Helene McLaughlin

Helene McLaughlin is the STEM Academy Program Specialist and is responsible for managing APL’s STEM Academy. Before joining APL in July of 2024, she spent 9 years teaching physics and other physical sciences within the Maryland public school system. Additionally, she worked to develop in-person and virtual Next Generation Science Standards-aligned physics curricula in two school districts. Ms. McLaughlin has a passion for teaching other teachers engaging and equitable lab instruction in an increasingly digital world. Before her teaching tenure, Ms. McLaughlin worked as a data analyst on space-based telescopes such as Hubble, FUSE, Spitzer, and James Webb. She holds a B.A. in astronomy and astrophysics, with a minor in physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder, an M.A.T. in curriculum and instruction from Adams State University, and a NASA Endeavor STEM Teaching Certificate from the Teacher’s College at Columbia University, NY.