The Impact of Learning Ecosystems Northeast

Perspectives | Apr 25, 2025

Learning Ecosystems Northeast (LENE) is a NASA-funded collaborative partnership with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), 4-H, Maine State Libraries, Wabanaki Youth in Science, Gateway Community Services, and science centers across the Northeast. Explore the impact this program has had on those teaching our youth.

Dozens of educators convene to share resources, ideas, and network.

At the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, we believe that youth deserve meaningful opportunities to engage with science. That belief drives our commitment to the Learning Ecosystems Northeast (LENE) program, a collaborative initiative that equips teachers, librarians, and out-of-school educators across the Northeast with tools, knowledge, and community to create inclusive, place-based science and math learning experiences.

Launched with support from NASA, LENE works to expand access to STEM education by increasing the number and quality of learning pathways available to youth — in schools, libraries, science centers, and community spaces.

Our approach is rooted in six core design principles that guide everything we do:

  1. Youth deserve multiple, varied entry points into STEM.
  2. To better serve youth, educators need spaces to connect, collaborate, and learn.
  3. We can strengthen learning pathways by connecting youth to other experiences both in and out of the classroom.
  4. The inclusion of diverse knowledge and perspectives enriches STEM education and builds community resilience.
  5. Place-based climate education is a rich context for building critical lifelong STEM skills like data literacy and modeling.
  6. NASA’s global science becomes local and actionable when embedded in community learning.

LENE supports educators not just in what they teach, but in how they connect learners to their world — with real data, real questions, and real relevance. Below, you'll hear from a few educators who are part of the growing LENE network.

Educators observing an ice core.
Attendees to a LENE gathering in Orono in early 2025 were taught about ice cores, and how to create a learning experience for youth that is engaging and hands-on.
Attendees also learned about "bud bursting" protocol, and how to observe and learn about trees in the spring.
Attendees also learned about "bud bursting" protocol, and how to observe and learn about trees in the spring.

Hear from the Educators:

Brian Fitzgerald, Mount Washington Observatory

At the Mount Washington Observatory, Director of Education Brian Fitzgerald and his team are steeped in weather data every day. But through LENE, they’ve found new ways to make that data accessible and meaningful for educators — many of whom initially found working with data intimidating. LENE’s tools and professional development have helped educators grow more confident teaching data, giving students a valuable window into how science works in the real world.

Brian Fitzgerald, the Director of Education at Mount Washington Observatory speaks about how the Learning Ecosystems Northeast program, funded by NASA, has had an impact on him as an educator.

Laurie Spooner, Van Buren District School

As a science teacher working in the rural town of Van Buren, Maine, Laurie Spooner has found a powerful community in LENE. The program has provided her not just with curriculum and content, but with a network of support that sustains her through the unique challenges of teaching in a remote district. This helps her guarantee that her students — many of whom may never have imagined a future in science — can see themselves as part of it.

Laurie Spooner, a science teacher in the Van Buren School District, talks about the power of the the LENE community.

Rachel Sylvester, Bridgton Public Library

Librarian Rachel Sylvester sees learning as a lifelong journey. At the Bridgton Public Library, she uses NASA data from LENE to develop programming that reaches beyond children — to teens, families, and older adults in the community. These locally grounded explorations spark curiosity and connect learners of all ages to global scientific ideas in ways that feel relevant and personal.

Rachel Sylvester, who works at the Bridgton Public Library, talks about how the avenues that LENE provides to vetted information and NASA data has been valuable to her as an educator.

Tonya Prentice, Tremont Consolidated School

Tonya Prentice has been with LENE since its beginning in 2016, and the impact on her middle school students has been profound. By integrating LENE-inspired projects into her classroom, she has seen students become more engaged, more curious, and more empowered to ask big questions about the world around them.

Tonya Prentice, a teacher at Tremont Consolidated School, as well as the President of the Maine Science Teacher's Association, was involved with LENE early on, and speaks on the impact it's had on her.

Paving New Pathways for STEM Education

LENE is transforming how educators in the Northeast approach science education — not by replacing traditional classrooms, but by expanding what learning can look like and where it can happen. Whether in a mountaintop observatory, a rural school, or a public library, LENE helps educators use real NASA data and local contexts to make STEM engaging, inclusive, and rooted in community.

Thanks to NASA’s investment, we’re building an ecosystem of learning that connects youth to science in new and lasting ways — and that helps educators, in every corner of our region, feel empowered to lead that journey.

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