elementary country research project

Teach with Holly Rachel

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How to Teach a Country Research Project

February 17, 2022 By Holly Rachel

I love teaching a research project on a country. They are so much fun and students gain so much from studying them in your social studies curriculum. I have found that students find them fascinating and love learning interesting facts and recognising the similarities and differences between the country they are learning about and their own way of life.

What is a country research project?

In simple terms, as part of social studies, students create a report on a country by researching facts about it. Their country report could be a wide range of presentation mediums such as a written project, an oral presentation, a poster, worksheets, a performance or even a video, you can be as creative as you like! Student can use a range of methods to research their chosen country. This could be through books, the internet, interviews or from teaching presentations and information sheets.

Why are country research projects important?

It is so important that we teach students about different cultures to their own and to accept and respect differences, as well as to look for the similarities between us all. This is especially important in the interconnected world we live in today.

There are so many benefits to teaching a research project on a country. These include:

-Gaining knowledge about new places and different culture

-Sparking curiosity and a love of learning

-Understanding and accepting differences

-Recognising that even though cultures may have differences, we all share similarities

-Gaining a deeper understanding of their own culture as they learn about others

-Because they are so much fun!

How to do a country research project

A research project on a country may be part of your curriculum, or you may teach the project as part of a whole school cultural week. Alternatively you could set the project as homework for your class. It’s also a great idea to use the project to support learning across other subject areas. For example, students could use the knowledge they gain from their country study and use it in their writing, such as a story setting or an information text. Students could recreate art from the country or develop map skills.

What to include in a country research project

This is the fun part! You may wish your students to lead their own research and report on the areas that interested them, or you may wish to give some guidance. Some great ideas for your research project on a country could include:

Identify the particular country on a map of the word. Where is it located? What continent is the country in? What is the capital city? You could look for physical geographical features such as mountains and rivers. Does the country border any seas? What are the neighbouring countries?

Research the country’s flag. What does the flag tell us about the country? What is the population? What sort of climate does the country have? Students could use graphic organizers to help them record the information they find.

Food is such a great way to learn about a country. It really tells us a lot about the sort of flora and fauna that can be found the country. It can also tell us a lot about the climate of the country. Is it common to preserve food in a particular way? For example through pickling or using spices? Why might this be?

This is such an important skill. As we become more globally connected, learning an additional language is such a valuable skill. You could start with some key phrases and greetings.  Maybe choose certain activities where you could speak in language, such as greeting each other first thing in the morning, or asking. ‘How are you?’ after lunch.

Sight seeing

Learn about the iconic landmarks of the country. When, how and why where they built? What do they tell us about the country and the people who live there?

Recreate art from the country. This could be a study of a particular artist or art movement. Students could recreate a particular painting. What does the painting capture? What can we learn from it? Or perhaps use a painting from the country as inspiration for students’ own work, this could even span different subjects. Create a bulletin board of the students’ own work!

Teach students songs from the country. This is also a great way to learn a language. Listening to and singing songs can really help students gain a valuable insight into the culture.

Sweden Country Study

If you’d like to get started with a country research project, check out my FREE Sweden country study when you subscribe to my email list. These are perfect for your Social Studies 2nd Grade curriculum.

Included is a PowerPoint presentation with 10 slides packed full of information to teach your students all about Sweden. Slides include a map of Sweden, the Swedish flag, basic Swedish phrases, Swedish foods, Swedish landmarks, the Northern Lights and Dala horses, a traditional Swedish craft. That’s right, I have done all the research for you, so it is NO-PREP and ready to go!

Teach the topics as part of your social studies weekly lesson. Alternatively, allow students to complete the project at their own pace or assign out as homework.

Along with PowerPoint slide is an associated social studies worksheet for 2nd Grade students to complete with the information they have learned from the slide show. So this means no trawling the internet finding a worksheet to match a PowerPoint and spending hours making your own. It is all done for you!

Not only that, the activities are differentiated on two levels to support a range of ability levels in your class.

Do you spend hours prepping work for early finishers? Well, I’ve got you covered with a wordsearch all about Sweden!

Also include are summary activities about the project. This includes a worksheet for students to record their favorite facts and a postcard template. Students imagine they have visited Sweden and write postcard home about their travels!

Finally it comes with a super cute cover sheet so your students can make their own booklet with the worksheets. Did I mention this is all FREE? Grab your FREE Sweden Country Study today!

If you’d like to check out my other country studies, I have a whole range of countries available:

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Country Research Project

Our Country Research Project is ideal for older elementary students and middle school students. Before tackling this Country Research Project, we introduce, review, and solidify basic map skills with our FREE Printable World Maps & Activities . By the time my students reach 4th grade, they do one of these projects a year for the next two years.  In this project, you can implement research, writing, reading, and more into your homeschool. Our FREE Country Research Sheets & Maps make teaching and learning about different countries around the world easy!

