It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day in March. What could possibly draw 350 people inside?

On March 20th, Colby College hosted the 3rd Maine STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Summit. This event brought together teachers, administrators, informal educators, students, leaders in education, and industry professionals from across the state. They shared their passion and efforts to bring STEM learning opportunities to K-12 students.

The morning was filled with inspirational talks that envisioned Maine as a leader in green energy and innovator of life-saving technology, with statewide-networked education opportunities. The afternoon was based on EdCamp’s unconference model. Participants were presented with an inspiring morning of talks, discussion, and networking. The afternoon schedule was blank — the perfect recipe for an afternoon full of engaging, powerful, and relevant discussions led by the participants themselves. GMRI staff participated in discussions about project-based learning, media literacy, service learning, and building learning communities. Conversations among participants continue on the STEM Summit unconference website.

It was a great day of building new connections, reconnecting with old friends, and sharing questions and expertise. What an amazing set of people and organizations — all personally invested in education for Maine’s students!

Team GMRI at the STEM Summit

On December 3rd, thirty-eight educators gathered at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) for an Unconference — no agenda or prepared presentations, just a blank schedule and a shared goal of advancing science literacy in Maine. Over coffee, croissants, and conversation, the participants generated the day’s sessions based on their collective interests and expertise, and they became the presenters.

This diverse group of educators (representing classrooms, administration, informal settings, and others) generated a dynamic mix of sessions. Participants could join any of the wide-ranging discussions, including “Mobilizing and Training Citizen Scientists,” “Improving Writing using Social Networking,” and “The Next Generation of Science Standards.” Or participants could explore “Using Theater to Teach Science,” “Nature Journaling,” and “Google Tools for Educators.” This is just a small sample of the 23 sessions participants offered throughout the day.

Participants reflected on the experience:

“Everyone has valuable information to share, or can lead the discussion around an issue or question, so I think everyone should consider presenting.”

“I realized we all work and have expertise in unique areas. Presenting gave me an opportunity to both provide information but also get wonderful input.”

“The tone of the conference is low key and collegial. We are learning about ideas that we want to know about.”

“I had a great time and spoke with people I probably wouldn’t have had the chance to. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of being able to make choices.”

“This was my first unconference and I didn’t know what to expect. I found it very educational and informative. I would attend another conference without hesitation.”

Not all of the unconference took place through personal conversations. There was also some high-tech “back-chatter” through Twitter and posts to a shared website. To view the networking and resource and idea sharing that this unconference sparked, please check out our Science Literacy Unconference website.

I love my job. I get to work on my passion for sustainability alongside the fabulous people who harvest, process, deliver, and sell seafood. It doesn’t get much better than that…

Well, it just did. This year, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute started working with fishermen and chefs to build markets for underutilized and underappreciated seafood. As a result of this work, we will be at Maine’s premier food event, the Harvest on the Harbor, helping to promote bountiful, but less appreciated, seafood species from the Gulf of Maine. The event, The Ultimate Seafood Splash, will take place on October 20th, from noon to 2:30 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet the fishermen who harvest seafood and the chefs who expertly prepare it. Of course, this “foodie” event will include plenty of tastings paired with wine. Check out the Portland Press Herald article for a preview. Tickets are still available!

As I mentioned, our participation in this event spawned from our longer-term efforts to build markets for underutilized and underappreciated species from the Gulf of Maine.  Along with our steering team of food service professionals and fishermen, we plan to raise awareness and market value for these species in the Gulf of Maine region. Read more about our efforts in the Press Herald. Keep an eye out for promotions and consider supporting the restaurants that are involved.

By Olivia Tansley, Development Coordinator

We were thrilled to host Portland Greendrinks along with Maine Businesses for Sustainability (MBS) in July. It was a great opportunity to provide guests with fun ways to learn more about GMRI and the work we do.  We created “learning stations” on each of our three floors to highlight our Vital Signs science education program, Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested seafood branding program, gear technology research, and lobster research. The learning stations were a big hit, but the most engaging part of the experience for the GMRI staff, interns, and board members who attended was talking with others throughout the evening. It’s always great to make new connections, learn about what others are up to, and talk about what makes GMRI such an exciting organization.