Karin Paquin will join educators from across the country for the weeklong LiftOff Summer Institute in Houston.
BRUNSWICK, Maine — A science teacher at St. John’s Catholic School in Brunswick is going to spend a week in Texas as part of a program where educators go from teachers to students.
It’s called the LiftOff Summer Institute, and Karin Paquin was selected for the 2026 cohort. She will spend a week in late June learning from NASA scientists and engineers about space science, technology, and engineering.
Paquin said she’ll have some long days during the program, but she’s looking forward to every minute of it.
“Just working with other like-minded teachers, meeting with NASA scientists and engineers, and being put in a situation where I’m the student and learning new things, just as my students will then learn it when I bring it back—that’s exciting,” Paquin explained.
The program’s theme this year is “Moon to Mars: A New Era of Discovery,” which connects to what Paquin has been teaching in her classroom. She has been incorporating lessons on NASA’s Artemis II mission to the moon as excitement builds ahead of the anticipated April 1 launch.
Paquin said she hopes the experiences will be something her students can learn from as well.
“I’m hoping to bring back some new labs, some new activities for them, experiences,” Paquin explained. “Something I always do is try to connect with those scientists and see if any of them are willing to Zoom with our students here in Maine, bringing those experiences back because sometimes hearing it from someone who’s not their teacher is so much more impactful.”
Paquin also said she wants to show her students that you can always keep learning, no matter your age.
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