*If you teach in a school setting or would like to download all of our Country Research Project Printables at once, check out our shop . For those of you looking for more free social studies resources , check this post out!

*Be sure to have these on hand when starting to teach geography. Do you have a  globe ? Check. Do you have a world map ? Check? Do you have an  atlas ? Check. Then, you are all set!

As a Christian Book and Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support. As always, we only recommend items that we truly feel will benefit your homeschooling experience. We appreciate it.

What is included in our Country Research Project?

Country research sheets.

Our Country Research Project always starts with one of these country research sheets. There are two options to choose from. Years ago, my oldest did his research using a brainstorming sheet. We made it work, but it was much harder to organize his notes since they were random. The Country Research Sheets give students focus and guide them to information that would make a solid research paper. From experience, these research sheets make it easy to organize information for a 5 paragraph essay.

DOWNLOAD COUNTRY RESEARCH SHEETS

Blank continent maps with outlines.

This set of Blank Continent Maps with Outlines coincide perfectly with the FREE Country Research Sheets. Whatever country your student is studying, print the corresponding continent map out. Your student can then locate, label, and color their country within its continent. The worksheet then instructs the student to label the countries bordering countries and oceans. This map is an excellent addition to the Country Research Project.

The second version includes the outlined map, but has no instructions written at the top. For those you wanting to use these to color all continents rather than one, then you can!

DOWNLOAD BLANK CONTINENT MAPS

Research paper.

Once my student completes the country research sheet, it is easy to sit with them and discuss what facts should go into each paragraph of their essay. We literally looked over the facts, and then wrote a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 next to them. This was an easy guide for  my student to follow when he sat down independently to write his country project paper. If the fact had a 1 next to it, that meant he was to include that fact into his first paragraph. 2 meant second paragraph and so forth. When I teach my kids to write a 5 paragraph essay, I like to break it down into an introduction paragraph, 3 body paragraphs, and then a conclusion or closing. Each paragraph should include at least 3 sentences, but 5 sentences are encouraged. You might be interested in checking out our  5-paragraph graphic organizers . They make creating an essay outline easy!

DOWNLOAD COUNTRY RESEARCH PAPER

Project visual.

Creating a visual for the Country Research Project is one of the last pieces of this assignment. Some kids will love this aspect of the project and this is where their creativity will shine. Other students will not enjoy this part of the project. No matter, encourage them to write notes and facts about their country, add a title, draw pictures, color it neatly, display a flag, and so much more. We choose to create a poster display. Your student may create a PowerPoint presentation, a hanging mobile, or a cardboard display. There are several options to choose from.

Country Project Presentation

End the Country Research Project with a presentation. For those of us who  homeschool, this can be easily down at the dinner table. Allow your student to present to the family before dinner or after dinner. Encourage them to share their visual and what things they learned about their country. Some of my kids have read their paper out loud. In a classroom setting, presenting their project is a must. Public speaking is a skill that should be encouraged when possible. Some kids will really shine when presenting, while others will struggle. Regardless of their strengths or weaknesses, it is always a good rule of thumb to give your child the opportunity to share.

OTHER FREE HOMESCHOOL RESOURCES

Looking for a more Permanent Curriculum?

For the first few years of homeschooling, I created and put together my oldest sons curriculum. On one level, I enjoyed this. It was fun to look at all of the free options and ideas on the web. On the other hand, I got overwhelmed and distracted like a kid in a candy store. As I had more children, life became busier too. It became evident to me that ordering workbooks and textbooks to guide us was ideal for our schedule and life. I still create interactive units to supplement and meet individual needs, but I have found that the workbooks give us  a sense of direction and consistency.

For me, compiling engaging curriculum for each of my kids became time consuming and daunting. It is a huge blessing being able to buy math and grammar workbooks. It gives me a piece of mind to know that I am not skipping around or leaving gaps in their education. Some of you may scoff at this. I am not condemning those that go it wholly on their own. Personally, it was just too much. If I was unable to purchase these books, then of course I would change my strategy to use more readily accessible materials. If you are interested in checking out some of the most popular and effective homeschool curriculum available, follow the link below. Happy homeschooling…

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Guiding Curiosity, Igniting Imagination!

6 Fun and Engaging Activities for Your Country Research Project

Country Research Activities

Country research projects can be a powerful tool for helping students understand the diversity of cultures and the world around them. This type of project offers a unique opportunity for students to immerse themselves in another culture, learn about different customs and traditions, and broaden their perspectives. To make sure that your students are enjoying the process while they learn, it is important to incorporate fun and engaging activities into your country research unit. Here are six ideas to get you started.

I really like this project because it is an easy way to introduce students to different people, cultures and countries. Not a lot of people get to experience travel to other countries when they are young – this is the next best thing!

