The Maine Science Festival kicks off March 25
WRITTEN BY EMILY BURNHAM
When the Maine Science Festival was first held in Bangor in 2015, founder Kate Dickerson couldn’t have imagined all the ways in which the festival would grow and change over the next decade.
The festival, a program of the Maine Discovery Museum — which Dickerson is now executive director of — remains focused on all the groundbreaking science and research being done right in Maine. But its programming and scope has changed tremendously, and when the five days of the 12th edition of the festival kick off on March 25, Dickerson said attendees will see just how much it has evolved.
“When we started, it was barely two and a half days. Now it’s five jam-packed days,” said Dickerson. “The demand for what we’re doing — making science accessible to people of all ages — means we’ve developed all sorts of new events that let people connect in whatever way works best for them.”
For some, that means going to the festival’s ever-popular trivia night, a yearly favorite held this year at 6:30 p.m. on March 25 at Seasons Restaurant in Bangor, in which competitors eagerly try to outsmart each other in a series of science-themed trivia questions that Dickerson says are “really quite hard.”
For others, that means attending long-running events like 5 Minute Genius, the festival’s unofficial headlining event, set for 7 p.m., March 28 at the Bangor Opera House, in which eight Maine scientists each give fast-paced five-minute talks explaining the work they do in a fun, punchy way, followed by five minutes for questions. Audience members hear from everyone from physicians and biochemists to marine biologists and engineers.
And for hundreds of kids and adults, that means attending the two days of exhibits and programming at the Cross Insurance Center, March 27-28. Friday is reserved for 7th and 8th grade students from all around Maine, while Saturday is open to everybody.
Among the highlights this year are workshops on thermal radiation and quantum materials; audio engineering and visualizing sound waves; how wind turbines actually work; how cheese is made from soil to water to cow to dairy; and an explosive, all ages demonstration on the power of fire and ice. There’s also an art and science exhibit, “Forests: Sanctuaries for the Dark,” a collaboration between a local photographer and the Forest Society of Maine, showcasing astrophotography and Maine’s Dark Skies initiative.
“One thing we’ve consistently leaned into over the years is having the arts and humanities always interwoven into our programming,” said Dickerson. “It’s a really important way that we break down silos so people can better connect with science.”
Dickerson said having Maine scientists be fully accessible over the course of the festival has led to a much greater appreciation among audiences of the amazing scientific work being done right here in Maine — so much so that organizers have added a new event. “Taproom Tales,” set for 7 p.m. on March 27, will feature Maine scientists telling stories about their personal experiences doing research, inspired by the Moth Radio Hour on NPR.
“We used to bring in a big, outside headliner, but we’ve stopped doing that because we really want to keep the focus on the work being done here in Maine, and on the people doing it,” Dickerson said. “We’re really the only science festival nationwide that focuses on science just in our state. We’re really proud of that.”
Organizers also take a lot of pride in the fact that the festival has always been 100 percent free to all.
“Our goal is always to break down silos and get people excited about science and ready to learn,” Dickerson said. “We don’t want to put up any barriers to make sure people get to access that.”
The Maine Science Festival is set for March 25-29 in venues all across Bangor.
For a full schedule, visit mainesciencefestival.org.
