Welcome
Acadia Learning is a joint effort of the Schoodic Education and Research Center (SERC) Institute at Acadia National Park, the University of Maine, and Maine Sea Grant. Acadia Learning brings scientists, teachers, and students together in partnerships that result in useful research and effective science education. It is supported with funds from the Maine Department of Education, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (B-WET award NA10NMF4690135), the National Science Foundation (DEB 1056692) and private donors.
There are two underpinning themes to all of our projects:
- Our commitment to building a community of teachers and scientists who encourage authentic research in the classroom, and
- Our ongoing Data Literacy research (Molly Schauffler, University of Maine, lead researcher)
The Acadia Learning Project is part of the larger research and education program at Acadia National Park's Schoodic Education and Research Center. Consequently, it builds on scientific work at Acadia and other National Parks, engaging students and teachers in research that is of interest to the park and to research partners at a variety of colleges and universities.
Current Project Activity:
Mercury in Watersheds (Sarah Nelson, University of Maine, lead scientist)
Nitrogen Cycling and Watersheds (Ivan Fernandez, University of Maine, lead scientist and Bear Brook Watershed in Maine principal investigator)
The Acadia Learning Project works to bring the science at Acadia and other National Parks out to the schools. We do this by working with curriculum coordinators and teachers in different school districts across Maine, expanding over time to neighboring states. We provide curriculum materials, summer institutes, professional development during the school year, direct support from research scientists, and a professional learning community made up of teachers and scientists working together.
This website is the worksite that allows us to communicate with project teams, create and distribute curricular material, store and provide project-specific data, support data literacy and maintain an online space for community involvement.