Virtual Tour

Take your students on a virtual tour of the country they are researching. Use Google Earth or other virtual tour tools to give students a visual experience of the country. I have used National Geographic on oculus. Here are some other resources to get your students excited and learning about the world.

Cultural Presentation

Have students present what they have learned about the country’s culture, including traditional customs, music, and food. Create a museum tour, where each student has a display on their desk representing their country and their research. Invite family to the event.

Music & Dance

Play traditional music from the country and have students learn and perform a traditional dance.

Arts & Crafts

Encourage students to create art projects related to the country they are researching. This could include creating traditional clothing, designing flags, or painting scenes from the country.

Have students learn a traditional theater art form or perform a traditional skit from the country that they researched.

Geography & Tech

Create an interactive map for students to use as they learn about the country’s geography and location. Have students mark important landmarks, cities, and geographical features.

These activities are designed to keep your students fully engaged and having fun while they learn about different cultures and the world. By integrating these activities into your country research unit, you will not only make the project more enjoyable for your students, but you will also increase the likelihood that they will remember what they have learned.

Incorporating a mix of hands-on activities, creative projects, and interactive experiences will help keep students motivated and interested throughout the project. Whether they are creating a virtual tour of the country they are studying, designing a cultural festival, or cooking a traditional dish, students will be learning in an engaging and memorable way.

If you are looking for more direction on how to plan and execute a successful country research project , be sure to check out my country research project for kids packet. This comprehensive resource includes everything you need to get started, including a student introduction letter, a detailed rubric for assessment, and a step-by-step guide for conducting research. Whether you are a seasoned teacher or a beginner, this packet will help make your country research project a success.

I used this during the World Cup for my students to become more engaged! We worked on our country project while we played the world cup in the background. Students got to choose a country that was currently still in the running, and we made a bracket to see whose country would win!

Such an engaging resource that was seamlessly integrated into our curriculum! Very little hassle, but with great outcomes! Thank you!

This resource was amazing. I needed something to connect to our curriculum for writing about countries and this was it. It matched up perfectly, but honestly presented better writing than what would have come from just our curriculum.

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World Geography – Country Research Project Inquiry Task

Updated:  12 May 2023

Help your students discover new countries with our printable country research project template.

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Looking for Research Project Ideas? We’ve Got You Covered with World Geography

Take your students on a trip around the world with our print-and-go country research project template. This resource is designed to help sixth-grade students discover different countries across the globe. Perfect for social studies projects, this pack includes everything you need to guide your students through a comprehensive research project on a foreign country.

No-Prep Country Research Project Template

Our pack includes a variety of worksheets and graphic organizers that will help students explore a civilization at least 500 years old. They will learn about why the civilization settled in the location, what challenges they faced, and how they adapted to the environmental conditions.

With this inquiry project, students will be encouraged to use their decision-making skills to craft questions and make learning choices. Teachers can easily monitor students’ progress and provide opportunities for advice through conferencing.

To enhance their map skills, students must correctly illustrate and label the country/location of their civilization. This pack allows students to engage with their learning in a fun and interactive way, making geography and history come alive.

This resource downloads as a printable PDF file, so all you need to do is download and print!

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6th Grade Social Studies Home

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Saturday, June 1, 2013

A new twist on the 3rd grade country research projects....collaborating and creating something awesome.

2 comments:

Shannon that was amazing! I did CBB epub books this year with two third grade classes. I am going to take your page to them and see if they want to try this out as well.

Hi there! Is there any way to use smores free as an educator?? Thanks!!!!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through, a small commission will be paid to Globe Trottin’ Kids at no additional cost to you.  

TOOLS & RESOURCES

1.  Bookmark the Globe Trottin’ Kids website – a global learning resource for students and educators.

2.  Display a world wall map. Laminate it first, and use wet erase markers to write/draw on it as you introduce different regions of the world. OR… get a world map shower curtain to attach to your wall. If it’s transparent, consider hanging it in front of a window.

3.  Have at least one globe accessible to students.  Inflatable globes are great for individual and small group work – and fun for the kids to bring outside.

4.  Provide a variety of books about world geography, cultures, landmarks, people, animals, etc.. Include picture books, chapter books, magazines, biographies, poetry, and lots of reference books.

5. Diversify your class library. Be sure there are books that represent all of the students in your classroom. Bookmark resources for diverse book suggestions, reviews, and activities you can use all year long.

• Kids Travel Books
• Colours of Us
• Multicultural Children’s Book Day Linky (with almost 500 posts, there’s something for everyone)
• Diversity Book Lists & Activities

6.  Practice map skills throughout the year and across content areas. Map the setting of a story, write a shape poem about the country, and research facts about the country. Printable Maps  offers free continent and country maps for students.

7.  Discover the world, different cultures, and diversity with Joy Sun Bear  – a kind and adventurous sun bear.

8.   Explore the World! with our interactive map.

9.  Use world flags  for decorations, presentations, international events and more!

10.  Download Google Earth  and explore.  Fly anywhere and take virtual tours of anything on Earth.  These video tutorials will introduce how to use the various features.

