COURTESY OF THE MAINE SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS
In the classroom at Maine School of Science and Mathematics, students learn real lab skills. In the field and through internships, they learn practical methods for collecting data, testing ideas, and communicating results. The goal is more than a grade; it’s about real outcomes that help daily life. Maine needs more than just science research; it needs science with an impact. With an aging population and an economy tied to forestry, wildlife, and tourism, the state needs science that delivers actionable steps. Public services rely on reliable tech, so research that strengthens resilience matters to everyday life.
During a two-week special projects class called January Term (J-Term), students take one special-focus class or pursue an internship aligned with their passions. The internships, available to sophomores and higher, let them step into real workplaces to get hands-on experience, not just learning, but also doing. Some may work with people in a doctor’s office, at a software company on a computer, or in the field monitoring woodlands and collecting data through field notes.
One such student is sophomore Olivia from Wiscasset, who worked with Dorothy Lamson (retired head of Chewonki) to monitor how northern Maine’s woodlands adapt to this winter climate, through daily lessons and explorations. Olivia said they would start an expedition outside, tracking animal prints and looking for anything new. She spent much of her time around a reserve area owned by a company that manages parks. In the evening, she would review the journal of data points she had tracked each day and compile the results in a table. She said she focused on birdwatching and observed their behavior.
January Term offers both on-campus classes and student-driven internships. Olivia said she considered the class options, but loves the Maine outdoors and wanted to go out and explore. She loved the repetition of tracking the same things every day and noted, “Real research is multiple takes.” She said she was most proud of her journal and how she analyzed the data. She said she can identify every kind of conifer tree and almost any local Maine tracks.
One unique feature of MSSM is the way students can choose their own paths based on their passions. It was Olivia’s job to completely coordinate the internship, and she appreciated the trust and freedom she was allowed. She appreciates the way students at MSSM have so much freedom in doing their work and wishes adults would trust children more with real work.
When asked how she would respond to a Legislator asking why this matters, Olivia said, “We need to be more aware of how our ecosystem works.” She added, “If we do not understand behaviors or why things are happening, we cannot prevent problems.”
That is exactly what internships like Olivia’s build. Students learn about patterns, evidence, data collection, analysis, and explanation. This not only teaches a real-life skill, but it also helps make Maine smarter about winter, wildlife, and climate.
