On March 30, 2026, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) and the NASA Science Activation program’s Learning Ecosystems Northeast (LENE) project hosted the third installment of the Findings from the Field Student Research Symposium. This annual event and associated Findings from the Field journal are where students are the experts and the usual “white coat” barriers associated with science communication come down. This year's event welcomed 106 students, grades four through eight, 29 educators, and 15 Subject Matter Experts, and it featured 68 research posters, 14 lightning talks, and 5 discussion sessions. 

To continue to foster a sense of belonging, the 2026 symposium introduced several shifts in how students interacted with science experts, data, and each other. In a move that subverted the traditional “look but don't touch” rule of science, the first part of the day had students engaging in an activity inspired by the Data Vandals art group. They marked up visuals and treated data as a living, breathing conversation rather than a static fact. Another shift occurred within small discussion groups – the physical layout helped position the student scientists as the professionals. Students sat at the main table, while adults and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) sat behind them. This put the youth, and their findings, at the center of the room.

A keynote speech given by Dr. Dave Reidmiller, Chief Impact Officer at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, delivered what became the day’s unofficial mantra – “Science is a team sport”. This idea was reinforced in discussion groups with youth where they realized that scientific inquiry isn’t isolated. Students from different schools discovered they were essentially colleagues working on the same problems.

In the "Ash and Hemlock" groups, students who had only read about invasive pests found themselves swapping notes with students who had actually identified them in the field. Guiding questions posed by facilitators helped bridge any gaps in their knowledge and move the conversation forward:

• What happened?
• How do we know?
• Why does it matter?

These three questions allowed youth and adults to speak the same language, connecting the dots between their local data and the broader community issues they impact.

A new addition to the "Team Sport" this year was the increased presence of undergraduate students. Serving as a middle ground between the younger students and the career scientists, these mentors made the path to a scientific career feel reachable.

The second part of the day featured the students' poster presentations. Here, they practiced communicating their work to an audience of peers and professional scientists, including leaders from the Maine Forest Service and NASA-affiliated researchers. 

Perhaps the most defining moment of the symposium didn't come from a keynote or a professional scientist. It happened in a breakout room during a discussion about environmental data. When a question was posed by another student toward a SME, a student leaned forward and jumped in to answer instead. This wasn't just confidence; it was the manifestation of the symposium’s primary goal. Youth are experts too. 

In the two previous iterations, the Symposium was hosted throughout the entire GMRI building, with posters lining the hallways and every conference room booked with lightning talks. When planning began for 2026, it quickly became clear that we had outgrown the space. Community supporters at GMRI corporate partner, Unum, graciously offered their office to host the growing number of students interested in participating. With the immediate feedback received, 2027 should be even bigger:

“I really enjoyed being able to connect with others on the cool science topics, and being able to share what I’ve learned.”

“I’ve never done something like this before... I might want to research more.”

“Hopefully, I get to do this next year.”

The 3rd Annual Findings Symposium proved that when you give young people a platform, and a sense of agency, they don’t just participate in science, they lead it. After all, they are the experts in the room.

The Learning Ecosystems Northeast project is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AB94A and is part of NASA's Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/