LESSONS & ACTIVITIES

11. Read What Does It Mean To Be Global? by Rana DiOrio. (Available in French and Spanish .) Through simple text and beautiful illustrations, young learners will discover that being global means being a citizen of the world. Click here for a literature discussion guide and links to related activities.

12. Browse units, lessons, and activities from National Geographic .

13.  Investigate world geography and cultures with our Country Research Projects . Students complete a variety of engaging activities as they research the geography and culture of various countries. Great for a whole class investigation, cooperative learning groups, or an individual project.

14.  Discuss current events. DOGO News  provides interesting articles about topics from around the globe. You have to subscribe to get the related worksheets, but you don’t need those – let the kids guide the discussion. (*Be sure to get the most current edition.)

15.  Participate in the annual “Peace Day” celebration on September 21. Find ideas, and print a toolkit from Peace One Day .

16.  Visit  schools around the world .  First, watch the video.  Then, click on the map to see each photo and read the caption.  Discuss similarities and differences.

17.  Provide opportunities for kids to practice geography skills with free online games .

18.  Read multicultural folk tales, fairy tales, and myths to younger students. Compare  versions of Cinderella  from around the world.

Add a cultural twist to your fairy tale unit with  Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China   and our engaging  response activities .

19.  Recognize Human Rights Day on December 10.  Teach students about The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948.

20.  Discuss the right to education, and how that is not the reality for all. Introduce Malala Yousefzai’s story and her fight for this right. Decide how you can help.

21.  Explore world languages.  Learn different ways to say hello and goodbye in different languages.

Create a class poster to display and use as a reference throughout the year.  As you study different countries, make a word wall to display common words and phrases in the country’s official language(s).

22.  Play traditional games from other countries. Games Around the World  includes directions cards, a world map, and response sheets that kids will love all year long.

23.   “Globalize” your brain breaks and dance parties. Kid World Citizen compiled 25 songs from around the world   that are sure to get kids (and teachers) moving and singing.

24.  Read books from the “If You Were Me and Lived in …” ancient civilizations series by Carole P. Roman. Print our FREE note-taking guide.

25.  Schedule global art projects. We have a Pinterest board with lots of fun ideas for you.

26.  Discover musical instruments from around the world with  Daria – World Music for Children .

Listen to the sound of an instrument, listen to that instrument being played in a song, color the instrument online (or print & color), and then follow written directions to make the instrument.

27. Schedule visitors (family members, business leaders, and community members) to share their culture and travels.

28.  Practice solving elapsed time problems with real-time data from the  World Clock .

Have students take turns choosing two cities and locating the cities on the world map. Then ask students to figure out the time difference between them.

Ask students to solve problems that involve adding and subtracting time. For example, it is 10:32 a.m. in London right now. What time will it be in London 3 hours from now? What time was it in London 6 hours and 45 minutes ago?

For an added challenge, adjust the times to require switching between a.m. and p.m. and days.

29.  Most countries use the metric system. It is important for students to understand this system. Click here for an introduction to metric units.

30.   Explore and convert foreign currencies. Invite students to bring in coins/bills from their own collections to share.

31.  Introduce lattice multiplication – a method used for centuries in many cultures. Challenge students to find other math algorithms from around the globe.

32.  Host an international luncheon. Each student finds and prepares a dish to share and provides recipe cards for the students to take home. (Be sure to have allergy alerts as well.)

Make a class recipe book for students to give their parents as a holiday gift.

33. Play Free Rice – an online multiple-choice quiz game. For every correct answer you choose, 10 grains of rice are raised to help end world hunger through the World Food Programme. Free, and fun for all ages!

34.  Find ways to help and give back, locally and globally. Consider making donations of books, clothing, and toys to charitable organizations, holding fundraisers for a cause, or volunteering to help those in need.

CONNECT OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

35.   Skype in the Classroom   “Take your students around the world without ever leaving the classroom. Skype lessons are live learning activities given by experts via Skype around a specific topic or theme.” Microsoft Educator

36.   Mystery Skype   “The global guessing game that gets kids learning about geography, culture, and the similarities and differences of how children live all over the world.”  Microsoft Educator

37.   Virtual Field Trips   “Take your students for an adventure without leaving the classroom. Visit our experts out in the field all around the world!”  Microsoft Educator

38.   Find Guest Speakers   “Find hundreds of volunteer guest speakers from around the world on a wide variety of subjects.”  Microsoft Educator

39.  Organize PenPals, ePals or KeyPals for the year.

40.  Participate in the Global Read Aloud . The idea is simple – teachers around the world read the same book aloud to their students and then use technology to share the reading experience with other classrooms.

What do you do to Go Global in the Elementary Classroom ?  

Russia, the largest country in the world, occupies one-tenth of all the land on Earth.

