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The ɫ����Ƶ(ɫ����Ƶ) has received a $12,000 grant from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in support of the University’s K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Outreach in Neurosciences and Marine Sciences as part of AAAS’s STEM Volunteer Program.

ɫ����Ƶ will use the grant funding to continue the development of the STEM outreach activities that it brings to students in kindergarten through 12th grade in over 14 area school systems.  The goal of the K-12 STEM Outreach Program is to engage students in meaningful hands-on activities that will increase their interest in STEM disciplines and facilitate their pursuit of STEM-related college education and careers.

The University’s Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences’ outreach program conducts a variety of short, interactive lessons, tailored for different age groups, to teach students about neuroscience topics, such as brain anatomy, function and injury.  The program reaches over 3,500 students annually and has the flexibility of bringing activities to the schools or bringing students to the ɫ����Ƶ campuses.  CEN’s outreach efforts were recognized by the White House Office on Science and Technology Policy as part of the Super Neuroscience Saturday event held in November 2013 at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

The Center for Excellence in the Marine Sciences has provided unique hands-on outreach activities to local students since its construction in 2000.  Outreach opportunities include lessons on marine biology, an intertidal touch tank, a larval fish identification game, and a shark and skate touch tank.  Over 3,000 students and teachers visit the University’s Marine Science Center each year; and faculty, staff, and students also make visits to area school systems on a regular basis.

Several local organizations and companies, such as the Michael T. Goulet Traumatic Brain Injury and Epilepsy Foundation, Engine, IDEXX Laboratories, Corning Life Sciences, FHC, and Maine Medical Center’s Neuroscience Institute partner with ɫ����Ƶ to contribute to various STEM education and outreach opportunities.

Ed Bilsky, Ph.D., ɫ����Ƶ’s vice president for Research and Scholarship and director of the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences (CEN), stated, “We are thrilled to have been selected by the AAAS organization to be part of their National STEM Volunteer Program. The seed funding will help add a new dimension to our already successful K-12 education outreach efforts in Southern Maine. Having an external organization such as AAAS invest in us is a quality indicator of the programs we are delivering to area school systems.”

Specifically, the AAAS grant will be used to provide formalized training for teachers and external volunteers that participate in the outreach activities; produce professional video training aids to complement existing curricular material and allow for nationwide dissemination; and develop several new K-12 learning modules.

ɫ����Ƶ’s Outreach Coordinator Michael Burman, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and faculty member of CEN noted that the AAAS funds “will directly benefit the K-12 students we work with to hopefully inspire and prepare a future generation of scientists in Maine.”

Bilsky added that “now, with the expert guidance of AAAS, ɫ����Ƶ’s K-12 STEM Outreach Program will have the goal of making an impact at the national level.”