UMaine community members participating in fifth annual Maine Science Festival

The fifth annual Maine Science Festival will be held in Bangor and Orono March 13–17.

The University of Maine is one of the major event sponsors. Several members of the UMaine community will lead workshops and participate in the program that draws science, innovation and creative achievement enthusiasts of all ages.

“Ask a Researcher” will be one of the Exploration Stations featured at the Cross Insurance Center on March 16. UMaine research representatives will encourage participants of all ages to ask research-related questions, which will be compiled and answered in a final video presentation to be released during Maine Impact Week and promoted at the UMaine Student Symposium on April 10.

A list of other UMaine-led events follows.

  • Science on Tap: CRISPR — Han Tan, Kristy Townsend
  • Friday Field Trip Day — For seventh and eighth graders, highlighted by UMaine’s American Chemistry Society Student Group, Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research, College of Engineering, and School of Marine Sciences
  • Tech Night — UMaine’s chapter of ACM-W
  • Mexica Archaeoastronomy — Emera Astronomy Center and M. F. Jordan Planetarium
  • 5 Minute Genius — Jacquelyn Gill, Nick Giudice
  • Exploration Stations — Featuring “Ask a Researcher” with UMaine Research, “Out of the Blue: Exploring Maine’s Edible Seaweeds” with Maine Sea Grant, “Photograms and Cyanotypes: Creating photos without a camera” with University of Maine Museum of Art, “A Pocket Model of the Solar System” with Emera Astronomy Center
  • From Donut Holes to Earmuffs: a (quirky) history of inventions from Maine — Rachel Knapp, Renee Kelly
  • Science of Aging — Fayeza Ahmed
  • Health Care in Maine from the 18th Century to Today — Mazie Hough, Liam Riordan (moderator)
  • Having Fun with Data (middle school edition) — VEMI Lab
  • Solar Energy in Maine — Justin Lapp, Sharon Klein (moderator)
  • Having Fun with Data (high school-plus edition) — VEMI Lab
  • Ecology of Disease: How the Environment Shapes Human and Animal Health — Kristina Cammen, Pauline Kamath, Allison Gardner (moderator)
  • Science of Voice — Qian Xue, John Thompson (moderator)
  • Phantom of the Universe: The Hunt for Dark Matter — Emera Astronomy Center and M. F. Jordan Planetarium
  • Beaver Fever and Swimmer’s Itch — Ian Bricknell, Anne Lichtenwalner
  • Out There: The Quest for Extrasolar Worlds — Emera Astronomy Center and M. F. Jordan Planetarium
  • Ripcord Talkback — Fayeza Ahmed

The full Maine Science Festival schedule is online.