Russia, the largest country in the world, occupies one-tenth of all the land on Earth . It spans 11 time zones across two continents (Europe and Asia) and has coasts on three oceans (the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic).

The Russian landscape varies from desert to frozen coastline, tall mountains to giant marshes. Much of Russia is made up of rolling, treeless plains called steppes. Siberia, which occupies three-quarters of Russia, is dominated by sprawling pine forests called taigas.

Russia has about 100,000 rivers, including some of the longest and most powerful in the world. It also has many lakes, including Europe's two largest: Ladoga and Onega. Lake Baikal in Siberia contains more water than any other lake on Earth.

PEOPLE & CULTURE

There are about 120 ethnic groups in Russia who speak more than a hundred languages. Roughly 80 percent of Russians trace their ancestry to the Slavs who settled in the country 1,500 years ago. Other major groups include Tatars, who came with the Mongol invaders, and Ukrainians.

Russia is known all over the world for its thinkers and artists, including writers like Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky, composers such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and ballet dancers including Rudolf Nureyev.

As big as Russia is, it's no surprise that it is home to a large number of ecosystems and species. Its forests, steppes, and tundras provide habitat for many rare animals, including Asiatic black bears, snow leopards , polar bears , and small, rabbit-like mammals called pikas.

Russia's first national parks were set up in the 19th century, but decades of unregulated pollution have taken a toll on many of the country's wild places. Currently, about one percent of Russia's land area is protected in preserves, known as zapovedniks.

Russia's most famous animal species is the Siberian tiger , the largest cat in the world. Indigenous to the forests of eastern Russia, these endangered giants can be 10 feet (3 meters) long, not including their tail, and weigh up to 600 pounds (300 kilograms).

GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY

Russia's history as a democracy is short. The country's first election, in 1917, was quickly reversed by the Bolsheviks, and it wasn't until the 1991 election of Boris Yeltsin that democracy took hold.

Russia is a federation of 86 republics, provinces, territories, and districts, all controlled by the government in Moscow. The head of state is a president elected by the people. The economy is based on a vast supply of natural resources, including oil, coal, iron ore, gold, and aluminum.

The earliest human settlements in Russia arrived around A.D. 500, as Scandinavians (what is now Norway , Denmark , and Sweden ) moved south to areas around the upper Volga River. These settlers mixed with Slavs from the west and built a fortress that would eventually become the Ukrainian city of Kiev.

Kiev evolved into an empire that ruled most of European Russia for 200 years, then broke up into Ukraine , Belarus, and Muscovy. Muscovy's capital, Moscow, remained a small trading post until the 13th century, when Mongol invaders from central Asia drove people to settle in Moscow.

In the 1550s, Muscovite ruler Ivan IV became Russia's first tsar, or emperor, after driving the Mongols out of Kiev and unifying the region. In 1682, 10-year-old Peter the Great and his older brother, Ivan, both became tsar (though Peter’s aunt and Ivan’s mother, Sophia, was in charge). Soon after, Sophia was overthrown, and Peter was considered by most to be the real tsar, though he allowed his brother to keep his official position. For 42 years, Peter worked to make Russia more modern and more European.

In 1762, Peter took a trip to Germany , and his wife, Catherine, named herself the sole ruler of Russia. Just six months later the tsar died—perhaps on his wife’s orders. Now known as Catherine the Great, the empress continued to modernize Russia; supported arts and culture; and expanded its territory, claiming Ukraine, Crimea, Poland, and other places. She ruled for 34 years.

In 1917, Russians unhappy with their leadership overthrew Tsar Nicholas II and formed an elected government. Just a few months later, though, a communist group called the Bolsheviks seized power. Their leader, Vladimir Lenin, created the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R., or the Soviet Union) uniting Russia and 11 other countries.

The Soviet Union fought on the side of the United States in World War II, but relations between the two powers and their allies became strained soon after the war ended in 1945. The United States and many of its allies were worried about the spread of communism, the type of government the Soviet Union was. (In a communist society, all property is public and people share the wealth that they create.)

These concerns led to the Cold War, a long period of tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States. That ended in 1991 when the Soviet Union broke up after many of its republics—such as Ukraine, Lithuania, and Estonia—decided they didn’t want to be part of the communist country anymore.

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Home → Governor Mills Announces Agreement on Federal Research Lease to Advance Floating Offshore Wind

Governor Mills Announces Agreement on Federal Research Lease to Advance Floating Offshore Wind

State of Maine and Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management reach agreement on the country's first research lease in the Gulf of Maine for a floating offshore wind research array, a milestone in Maine's efforts to advance responsible offshore wind development

Governor Janet Mills today announced that the State and the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have agreed on a floating offshore wind research lease in the Gulf of Maine, a key milestone in the State's efforts to advance floating offshore wind research and promote responsible offshore wind development.

