Experiences in STEM for High School Students, USM EAST Program

 EAST works with students from high schools in Southern Maine who are interested in pursuing their college education and career in STEM fields.

Transitions Program

High school students and teachers are paired in mentor-mentee partnerships which work together throughout the schoolyear.  The objectives of the Transitions Program are to:

• Help students envision and plan for futures in STEM
• Address the student’s individual barriers to accessing and participating in STEM fields
• Create opportunities for students to engage in STEM experiences
• Help build skills that will promote success in STEM
• Share the enthusiasm that teachers have for STEM fields
• Provide students with undergraduate and adult role models for success in STEM majors and careers
• Give students an opportunity for first-hand experiences in STEM at USM
• Provide students, teachers, and special educators with information on USM, college disability services versus high school disability services, STEM majors, EAST and other support services at USM for students with disabilities

In addition to working together in school, the mentors and mentees come to the USM campuses for specially-designed events, including: College Students for a Day; Transition to College Day; Special Interest Days in, for example, Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, and Psychology; and Thinking Matters, USM’s annual symposium of student research.

Seniors are also given the opportunity to work with specialized mentors in writing their college essay, completing the Common Application, and working on their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

STEM Summer Research Institutes

Click here to view photos from the 2012 Summer Research Institute.

In addition to the objectives of the High School Transitions Program, the STEM Summer Research Institutes have the following goals:

• Engage students and teachers in an authentic STEM research experience with a college Professor
• Provide experiences and learning opportunities in the student’s area of STEM interest which they could not get in high school
• Teach students lab techniques that will be useful to them in their STEM field
• Provide a professional development experience for teachers that furthers their own education and gives them activities and techniques they can use in their classrooms
• Create a teamwork experience for students and teachers
• Teach students how to prepare and present a scientific poster reporting results
• Give students a college-level STEM experience that they can discuss in their college application process

In 2012, EAST presented the following STEM Summer Research Institutes (SRI) for students and mentoring teachers from three area high schools.

(1) Developmental Biology, facilitated by Dr. Dave Champlin. Participants:

• Learned how to raise tobacco hornworm caterpillars and moths
• Analyzed gene expression using biotechnology tools
• Conducted experiments on hormone control of development
• Stained tissues and used microscopes to analyze the results

(2) Neurological Biology, facilitated by Dr. Doug Currie.  Participants:

• Learned how to culture brain cells in sterile conditions, grew cells over four days
• Gave cells nerve growth factor in the medium
• Conducted experiments exposing the cells to various substances, photographed and measured results
• Conducted experiments on flatworm/planaria behavior
• Set up experiments measuring electrical activity in leg of cockroach

 (3) Polymer Engineering, facilitated by Dr. James Masi. Participants:

• Studied polymer plastics, learned characteristics of various polymers
• Experimented with polymers provided by Dupont and W.L. Gore (Gortex)
• Learned uses of various polymers used in batteries, transistors, and in solar cells
• Studied research projects in using hydrogen for fuel cells and converting algae to biodiesel
• Experimented with conductive plastics
• Visited USM’s Energy House

(4) Physiological Psychology, facilitated by Dr. Amy Eppolito. Participants:

• Conducted experiments on the sensory systems – vision, hearing, taste, smell, touch and pain
• Found out how we learn new information and form memories
• Studied the neuron and brain development
• Learned about brain anatomy through images of the human brain
• Performed a sheep brain dissection
• Learned about neural disorders including addiction, autism, depression, and traumatic brain injuries

STEM Summer Internships for High School Students

Students who have participated in a STEM Summer Research Institute may be eligible to apply for a summer internship.  EAST sponsors summer internships for recently graduated high school students who will be attending USM as undergraduates in the fall, and for rising high school seniors.

Internships serve the following goals for students:

• Gain experience with conducting research or working in a lab
• Work on a specific project or research question
• Work with a Professor in their field of expertise
• Increase knowledge about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
• Clarify interest in specific major
• Collaborate with a team of researchers
• Inform future education and/or career decisions
• Apply skills and knowledge learned in classes to authentic problems
• Support time management and organization skills
• Provide funding for part-time work during the school year or summer
• Increase knowledge about USM
• Enhance resume