Brunswick Teacher Karin Paquin Selected for Competitive NASA LiftOff Summer Institute

Karin Paquin, a teacher at St. John's Catholic School in Brunswick, was selected for NASA's LiftOff Summer Institute after a statewide competitive application process, positioning a Midcoast classroom to receive mission-grade science resources in the coming school year.

LiftOff is not a certificate program. Teachers accepted into the institute spend at least a week working alongside NASA scientists and engineers, building lesson plans, student project frameworks, and assessment tools aligned with national science standards. The selection process weighs demonstrated STEM commitment, prior experience leading student-centered inquiry, and what NASA evaluators call "multiplier" impact: the applicant's concrete plan to spread what they learn to colleagues, not just their own students.

That multiplier potential is where Brunswick has the most to gain. Paquin's selection means St. John's students stand to receive curricula built around actual NASA mission science, including the kind of project-based, data-driven work that regional employers in defense, marine science, and advanced manufacturing increasingly expect from entry-level candidates. Bath Iron Works, the largest employer in Sagadahoc County, has consistently flagged early STEM exposure as a workforce pipeline priority; programs that give students hands-on experience with engineering design cycles feed directly into that need.

The practical payoff from LiftOff can take several forms: new inquiry units tied to real mission data, cross-classroom collaborations with Brunswick public schools, and events such as model rocketry demonstrations or telescope nights that extend learning beyond St. John's walls. Participating teachers often return with materials colleagues can adopt immediately, compressing years of curriculum development into a single school year.

What would convert Paquin's individual opportunity into a lasting community asset is a public-facing event in fall 2026: an open student project showcase at St. John's or a partnered venue where Brunswick families, local employers, and prospective students can see firsthand what NASA-aligned instruction produces. Organizers interested in partnering should contact St. John's or the Brunswick School Department's STEM coordinator now, before the summer institute shapes the curriculum.

The LiftOff selection followed a statewide application review, placing Paquin among a small cohort of Maine educators judged most capable of turning NASA resources into lasting classroom change.