The agreement follows BOEM offering a research lease to the State earlier this year. The research lease site, an area of up to 15 square miles in Federal waters nearly 30 miles southeast of Portland, will host the nation's first floating offshore wind research array. The array, which will include up to 12 floating turbines, will inform how floating offshore wind operates and can co-exist with ocean users and ecosystems in the Gulf of Maine.

As proposed, the research array will use floating offshore wind platform technology designed by the University of Maine and deployed by its development partner, Diamond Offshore Wind. UMaine's floating platform, known as VolturnUS, was recently awarded a $12.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for its innovative design.

The execution of the research lease reflects a priority of the Maine Offshore Wind Roadmap , a stakeholder-driven comprehensive plan that offers detailed strategies for Maine to realize economic, energy, and climate benefits from offshore wind, in conjunction with communities, fisheries, and wildlife of the Gulf of Maine.

"Clean energy from offshore wind offers an historic opportunity for Maine to create good-paying jobs, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and fight climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions," said Governor Janet Mills . "This lease between the state and BOEM to support the nation's first research array devoted to floating offshore wind technology is the result of extensive engagement with stakeholders and communities across our state to establish Maine as a leader in responsible offshore wind, in balance with our state's marine economy and environment."

"Offshore wind technology presents a historic and promising opportunity to further grow our economy, support hardworking Maine people and pave the way for a cleaner, greener tomorrow," said U.S. Senator Angus King . "This floating research lease represents a continued investment in innovative offshore wind technology and research, and will help Maine embrace a secure, sustainable energy future -- while striking an important balance with the needs of our fisheries and fishing communities. For years, the University of Maine has worked to develop a floating offshore wind facility and this partnership is a tremendous step forward in cementing our state as a renewable energy leader. I am proud to have advocated on behalf of this project as a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and look forward to this project's future success."

"Offshore wind presents a generation-defining opportunity for Maine to lead the nation in clean energy innovation," said U.S. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree . "This agreement between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the state is a critical step forward in harnessing the power of the Gulf of Maine to create good-paying jobs, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and fight climate change. The research conducted here will not only advance our understanding of this technology but will ensure that its development respects our vibrant marine ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them. Maine is poised to become a model for responsible and sustainable offshore wind development, and I'm proud to support this groundbreaking work."

"Harnessing the abundant clean power generated by offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine will grow Maine's economy, reduce carbon emissions, and help the state reach 100 percent clean energy by 2040," said Dan Burgess, Director of the Maine Governor's Energy Office . "Already a pioneer in floating offshore wind, this lease will further the state's ongoing research by providing critical firsthand experience with the first multi-turbine array in the United States."

"This research lease marks a major achievement in Maine's efforts to advance responsibly developed offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine, which will unlock clean, renewable energy for our state and region while supporting our coastal economy and protecting our environment," said Senator Mark Lawrence and Representative Paige Zeigler, co-chairs of the Maine Legislature's Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology . "We are proud to see this project moving ahead with support from BOEM and look forward to seeing Maine set high standards for floating offshore wind in the U.S. and around the world."

"We congratulate the state on achieving this remarkable milestone," said Chris Wissemann, CEO of Diamond Offshore Wind . "This advances Maine's commitment to protect the resources of the Gulf of Maine while prudently leading offshore wind development in the Gulf of Maine. Continuing progress with the Public Utilities Commission on the Research Array, coupled with progress on the port will kick-start Maine's floating offshore wind roadmap."

"Maine's offshore wind research lease presents a significant opportunity for the state's growing renewable energy sector, workforce, and research institutions," said Eliza Donoghue, Executive Director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association . "The research conducted at the lease site will guide industry best practices and inform responsible development while creating unique opportunities for Maine businesses to participate in this growing industry."

"Ironworkers Local 7 is proud of the work we have done to usher in this new industry here in Maine," said Grant Provost, Business Agent for Ironworkers Local 7 . "The Research Array will bring great paying, family sustaining union jobs with excellent benefits to Mainers in not only Searsport but throughout the surrounding counties. This Project will be built under a Project Labor Agreement by the Building and Construction Trades Unions here in Maine by Mainers. We stand ready to go to work!"

Clean energy such as offshore wind can help reduce Maine's over-reliance on electricity generated with imported fossil fuels, especially natural gas, which experienced significant price volatility in recent years due to upheaval in global energy markets.

Offshore wind presents a generational opportunity to grow and diversify Maine's clean energy workforce and supply chain. Maine's clean energy economy grew the fastest in New England in 2022 and currently employs over 15,000 people , more than halfway to Governor Mills' goal of 30,000 clean energy workers in Maine by 2030.

The State applied for the research lease in 2021, following extensive public outreach led by the Governor's Energy Office and the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) to identify potential research lease areas with minimal possible effects on commercial fishermen, vessel navigation, and the marine environment.

