For year two of the Maine Science Festival, organizer Kate Dickerson decided to double down and make what already was a successful inaugural event even bigger. More panels, more workshops, more interactive programming and bigger names, for an event this year set for March 18-20 throughout Bangor, that teaches young and old alike the wonders of the scientific world.
“One of the best things about the festival that I heard about repeatedly from people who went [last year] was that they really loved that there were things for teenagers and adults to do,” said Dickerson. “I think people assume something like this is going to be for younger kids, but we were adamant that we really cater to all age groups.”
To that end, while the Cross Insurance Center will be home to a full array of programming geared towards middle- and high schoolers, there will any number of events that adults can enjoy, ranging from a Friday night salon-type event at the Sea Dog, to a Saturday night keynote speech from a world-renowned statistician. From your pre-schooler, who can learn about insects while reading “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” to panel discussions on the health and future of Maine’s rivers and lakes, the Maine Science Festival — a 90 percent free event — is a homegrown but truly professional chance for anyone to learn something about the world we live in.
A full schedule of events can be found online at mainesciencefestival.org; here are ten MSF events we think are the best of the best.
- Keynote speaker Nate Silver. What better time hear from statistician Nate Silver, who leapt to fame after successfully predicting the outcome in 49 out of 50 states during the 2008 presidential election? Especially since he repeated the feat in the 2012 election — that time with all 50 states. Silver now writes for ESPN, where in addition to politics he covers sports, and he’ll undoubtedly be able to shed a little light on a tumultuous political season in the U.S. Silver’s talk is the only MSF event that has a fee and that is not in Bangor; his talk is set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at the Hampden Academy Performing Arts Center; tickets are $10-$20 online and at the door.
- Five Minute Genius. Get a taste of what the MSF is all about with this fast, fun event. Seven leaders in science in Maine will each give a five-minute summarization of the important work they do. Presenters include Habib Dagher of the University of Maine talking about Offshore Wind; Scott Dorbin of the University of Maine Presque Isle, talking about saving honeybees; Vivek Kumar of the Jackson Laboratory; Susan McKay of Cerahelix, talking about using DNA to make a better water filter; Leif Oxburgh of the Maine Medical Center Research Institute, about growing kidneys in a lab; Nicole Price of the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences; and Aric Rogers of the MDI Biological Laboratory. The event is set for 3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 10 in the Bangor Public Library Lecture Hall.
- Nature Illustration Workshop and the Op Art Workshop. These are two separate events, but they happen at one place: The University of Maine Museum of Art on Harlow Street. The first event, the Nature Illustration Workshop, is set for 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, and is open to a limited number of participants, allowing them the chance to work with acclaimed nature illustrator Chuck Carter; visit mainesciencefestival.org to register. Also, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday anyone can drop in and create a piece of original artwork with UMMA educator Kat Johnson that utilizes the principles of optics and optical illusions.
- Antique Computer Exhibit. For most folks, visiting the Antique Computer Exhibit at the Maine Discovery Museum, on display on Friday and Saturday, will make you feel pretty old. Windows 95 wasn’t that long ago, was it? Why, I remember punch cards! For younger MSF attendees, it’ll be a trip into the past. Giving insight into the history of computing will be Marshall Grover, of the Maine State Office of Information Technology. The exhibit is up from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
- Science on Tap. Science and pop culture — and a frosty beverage or two — collide in this adult-centric event, one of the most popular of the festival. Set for 7 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Barrel Room at the Sea Dog Brewing Company, this year’s event takes a scientific look at (some of the) seven deadly sins, led by experts from the University of Maine, the Mt. Washington Observatory in New Hampshire, and The Rock & Art Shop in Bangor. This event is for those 21 plus, and a cash bar will be available.
- Mad Science of Maine. You think homework is pressure? Just wait until you learn how the weight of the earth’s atmosphere pushes down on you with the force of an elephant! Explore how Bernoulli’s principle creates enough lift to make a jumbo jet fly or how air pressure can be used to launch a hot air balloon, or how a vortex generator makes smoke rings. Mad Science Maine, a Saco-based science education organization, will present this program at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Bangor Public Library.
- Science and Technology in Sports. Ever wondered why football helmets are made they way they’re made? How kayaks can be so light and set so durable? Some of the science behind sports technology will be revealed at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Cross Insurance Center. This panel discussion is just one of many fantastic events all happening at the Cross Center, including the Maine Science Festival, all day on Saturday, workshops on robotics, citizen science, aquaculture and more. Friday, in fact, is geared all day for youth attendees, bringing in students statewide to learn and have fun. Visit the MSF website for a full schedule.
- Owl Pellet Autopsy. Owls, in addition to being beautiful, charismatic creatures of the wild, also offer an accessible way to get to know what they’re all about — through owl pellets, the indigestible remains of whatever the bird ate, which are easy to pick apart and see what’s inside. The Maine Discovery Museum and the Children’s Museum of Maine have paired up to offer ten owl pellet dissection sessions for up to 20 people each, between 2 and 4:15 p.m. Saturday, at the museum; admission is first-come first serve.
- Minecraft Workshop. Parents often see Minecraft as just another video game. Young people see it as an addictive world-building computer program. Look under the hood of the wildly popular game with two sessions showcasing the computer programming elements that make it work. Sessions, geared towards those aged 10 to 14, are set for 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Coespace on Columbia Street. To register, visit mainesciencefestival.org.
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day. This event is geared towards families, with a special eye towards the littlest scientists. The iconic children’s book by Eric Carle will be read, and then Tony Sohns, co-owner of The Rock & Art Shop in downtown Bangor and known throughout eastern Maine as “The Bug Guy,” will show kids and adults alike some of the wonders of the insect world. The event is set for 1 p.m. at the Briar Patch on Central Street.
