Maine Forest Collaborative June Newsletter

MIDDLE SCHOOL

We had a fabulous cohort day for middle school students at UMaine! Our middle school final cohort day took place at the Innovative Media Research and Commercialization Center at UMaine where 8th graders got to stand up in front of an audience of peers and adults and share their projects for the year. In the afternoon students participated in designing and laser cutting their names into keychains, interviewing students from other schools on podcast recording equipment, and visited the Process Development Center to learn about nanocellulose or visited the Advanced Structures and Composites Center to see the 3D printed house and boat.  Check out their final presentations below! 

 Greenville 

Piscataquis

Tremont

A FINAL THANK YOU!

I wanted to share one final thank you to our students, teachers, administrators, community partners, and funders for yet another amazing year of Maine Forest Collaborative!

It is no easy feat guiding students through these projects, but the outcomes are always so worth it! 

Here is our impact report for school year 2025-2026!

We hope you all have a wonderful summer and look forward to another great year next year. 

In the News

Weyerhaeuser trains AI to map every tree in its 10M- Acre estate

America’s largest private landowner is betting artificial intelligence can deliver autonomous skidders, a database tracking every tree in the forest and in-cabin screens telling loggers which stems to cut and which to leave standing — a digital pivot for an industry that, until recently, still leaned on oxen and axes.-->>> Full Article

Sawdust resins are 76% tougher than plastics- and could keep blades out of landfills 

Researchers at the University of Oulu have developed high‑performance bio‑based resins that can replace fossil‑derived materials in composites — with potential uses in turbine blades, boats, sports gear and industrial adhesives.

-->>> Full article

EcoMaine expanding Portland facility to increase processing capacity to 25 tons per hour 

Ecomaine is expanding its Portland recycling facility to 55,000 square feet to increase its processing capacity to up to 25 tons per hour. At a groundbreaking Thursday CEO Kevin Roche said the expansion will be ready to go online in 2027 when the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging law begins to shift recycling costs to packaging producers.

-->>>  Full Article

Engagement Opportunities

Invasive Species Dashboard

Maine has a new interactive map for invasive forest pests! The Maine Forest Service (Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry) has launched the Invasive Species Dashboard, a new online tool that allows users to see where major forest insect and disease species have been detected across Maine.Landowners, arborists, municipal officials, and anyone interested in forest health can explore town-level detections, view when species were first identified locally, and stay informed about risks in their area.The dashboard is updated regularly as new detections are confirmed and also allows users to contribute observations through an online reporting form. 

For Students

Summer Forestry Immerson Program

The Summer Forestry Immersion Program is a six-week-long summer learning adventure for Maine high schoolers. Camp outside, see heavy machinery in action, learn about forest ecology, spend time hiking, swimming, and hanging out by a campfire, all while earning credits toward your high school graduation! Learn more and apply at www.MaineTREE.org/fip

For Teachers

2026 National Climate Educator Retreat 

July 27th - August 1. The Ecology School in Saco, Maine. 

The Climate Initiative’s 6th annual educator retreat will bring experienced climate educators and pre-service teachers together for a collaborative professional development opportunity. This immersive 3-day experience equips new and experienced educators with the skills to integrate climate awareness across all subjects.

Over the course of the retreat, teachers will build their climate knowledge, network with colleagues, have supported time to develop implementable projects/curriculum, be treated to delicious, farm fresh meals, and stay in The Ecology School’s dormitory.Register here!

Signs of the Seasons Program

Are your lilacs blooming yet? Are your tree frogs calling? Maine Sea Grant's Signs of the Seasons Program will be hosting more volunteer training workshops. Join us for these free educational opportunities! Register here.

• Monday, June 15, 2026, In-Person Training, Topsham

• Monday, June 8, 2026,, In-Person Training, Boothbay

RiSE Center Professional learning opportunity open to Maine high school science, mathematics or STEM teachers

Join University of Maine faculty for a STEM content session guided by inquiry and accessibility. You won't just learn about the content—you will experience it through hands-on explorations, small group discussions, and other active learning approaches. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss strategies for scaffolding these complex topics, making them both rigorous and accessible for their students. You may select to attend 1 of our 4 faculty-led content sessions. Each 3-day session will run July 27–29, 2026: Monday (9 a.m.–3:30 p.m.), Tuesday & Wednesday (8:30 a.m.–3:15 p.m.)