Also in 2021, Governor Mills signed bipartisan legislation that found the research array in the public interest and directed the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to negotiate a Power Purchase Agreement for the research array, which is anticipated to produce up to 144 megawatts of clean electricity.

In 2023, Governor Mills signed landmark offshore wind legislation that authorized the state procurement of at least 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind energy installed in the Gulf of Maine by 2040, created opportunities for all Maine workers and businesses in the emerging offshore wind industry, and protected critical lobstering areas from development.

Earlier this year, Governor Mills announced Sears Island as the preferred site for a port to construct and service floating offshore wind turbines. The purpose-built port facility will establish Maine's place in the growing offshore wind industry, become a hub for job creation and economic development, and is welcomed by a strong and diverse coalition of environmental, labor, and economic organizations.

BOEM plans to host a commercial offshore wind lease auction for sites in the Gulf of Maine by the end of 2024, based on a Proposed Sale Notice (PSN) for the Gulf of Maine issued by the agency earlier this year. The lease areas identified by BOEM in the PSN exclude the entirety of Lobster Management Area 1, as requested by Governor Mills and Maine's Congressional Delegation .

The State's research array will support research into priority topics identified by the Maine Offshore Wind Research Consortium , established in 2021 with bipartisan support of the Legislature to explore potential impacts of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine.

Prior to construction, the research array is subject to environmental analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act, approval by BOEM of a research activities plan, and final approval of a Power Purchase Agreement by the PUC. Construction timing will become clearer as these permitting and regulatory processes move forward.

For more information and recent news on offshore wind in Maine, including the research array, please visit  maineoffshorewind.org .

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Game Design Track

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When & Where: Orange Hall, May 17, 11:15 am

The original War Robots meta was based on only three classes of robots: light, medium, and heavy. Vladimir Krasilnikov , Head of Game Design Department, Pixonic will tell you what kind of problems you may encounter with this approach, and how to find practical solutions to these problems.

How to figure all it takes with Excel and elementary education

When & Where: Orange Hall, May 17, 11:45 am

A lot of game designers who don’t have any higher technical education need to do math on their projects. More often than not, it is very time consuming and is a real pain in the neck, yet the results can still be disappointing. This talk from Aleksey Rehlov , Head of Russian Branch, Creative Mobile , will help you save your glial cells and attain more predictable results in the future.

Game Design by Community (based on Surgeon Simulator, I Am Bread and Worlds Adrift)

When & Where: Orange Hall, May 17, 12:30 pm

Bossa Studios is famous for creating strange games in strange ways. Imre Jele , Co-founder, Creator-In-Chief, Bossa Studios , is going to touch on how they let go of dictatorial auteurship and embrace co-creation with their audience, allowing players to make them laugh through the irreverent comedy of Surgeon Simulator and build Worlds Adrift together, making it the first community-crafted MMO.

Neighbor’s design

When & Where: Orange Hall, May 17, 03:30 pm

“Hello Neighbor” is unexpected YouTube phenomenon of 2017. Game that stretched its gameplay over a year long period. Nikita Kolesnikov , Game designer, Dynamic Pixels , is going to cover such questions as ‘How was it all created?’ ‘How everything worked out?’ ‘Is it fun to sleep on the floor?’ ‘How not to die?’

From idea to proposal: a method to make your game concept viable and strong

When & Where: Green Hall, May 17, 04:45 pm

This talk will explain a method to create and revise your game idea in a new, unexplored way. Sviatoslav Torik , Product Vision Expert, Research & Development, Wargaming.net , will guide you through the whole process: from stating the idea to explained possibilities and USPs. To be totally fair with you Sviatoslav will provide a challenging game idea example as well.

Creating Game Design Tools

When & Where: Orange Hall, May 18, 11:00 am

This talk from Konstantin Sakhnov , Head of Game Department, Rocket Jump , will cover useful cases of creation and tuning different game design tools (no need of in-depth programming skills) that can help every game designer optimise his work.

When & Where: Red Hall, May 18, 11:00 am

Such experienced game-designers as Serge Himmelreich , Game Designer, Co-founder, GDCuffs , ARPU.GURU , Vladimir Kovtun , Creative Mobile , Sviatoslav Torik , Product Vision Expert, Research & Development, Wargaming.net , Gregory Choporov , Producer, 2RealLife , will offer publicly practical ways of gameplay improvement to 3 selected but not released projects.

Prototyping pipeline: Lessons learned

When & Where: Orange Hall, May 18, 15:00 pm

The session of Ivan Barishnikov , Team Lead Prototyping division, Wargaming.net , will focus on prototyping pipeline. Building process from the scratch, evolving and working on mistakes. Problems that we’ve got and solutions that we’ve found.

