Spotlight – Maine Mathematics & Science Alliance https://mmsa.org Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:47:23 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://mmsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/MMSA-Mark-2-150x150.png Spotlight – Maine Mathematics & Science Alliance https://mmsa.org 32 32 Spring Conferences: The Conversations Shaping STEM Education https://mmsa.org/spring-conferences-the-conversations-shaping-stem-education/ Tue, 09 Jun 2026 15:39:51 +0000 https://mmsa.org/?p=6268 This spring, MMSA staff carried ideas, research, and educator expertise developed in Maine into conversations taking place across the country. From local gatherings in Presque Isle to national conferences in California, they shared lessons learned through our Maine-based programs while bringing new perspectives back to the educators and communities they serve. Whether sharing lessons from play…

Source

]]> How Students are Learning to Connect Math and Energy in Rural Maine https://mmsa.org/how-students-are-learning-to-connect-math-and-energy-in-rural-maine/ Tue, 24 Feb 2026 19:36:53 +0000 https://mmsa.org/?p=5856 This post is part of a series exploring how the Rural Energy Futures project engages Maine teachers, students, and energy industry professionals to explore energy transition topics and develop integrated curriculum. Creating curricula that helps students understand how the world works is challenging. For one thing, hot-button topics like energy efficiency are complex. As technology advances…

Source

]]> Transdisciplinary Learning: A Holistic Approach to STEM Education https://mmsa.org/transdisciplinary-learning-a-holistic-approach-to-stem-education/ Wed, 04 Feb 2026 13:39:00 +0000 https://mmsa.org/?p=5677 The real world isn’t divided neatly into subject areas, so why should learning be? That is why transdisciplinary learning is so powerful. This approach invites educators and students to embrace the messy, interconnected nature of real life, where ideas overlap, problems are multifaceted, and solutions demand more than one way of thinking. Teaching within a transdisciplinary context engages…

Source

]]> 3 Ways Externships Invigorate STEM Learning https://mmsa.org/3-ways-externships-invigorate-stem-learning/ Tue, 03 Feb 2026 21:26:38 +0000 https://mmsa.org/?p=5744 From September to December 2025, teachers participating in the Maine-Bridge project developed lesson plans and activities based on their ten-day summer externship experiences where they were matched with in-state STEM researchers or scientists. Each externship provided a $1,200 stipend, up to 110 contact hours, support from a cohort of peers and MMSA staff, a curriculum writing retreat…

Source

]]> Snapshots of Real-World STEM Experiences with MMSA Projects https://mmsa.org/snapshots-of-real-world-stem-experiences-with-mmsa-projects/ Mon, 15 Dec 2025 17:00:00 +0000 https://mmsa.org/?p=4837 Through its professional learning and research, MMSA consistently shares a unique perspective on real-world STEM literacy with Maine’s education community. In this blog post, learn how MMSA’s projects engage participants in STEM learning that is directly relevant to their professional practice and local contexts. Pairing Teachers with Researchers through Maine-BRIDGE This project brings together…

Source

]]> Tapping into Local Phenomena in Science Education https://mmsa.org/tapping-into-local-phenomena-in-science-education/ Mon, 17 Nov 2025 21:41:06 +0000 https://mmsa.org/?p=4882 What do sea smoke(opens in a new tab), the northern lights(opens in a new tab), and Thunder Hole(opens in a new tab) have in common? Although they are all examples of amazing natural occurrences you can experience here in Maine, they are also examples of scientific phenomena. The term phenomena (plural of phenomenon) is used to identify observable events that can serve as engaging jumping off…

Source

]]> Mentorship Plays Pivotal Role in Rural Energy Futures Project https://mmsa.org/mentorship-plays-pivotal-role-in-rural-energy-futures-project/ Mon, 03 Nov 2025 19:57:15 +0000 https://mmsa.org/?p=4550 This post is part of a series exploring how the Rural Energy Futures project engages Maine teachers, students, and energy industry professionals to explore energy transition topics and develop integrated curriculum. According to David Gibson, Director of Energy at the College of the Atlantic and Rural Energy Futures design team member, “There’s essentially been no dedicated energy education at…

Source

]]> DRK-12, CADRE Leave Lasting Impact on STEM Education in Maine https://mmsa.org/drk-12-cadre-leave-lasting-impact-on-stem-education-in-maine/ Thu, 16 Oct 2025 16:54:18 +0000 https://mmsa.org/?p=4443 The Community for Advancing Research in Education(opens in a new tab) (CADRE) is a network of STEM education researchers funded by the National Science Foundation’s Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) program. CADRE and DRK-12 have been an integral part of MMSA’s work in recent years, supporting numerous projects and research on early childhood science, place-based education…

Source

]]> Planting Change: Jessica Harvey Builds a Culture of Outdoor Learning https://mmsa.org/planting-change-jessica-harvey-builds-a-culture-of-outdoor-learning/ Tue, 07 Oct 2025 13:29:31 +0000 https://mmsa.org/?p=4326 At Elm Street School in Mechanic Falls, Maine, second-grade teacher Jessica Harvey has turned outdoor learning into a movement that reaches across her entire school. With support from Teach ME Outside(opens in a new tab)’s Teaching Outside In Maine 101 Guidebook, she and her colleagues have built a culture that reaches across the school and into the wider community. The Spark: Getting Everyone…

Source

]]> Meeting Students Where They Are: A Spotlight on Cheryl Tobey https://mmsa.org/meeting-students-where-they-are-a-spotlight-on-cheryl-tobey/ Tue, 09 Sep 2025 19:02:35 +0000 https://mmsa.org/?p=4117 Many people grow up believing they just are not “math people,” and Cheryl Tobey nearly joined them. By fifth grade, after moving through five schools in four years, she sat staring at a math worksheet that felt like a locked door, until a teacher pulled up a chair. Cheryl recalls, “My 5th-grade teacher, Mrs. Cogswell, patiently and kindly helped me catch up. That experience ignited a love of math…

Source

]]> Seeing the STEM in Maine https://mmsa.org/seeing-the-stem-in-maine/ Thu, 04 Sep 2025 16:53:45 +0000 https://mmsa.org/?p=4058 Tom Goodwin, MMSA’s digital media specialist, shares what he learned while filming the “STEM in Maine” video series in his guest blog post below. Maine is a large state filled with small communities. I’m only now realizing the full scope of both sides of that proverbial coin. Thanks to the support of the Alfond Foundation, MMSA’s “STEM Workforce Ready 2030” (WFR) project was asked to document…

Source

]]> CS Summer of Fun 2025: Where Educator Curiosity Turned into Classroom Action https://mmsa.org/cs-summer-of-fun-2025-where-educator-curiosity-turned-into-classroom-action/ Tue, 19 Aug 2025 12:32:27 +0000 https://mmsa.org/?p=3851 What do coding with playdough, tracking pH with micro:bits, and designing theater sets in 3D have in common? They are all ways teachers brought computer science (CS) to life this summer, not in computer labs but in classrooms where storytelling, science, agriculture, and art intersect. From July 21 through 24, more than 150 educators gathered at Husson University in Bangor for CS Summer of Fun…

Source

]]>