There is no cost to attend this event, lodging and breakfast will be provided for those traveling over 65 miles and participating teachers will receive a stipend of $630 for full participation. Contact hours and lunch are included as well. Register for the session you desire once you add the event to the cart.

Force and Motion by Inquiry

Workshop leader: Dr. MacKenzie Stetzer, Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy and RiSE Center Member

While the topics of force and motion are typically covered in introductory physics and physical science courses, students often find this material to be quite challenging. Some students are tempted to focus on memorizing lots of specific equations rather than engaging in physical sensemaking and ascribing physical meaning to those equations. In this content immersion, key concepts in kinematics and dynamics will be built from the ground up through a process of inquiry involving basic experiments and exercises, with an emphasis on sensemaking. Many of the strategies highlighted in this immersion have been successfully incorporated into physics and physical science courses for both high-school and middle-school students.

Teaching the Reasoning of Science (with examples from Chemistry)

Workshop Leader: Dr. Mitchell Bruce, Professor of Chemistry and Rise Center Member and Zoe Prats, PhD Student in STEM Education

Reasoning plays a vital role in innovation and the advancement of science. In this workshop, we explore how scientists reason about the submicroscopic domain—things that cannot be directly sensed—by constructing representations. Participants will work in teams to complete inquiry activities and reflect on how curricular materials, teacher knowledge, student engagement, and assessment can work together to make this reasoning explicit for students. Discussions will include teaching practices and how introducing this frame may provide students support for scientific reasoning.

Mathematical Models in our World: Sun, Sea, and the Sky

Workshop Leader: Justin Dimmel, Interim Director of The Maine Center for Research in STEM Education (RiSE Center), Associate Dean for Academics and Student Engagement, and Associate Professor of Mathematics Education and Instructional Technology, College of Education and Human Development

By embedding mathematical activity in the familiar experiences of the natural world, such as looking out to the horizon, observing light and shadow, or gazing at the night sky, we create opportunities for participants to engage in active mathematical modeling. This content immersion will feature outdoor mathematics labs (weather permitting), and participants will experience these activities as an active learner. Participants will also engage in group discussions on how to embed mathematical activity in our everyday experiences of nature. Time will be allotted to reflect on how to embed these outdoor labs into existing curricula and boost student engagement.

The Sun and the Weather: A Solar-Powered Weather Station

Workshop Leader: Dr. Nuri Emanetoglu, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering and RiSE Center Member

Solar energy can be used to power homes, businesses, towns, or a remote weather station. The principles of designing and using a photovoltaic electricity generation system will be introduced through a sample project based on an automated weather station powered with a solar panel and a battery backup. Skills gained, or reinforced, will include circuit design and analysis, circuit construction and testing, and programming using Circuit Python (or Arduino Uno).

Registration is open through July 10, 2026.

Teachers on the Estuary!

The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve is offering a free three-day in-person Teachers on the Estuary workshop for up to twelve educators July 14-16, 2026! Participants receive $150 worth of equipment to use with their students and a $150 stipend. Teachers traveling a distance will also receive free lodging in Wells. The workshop will be geared towards middle and high school teachers, though others who feel they can adapt content for their audience are welcome to apply. We'll delve into water quality and weather monitoring, vegetation sampling, nature journaling, and marine debris investigations, while exploring the marsh and intertidal habitats on foot and the estuary by kayak. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Friends of Katahdin Woods & Waters Teacher Camp

Teacher Camp, an annual professional development opportunity through Friends of Katahdin Woods & Waters, invites educators of all types to join us for a day of learning and connecting. Teacher Camp connects the following principles to the annual focus: grounded in place, real, empowering, collaborative, integrated, and rigorous.Teacher Camp 2026 will focus on strengthening ongoing efforts at Tekαkαpimək to engage students, educators, and visitors through authentic Penobscot-led learning experiences. Instructors and educators will share in a commitment to provide meaningful, place-based education guided by Penobscot knowledge and connection to this homeland through purposeful exploration of Tekαkαpimək and the connected curriculum. Register here!