Maryland STEM Program Newsletter: Local Resources and Guide

Maryland STEM students have access to something rare: a concentration of world-class federal science agencies within driving distance of most of the state. NASA Goddard, NIH, NIST, and NSA are all in Maryland, and they all run school education programs. Combined with a major biotech industry and one of the country's most studied estuaries, Maryland STEM education has more local context than teachers can fit in a year of newsletters.

NASA Goddard: space science in Maryland

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt is one of the largest space research facilities in the world. It builds science instruments for missions including the James Webb Space Telescope and manages Earth observation satellites. Goddard runs education programs for Maryland schools including classroom workshops, teacher professional development, and the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia (a short drive) that offers student launch programs.

For schools in Prince George's County and the DC suburbs, visiting Goddard is accessible. Connecting a space science unit to a facility where the work is actually happening makes the curriculum immediate and real.

Cybersecurity and the NSA corridor

Fort Meade is home to the National Security Agency, US Cyber Command, and dozens of defense and intelligence contractors. Maryland is the cybersecurity capital of the United States. The NSA runs the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity program, and many Maryland schools have access to cybersecurity education resources through this program. For students interested in computer science with a security focus, Maryland offers career pathways that are simply not available anywhere else.

Biotech and the NIH connection

The National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda is the nation's largest biomedical research facility. The Baltimore-DC corridor has one of the highest concentrations of biotech and pharmaceutical companies outside of Boston and San Francisco. For students interested in biology, biochemistry, and medical research, Maryland offers remarkable local career exposure. NIH's science education resources are available to Maryland schools.

Chesapeake Bay science

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in North America and one of the most studied aquatic ecosystems in the world. It is also a restoration project, with significant investment going into improving water quality and fisheries health. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, MD Sea Grant, and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science all offer school programs. Bay science connects directly to chemistry, ecology, environmental engineering, and policy careers.

Template: Maryland STEM newsletter excerpt

"Our school is scheduling a field trip to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in March. Students will tour science facilities and learn about the instruments being built for upcoming missions. We are connecting the visit to our physics and engineering design units. We also have a cybersecurity professional from a local contractor visiting in February to talk about careers in network security. For students interested in computer science, Maryland has more cybersecurity career opportunities than almost any state in the country."

Maryland STEM competitions and recognition

The Maryland Science Olympiad runs strong middle and high school competitions. FIRST Robotics Maryland holds regional events. The Maryland Science Fair system connects to ISEF. The Maryland STEM Festival in November is one of the largest science education events in the country. The Thomas Jefferson High School Science and Technology pipeline draws from Maryland students as well.

Daystage makes it easy to keep Maryland families informed about the extraordinary local STEM resources available to their students throughout the school year.