Our Work

MMSA’s work includes a wide range of professional development for both in-school and out-of-school-time educators as well as grant-funded projects.

In addition, MMSA serves as the convening organization for the Maine STEM Collaborative and the fiscal agent for the Maine STEM Council. MMSA provides fiscal and support services for the Council and Collaborative, including extensive administrative support of the biannual Maine STEM Summit. MMSA staff member Dr. Tom Keller is the Council’s Executive Director and MMSA’s Dr. Tom Keller and Dr. Jan Mokros both serve on the Collaborative and have each served a term as Chair. Learn more about these separate organizations at mainestem.org.

MMSA Current Projects

MMSA Past Projects

3D-TSE

“More Figuring Out”: 3-D Teaching of Science and Engineering (3D-TSE) Click for Larger Map Some seventy-five percent of Maine school districts have adopted a set of science and engineering standards that are focused on three-dimensional (3-D) teaching and learning that integrates the three dimensions of disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, ...
View Project

Early Mathematical Thinking Enhancement Project (EMTEP)

The Early Mathematical Thinking Enhancement Project (EMTEP), a continuation of the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA)'s long-standing Early Mathematical Thinking (EMT) project, created a set of diagnostic assessment tools intended as a formative assessment strategy to uncover students current level of mathematical thinking and guide instruction in grades K-4 ...
View Project

Emergency Response Technology

Emergency Response Technology Natural disasters, especially those involving flooding, are on the rise. Between August and September of 2017, hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria devastated the Houston area, parts of Florida, and several Caribbean islands including the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. They caused both extreme wind and flood ...
View Project

Engineering Ambassadors in Maine

Engineering Ambassadors Engineering Ambassadors pairs local engineers and other STEM professionals with teachers and their students to bring engaging design challenges to middle and secondary classrooms in the greater Portland, Maine area. The program’s main goal is to help students meet and interact with area engineers, hear their stories and recognize ...
View Project

Evaluation of STEMeX with IMLS

STEMex is a highly experimental program that funds scientists and engineers to deliver inquiry-based STEM programs to children aged 6-10 and their families in museums and libraries, using a variety of techniques such as storytelling, personal histories, and analogies. In 2016 the program funded its first four awardees in locations ...
View Project

Exploring Computer Science

In 2018 a supplemental award was made to MMSA to investigate if student learners could communicate computational literacy through video based interviews with local community professionals. Results were mixed. ECS Video Showcase To improve access to computer science instruction by Maine middle and high school students, MMSA developed a proposal ...
View Project

Fewer, Clearer, Deeper: An MSP to Build Coherence

There are two major goals of FCD; first to build a deep understanding of the Common Core Math Standards, the Common Core English Language Arts Standards, and the Framework/Next Generation Science Standards, especially as it relates to practices or capacities; and, second, to build a community of practice among those ...
View Project

Geniverse

Click here to go to project web page Geniverse is a project led by The Concord Consortium that develops free, web-based software for high school biology. It engages students in exploring heredity and genetics by breeding and studying virtual dragons. Interactive models, powered by real genes, enable students to do simulated ...
View Project

Maine Governor’s Academy for STEM Education Leadership

The Governor's Academy experience is designed to prepare STEM teacher leaders to be ambassadors for the mathematics, engineering, and science teaching profession; mentors for the support of new teachers; facilitators of collegial learning; partners and advisers to various district, regional, and statewide initiatives; and contributors to STEM partnerships in Maine ...
View Project

Math & Science Through Engineering (MSTE)

Click here to go to project web page The Math & Science Through Engineering (MSTE) project is a professional development collaboration between MMSA, Maine Maritime Academy, Auburn School Department, Ridge View Community School (Dexter, AOS 94), Lake Region School District (MSAD 61), Mountain Valley & Dirigo Middle Schools (RSU 10), ...
View Project

Powerhouse

PowerHouse, designed by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Seaver Institute, was begun in 2013 with the goal of designing an online learning environment targeting home energy management. MMSA was one of several subcontractors for the project, with the role ...
View Project

Remote Coaching for Afterschool Educators Pilot

The Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance is developing, assessing, and documenting a new model of professional development that targets out-of-school educators who want to embrace STEM education more deeply. MMSA's Dr. Sue Allen directs this project. The pilot program has ended, and the resulting project ACRES (Afterschool Coaching for Rural Educators ...
View Project

Rural Informal STEM Conference 2018

On Sept 13-14 the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance led a conference in Washington DC on the topic of out-of-school STEM learning in rural places. The conference was the first of its kind to bring together about 30 innovators and experts in rural STEM learning that happens outside of school; ...
View Project

STEM Guides: Building Coherent Infrastructure in Rural Communities

The STEM Guides project creates and studies an innovative model of capacity-building for out-of-school STEM learning in rural areas. “STEM Guides” are community members who both cultivate the local landscape of out-of-school STEM and help youth and families navigate it. Small teams of STEM Guides are trained to identify and ...
View Project