BIE Students from Maine Explore STEM Opportunities at MIT

During the week of March 24, 32 middle school students and 12 staff members from Maine Indian Education’s three schools—Indian Island School, Indian Township School, and Sipayik Elementary School—traveled to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They participated in two and a half days of programming hosted by the Beaver Works Summer Institute, including workshops, demonstrations, an opportunity expo, and more across the MIT campus.

The workshops explored emerging technologies and cutting-edge scientific concepts designed to spark curiosity and innovation among students. Students also toured unique MIT spaces, including the Hobby Shop, Edgerton Center’s Milk Drop Shop, D-Lab, Breakerspace, and the Center for Bits and Atoms. The students’ days were full and engaging, and they had dinner in one of the student cafeterias. They also enjoyed an evening improv session with the Nova Comedy Collective. It was a memorable experience that attendees will treasure for years to come.

Joel Grimm, manager of Beaver Works at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and Nancy Dalrymple, NAIA advisor, began discussions with Maine Indian Education last November about organizing a student trip for the Penobscot Nation’s Indian Island and the Passamaquoddy Tribe’s two reservations in Downeast Maine. Soon after these conversations started, scientists, engineers, and other academics from New England signed up to support this inaugural program sponsored by MIT Beaver Works.

Beaver Works received grant support from the Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL) to engage Native youth in STEM programming and increase their exposure to potential career opportunities. According to the National Science Foundation, only 0.6% of Native Americans earned a bachelor’s degree in STEM in 2019.

Maine Indian Education’s leadership appreciated the opportunity to take their students to campus and explore STEM.

“Joel and Nancy have advocated for and supported programming for our students for several years, much of it occurring locally until this year,” said Maine Indian Education Curriculum Coordinator Beth Clifford. “These engagement opportunities are an invaluable gift that has planted more seeds for future experiences than we can imagine.”