Developing Infrastructure for Innovation in Downeast Maine
University of Maine at Machias
Environmental and Biological Sciences
PI: Brian F. Beal
Co Pis: David P. Markow,
Sherrie A. Sprangers, Stuart G. Swain, Susan White
NSF Award #08-583
3 Year Award
2009
Start Date: 1 April,
Key Attributes of our
Innovation Ecosystem:
PFI Project Overview:
The rugged landscape of the Downeast coast defines both
the challenges and the achievements of the Maine communities that
call the region home. Nestled between seemingly endless tracts of
spruce and granite and the rich, cold waters of the North Atlantic, these
communities reap the benefits of a coastal landscape that has been
spared the pressures of growing populations and industrial
development. Downeast towns and villages support uniquely rural
populations that are highly dependant on the vast resources of a
marine environment that is beyond the reach of New England’s urban
centers. The region’s geographic isolation is not without its problems,
however. The area’s low population density and high rates of poverty
and unemployment demand a fundamental change in the way
Downeast coastal towns approach local education and economics.
The innovation economy can play a pivotally important role in
this change. To develop the human and physical infrastructure
necessary to reverse the downward trend in local Downeast
economies, the Developing Infrastructure for Innovation in Downeast
Maine (DIIDM) project will encourage area youth to enter science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The coast,
with its diversity of habitats, species, and fisheries continues to be
underrepresented in public school curricula. The DIIDM project will
create place- and inquiry-based curricular tools for local teachers and
their students that focus on the marine environment – the life-blood of
Downeast coastal communities. Through hands-on, field-based
projects with students and teachers, summer camps, teacher
workshops and informal mentoring, DIIDM will inspire scientific
curiosity and encourage scientific exploration in local schools,
enhancing the number of young people in our region pursuing STEM
fields in college and beyond.
Program Activities:
DIIDM is a dynamic, multifaceted program that is
designed to adapt to the changing needs of its
constituencies. Through experiential, place-based
training in foundation skills relevant to STEM
disciplines, DIIDM is building a flexible framework for
ongoing support of Downeast students, teachers,
schools and communities. Key activities to this end
include:
1.Facility development that includes the creation of a
1,200-square-foo, state-of-the-art t marine education
classroom at Black Duck Cove, Great Wass Island,
Beals, Maine.
2.Place-based experiences in field science and
laboratory research that directly connect students to
the challenges and opportunities that exist in their
local communities and inspire them to pursue STEM
careers.
3.Classroom outreach intended to inspire students to
explore by supporting student research projects and
fostering a more comprehensive understanding of the
dynamics of coastal environments.
4.Professional development opportunities that
provide K-12 teachers with field and laboratory
experiences and curriculum materials that inspire
confidence in classroom teachers and encourage
them to utilize marine-based scientific inquiry in their
classrooms.
Questioning & Curiosity:
Place-based, experiential education is at the heart of
DIIDM. Students are encouraged to develop their own
questions and pursue their own path toward discovery.
DIIDM harnesses students’ natural curiosity and puts it
into a context that creates deeper understanding of key
concepts and investigative processes.
Picture or
Logo from
your project
here
Risk Taking:
As participants in DIIDM programs, students learn that
risk and discovery are inseparable. The experience
provides students with the tools to reach beyond their
comfort zone to achieve their goals. The skills learned
through this process will support the type of innovative,
forward-thinking citizenry needed to lead the region
toward long-term economic and environmental stability.
Openness:
To truly affect change in Downeast Maine, educational
programs and innovation initiatives need to be able to
operate effectively on multiple levels. PFI seeks to
encourage a true paradigm shift, breaking the cycle of
poverty in the region by creating new opportunities from
within. DIIDM programs will reach out to youth from a
variety of learning levels and socioeconomic
backgrounds, encouraging them to work together to
solve real problems that face their communities.
Top Contributions:
1. Broadening of STEM skill set for participating
teachers and students
2. Increased interest in STEM careers through
a deeper understanding of local needs and
opportunities
3. .Increased economic stability for local
communities
Top Challenges:
1. Identifying most effective methodologies for
inspiring disenfranchised youth
2. Overcoming scheduling and other obstacles to
providing regular professional development
opportunities
3.Maintaining student momentum toward STEM
goals
The unique partnerships that have been created within
DIIDM not only bring together multiple disciplines, they
unite multiple forms of education as well. Both students
and instructors from state universities, community
colleges, public schools and other educational
institutions work together in DIIDM to create a versatile
and dynamic program, capable of evolving to meet the
changing needs of Maine’s coastal communities.
Placing Partners in “New
Environments” & “Playgrounds”:
DIIDM’s intention is to reinvent Downeast Maine’s
relationship with the sea, creating a new lens with which to
view the environment that sustains coastal communities. By
reconnecting students with the natural resources
surrounding them through STEM activities, DIIDM will create
playgrounds for creative thinking.
Leading/Inspiring for Surprising
or Unexpected Results:
Partners:
Washington County Community College, University of Maine Sea Grant College Program, Downeast
Institute for Applied Marine Science and Education, Maine School Union #103, Moosabec Community
School District
PFI
Collaboration Across Fields:
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The primary function of DIIDM is to bolster the
economic and cultural viability of Downeast and coastal
Maine towns by facilitating the growth of STEM-based
opportunities for the region’s youth. Engaging students
and teachers in real, place-based research is at the
core of this effort. Unlike more traditional classroom
science programs, DIIDM’s approach highlights the
excitement of discovery, featuring projects in which the
outcome may not be easy to predict. By guiding
students through the exciting, often surprising nature of
research, DIIDM programs offer them the skills
necessary to meet the ever-changing challenges of life
along Maine’s coast.
National Science Foundation Partnerships For Innovation
Grantee’s Meeting April 25-27, 2010
Arlington, VA
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