PFI Project Overview:

1. 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 Start Date: 1 April, 2009 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. 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. By building connections between K-12 students and the marine environment using STEM activities, DIIDM inspires youth to become leaders in their communities and stewards of the resources on which those communities depend. 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 Program Activities: Collaboration Across Fields: 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. 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: 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 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: 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. 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 . . National Science Foundation Partnerships For Innovation Grantee’s Meeting April 25-27, 2010 Arlington, VA