Oregon MESA

We had our first MESA Summer Institute of the season yesterday!

During Summer Institutes, Oregon MESA teachers and staff come together to learn, connect, build new skills, and get grounded in the mission and community that make this work so special.

The day had a little bit of everything: Design thinking, soldering, coding, circuitry, Tinkercad, plenty of hands-on tinkering, and time to build relationships with fellow educators bringing MESA to life for students across Oregon.

A huge shoutout to the entire MESA team, Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, and Portland State University graduate students who jumped in to show our teachers the ropes with circuitry, soldering and Tinkercad.

BIG thank you to the The Lemelson Foundation for providing us with such a wonderful space to gather, learn, and build together.

With the first Summer Institute down, we’re officially off and running for the 2026–27 MESA year. ☀️📚🎓

That’s a wrap on Summer Invention Lab 2026! Lookout for some more highlights next week. Shoutout to the partners that made this possible
nesteamcoalition Albina Vision Trust Center for Black Excellence Portland Community College Portland State University

We’re officially kicking off Summer Invention Lab! 🚀

This week, students are diving into community-centered problem solving, creativity, engineering, and innovation at the Create Space STEAM Center at PCC Cascade.

Oregon MESA is so grateful to be partnering with the Center for Black Excellence and NE STEAM Coalition, and to have an incredible team leading the way: Jonas and Jerome from MESA, along with mentors Samarya and Mimi from NE STEAM Coalition. 💙

We can’t wait to see the ideas, inventions, and confidence that grow over the course of the week. Here’s to learning, building, collaborating, and celebrating together!

Our Oregon MESA students brought home three national medals at NEDC, proving what’s possible when talent is met with opportunity.
These achievements don’t happen by chance. They happen because students have access to mentors, resources, hands-on experiences, and a community that believes in their potential. 🫵
Every student deserves the chance to explore STEM, compete on a national stage, and discover what’s possible for their future. Your support helps make that vision a reality. ✨
If you believe in creating equitable access to STEM education, please consider making a donation today. Please visit the link in our bio or visit Oregonmesa.org/donate

Give a round of applause to our Oregon MESA teams for an incredible week at NEDC in Maryland! 👏
With the NEDC competition officially wrapped, we are celebrating our amazing Oregon MESA middle and high school teams for representing Oregon with excellence on the national stage. We couldn’t be more proud of everything they accomplished!
A special congratulations to Parkrose Middle School for earning 2nd place for their Academic Poster and tying for 1st place for their Symposium! And congratulations to our Early College High School team for taking 3rd place in the nation for their Technical Pitch!
These students showcased countless hours of hard work and we congratulate them for making Oregon proud! 🌲🏆

We had a great time at MESA’s National Engineering and Design Competition, hosted by Maryland MESA at the Johns Hopkins Applied Science Laboratory. The Oregon MESA state champs already had so much to be proud of just by making it to the national stage, and yet they STILL came away with several medals! 🏅

The Parkrose Middle School team created an affordable and accessible temperature-regulating poncho designed to support students experiencing discomfort during extreme weather conditions. The Early College High School (Salem) team developed a collaborative interactive console to foster social connection and emotional development in special education classrooms. 🤩

We are so proud of these teams for representing Oregon with creativity, innovation, and heart. Thank you for showing how STEAM can be used to make our communities more accessible, inclusive, and connected. Stay tuned for more NEDC content, and read more about these incredible projects at oregonmesa.org

Oregon MESA was founded in 1985 on the belief that access to STEM education and exposure to successful role models can meaningfully change the course of a student’s life. Rooted in the legacy of the civil rights movement and founded by leaders of color in Portland, Oregon MESA is committed to advancing equity in STEM education.
Today, we continue that work by removing barriers, expanding access, and challenging the systems that limit opportunity for students from historically excluded communities.
As we honor Juneteenth, we also uplift the legacy of Black STEM pioneers who have shaped the world through their innovation, resilience, and excellence. 💪🏿
We encourage our community to take time this weekend to reflect, learn, and engage with local Juneteenth celebrations.