When & Where: Pink Hall, May 18, 04:45 pm

During this session, Pavel Sovushkin , Head of UX department, WOWlab, is going to share the insights on UX design for VR projects. You’ll learn: what actions will help you to reduce the risks and improve the quality of a project at the pre-production stage; what you should take into account to make a VR project intuitively understandable and interesting for audience; how to make a prototype of a VR project in two days.

We’re waiting for you at DevGAMM Moscow. Take the chance to learn great insights on how to improve your game design and what tools you should use. Tickets are on sale 🙂

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Offshore wind is at crossroads, as spiraling costs and supply chain issues force developers to reassess projects – EY research

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• UK concedes top spot in offshore wind and falls three places in the Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index as government auction fails to attract bidders
• Nordic countries, Poland and Philippines emerge as notable climbers in the index, while Southeast Asia’s Vietnam and Thailand continue to rank among the top 40
• Japan and Chile drop in rankings, overshadowed by deployment challenges despite rich natural resources and renewable ambitions

Turbulent times in the offshore wind sector could change the way large-scale energy projects are built and funded in the future, according to the latest EY Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI). Offshore wind is crucial to achieving net zero, but has experienced a difficult 12 months, challenged by a squeezed supply chain and escalating costs. Global project costs have risen by 40% since 2019 and the next decade could see cost inflation adding around US$280b in capital expenditure for the sector. Against this backdrop, around 80% of the 15 markets with offshore wind targets for 2030 are predicted to miss their stated goals.

Arnaud de Giovanni, EY Global Renewables Leader, says:

“The offshore wind sector has reached an inflection point precisely when the climate emergency demands an urgent escalation of investment to meet global net-zero targets. For offshore wind to fulfill its role in global decarbonization, it is necessary to mitigate risks that are beyond the control of developers, guaranteeing them a reasonable return on their investments. Tensions in the offshore supply chain could be alleviated by standardizing technologies, offering greater certainty to manufacturers and developers. And governments need to devise strategies that simplify and expedite the consenting process, minimizing risks between the awarding of offtake agreements and final investment decisions.”

UK loses offshore crown

The UK, knocked off the top spot as the best place for offshore wind projects, falls three places to 7th position overall. In September 2023, the maximum strike price of £44 (US$54) per megawatt hour for offshore wind in the UK’s fifth allocation round (AR5) wasn’t enough to entice developers to bid. This represents a huge setback in UK’s goal of reaching 50GW of offshore capacity by 2030.

Ben Warren, Partner, Renewables Corporate Finance, Ernst & Young LLP, and RECAI Chief Editor, says:

“The UK's recent challenges in the offshore wind sector echo a broader, global struggle. When auctioning contracts for offshore wind generation, governments need to reflect economic conditions in the design of the auction. Considering moving away from cost-only auction formats and incorporating non-price factors, such as environmental considerations and jobs creation, would boost the supply chain, improve deliverability and benefit wider society.”

Market highlights: Top three positions hold steady; Nordic countries, Poland and Philippines move up; Japan and Chile drop in rankings

The top three markets in RECAI remain unchanged. The US retains 1st position, fueled by significant solar growth as a result of incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act. Germany remains in 2nd position, having experienced substantial growth in its onshore wind sector; new capacities installed by the end of September surpass the total installed in 2022. And despite halting national-level subsidies, China continues its upward trajectory in offshore wind, maintaining its overall 3rd position.

The Nordic countries continue to show their renewable energy intent, with Denmark, Sweden, and Norway climbing two, three and five places respectively. Poland, moving up two places to 15th, is set to begin construction of its first offshore wind project – the 1.2GW Baltic Power offshore wind farm is expected to come online during 2026 – and has also introduced new legislation to ease the development of onshore wind and solar projects.

In Southeast Asia, the Philippines, in 32nd position, is seeking to unlock its huge solar potential, with reforms to foreign ownership laws spurring growth in commercial and industrial solar power. Vietnam moves up three places to 33rd and Thailand retains its 38th position.

On Southeast Asia’s development, Gilles Pascual, EY Asean Power & Utilities Leader, says:

“Countries in Southeast Asia continue to make progress in their energy transition. For example, Vietnam released new targets with its eighth national Power Development Plan (PDP8); Philippines auctioned rights to build new power capacity from renewable sources; and The Comprehensive Investment and Policy Plan (CIPP) for Indonesia’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) has just been released for public comment. In Singapore, the award of conditional licenses for the import of renewable energy from various sources, including Indonesia and Vietnam, is spurring new thinking about the value of green electrons and how the region can decarbonize together through the integration of the grid.”

In other parts of the world, Japan slips three places to 13th position. Despite abundant natural resources and a commitment to reduce fossil fuels, it is falling behind other leading economies in terms of solar and wind deployment. Chile drops two spots to 16th position due to the continued saturation of its transmission system impacting renewable project operators.

To view the full RECAI top 40, the normalized RECAI ranking and the corporate power purchase agreement index, as well as an analysis of the latest renewable energy developments across the world, visit  ey.com/recai .

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