BANGOR, Maine — The Maine Science Festival returns to Bangor on Wednesday after a two-year break because of the pandemic. The festival will run from March 16-20 and includes dozens of events and activities for Mainers of all ages.
Kate Dickerson, MSF founder and director, said the festival offers Mainers a chance to learn about science from the people who do it every day.
“I think science helps us figure out the world around us and being able to be back in person gives an opportunity to both celebrate the science that happens every day in Maine and to highlight the people that are doing it," Dickerson told NEWS CENTER Maine.
The first MSF event is a science trivia night at Sea Dog Brewing Co. in Bangor at 6:30 Wednesday night. Throughout the week, there will also be the world premiere of “The Warming Sea," a symphonic exploration of hope in the face of the climate crisis at the Collins Center for the Arts in Orono. There will also be a forum that looks into the science behind training dogs for police work.
The full Maine Science Festival programming schedule can be found on http://www.mainesciencefestival.org.
Dickerson adds, the festival can play a key role in getting women and young girls, often underrepresented in STEM fields, more involved in them.
“We put a human face to science, and that’s particularly important still with women," Dickerson said. "There’s still an awful lot of parts of science where girls think that that’s not for them. I think one of the best things people can get out of the festival is that they see women and men doing all sorts of science and that women, in particular, are right up there at the top and that’s important for kids, boys and girls. That’s also important for adults to see that women are part of the science community and are vital.”