08/20/2026
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. ☀️📚🎓