SELF program offers Maine high school students access to STEM fields

The Sustainable Engineering Leaders of the Future (SELF) Residential Summer Institute for High School Students is a no-cost, coeducational program that connects Maine high school students to STEM career pathways. From June 21–27, 30 students will explore cutting-edge research at the University of Maine through demonstrations, hands-on activities, field trips and collaborative project work.

Summer STEM programs provide K-12 students with opportunities to discover, explore and expand upon their academic passions. For many students, like 2015 SELF participant Grace Gilboe, these programs can be a powerful introduction into STEM fields that they otherwise may not have considered.

“[SELF] was my first real look into the world of engineering and energy and started my deeper level of understanding how engineering design and decisions impact the real world,” said Gilboe. “I thought I was a very artsy kid that was going to go to school for linguistics or something revolving around history. I still have those passions but realized I craved a deeper science/engineering understanding of the world and wanted to explore that deeper.”

Students living in areas with limited educational resources can often struggle to find advanced learning opportunities. Programs like SELF can be especially meaningful for these students during a time when they are starting to consider what they might want for their future.

“It was a determining factor in her educational path forward,” said Shelley Farrington, Gilboe’s mother, when asked about SELF’s impact on her daughter. “Having STEM programs like SELF available and making them free can be a game changer for students. It opens up opportunities that might not be possible if it wasn’t for that program.”

Inspired by her experience with the SELF program, Gilboe later returned to UMaine for another STEM summer program and again as a student in engineering. Today, Gilboe works as an ISO Manager for Sappi—a global leader for sustainability in the pulp and paper industry.

Applications for this year’s SELF program can be submitted online through April 30. This program is a partnership between School of Forest Resources, Forest Bioproducts Research Institute, the Maine College of Engineering and University of Maine Cooperative Extension 4-H. Funding provided by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), USDA.