programs coming together virtually. ACRES is actively recruiting new educators for its next cohort. The professional development is estimated to be a $250-$400 value and those who complete the pre and post surveys are eligible for… [Read More]
Partner Profile: University of Maine at Augusta
MMSA has had an active and productive partnership with the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA) for many years. One recent manifestation of this partnership is the National Science Foundation grant award #1440464 titled Computer Science Expansion – Building Capacity for CS Teaching in a Rural State. Dr. Joseph Szakas is Co-Principal Investigator on the… [Read More]