FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington has received a National Science Foundation grant of $96,377 to engage rural students with disabilities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) learning through accessible makerspaces.

The innovative UMF incubator makerspace, Maine-Makerspaces for Abilities Driving Entrepreneurship (ME-MADE), is in the Mantor Library Learning Commons. It is available to the university community, with plans to be open to members of the public of all abilities and disabilities.

A makerspace is an area that contains materials and tools for people to work together to learn, collaborate, create and share. They provide hands-on, creative ways to encourage students to design, experiment, build and invent as they engage in STEM.

Over a 16-month period of the NSF planning grant, UMF and its partners, the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance and the Mt. Blue Middle School, will focus on creating a shared vision that will be supported by a range of activities, including, outreach to grades kindergarten to 12 schools throughout the state.

The NSF grant will build on the progress of a three-year, $300,000 grant received from the University of Maine System’s Maine Economic Improvement Fund in spring 2020. The MEIF is the state’s investment in University of Maine System research and development that benefits the people of Maine. The UMF project was recognized as having the potential to provide a positive economic impact for Maine by fostering entrepreneurship in the region.

In its award notice, the NSF acknowledged that the shortage of readily-available, evidence-based inclusive STEM curriculum and technologies that capitalize on rural educational opportunities for students with disabilities is a major obstacle for utilizing accessible makerspaces, especially in rural areas.

The planning effort will address the challenge by centering stem education within the context of makerspace practices in diverse rural localities. It will focus on building a network of local and national partners committed to all aspects of makerspaces, from design-thinking and curricula to STEM career pathways that present barriers and opportunities to rural students with disabilities.

“Our team is very appreciative to the National Science Foundation and the University of Maine System for their support of an accessible makerspace that will increase the inclusion of rural students with disabilities in STEM education and careers,” said Gina Oswald, UMF associate professor of rehabilitation services and principal investigator for the grant. “We believe that our project will open the doors to educational and economic opportunities locally and, in time, nationally for such an underserved population.”