ANNUAL REPORT 2018 Science is everywhere

Transcription

1 Mark Vogelzang, CEO and President of Maine Public and Robert Krulwich of Radiolab at our 2018 Headliner event. ANNUAL REPORT 2018 Science is everywhere

2 Maine Science Festival The Maine Science Festival (MSF) is an independently funded program of the Maine Discovery Museum. The MSF weekend, launched in 2015, is a celebration and exploration of Maine science, engineering, technology and innovation. All weekend events (other than the headliner) are available free-of-charge thanks to our partners and sponsors. We are committed to ensuring that learning about and celebrating Maine science, research and innovation is available to all Mainers regardless of income. In 2018, we had more than 60 events and activities for all ages, covering forums, workshops, hands-on activities, films, talks, and exhibits spanning four days over the third weekend of March in Bangor. This year we had 9,500 people in Bangor for the MSF (not bad considering that in March alone we had 33 inches of snow fall - the snowiest March in more than ten years)! This was the 2nd straight year we had a major snowstorm on the Tuesday the week of the MSF - and Maine science enthusiasts came out to celebrate and explore anyway, with many families enjoying a get-away weekend in Bangor at the MSF. In the first four years of the MSF, we ve had 40,000 festival goers from all over Maine (and beyond) join us in March for a weekend of inspiring Maine science. We also have begun having MSF Pop-up events a talk, a presentation, a film screening in different locations around the state during other months. This allows us to keep a focus on Maine science throughout the year, and encourage people to join us at the full MSF.

3 Highlights from 2018: Our 2018 headliner event was An Evening with Radiolab s Robert Krulwich Over 60 events were held over the span of four days. The largest ever screening audience of the film Humanity Needs Dreamers - as part of the Field Trip Day. Participants from all over Maine, including education, arts organizations, other nonprofits, and businesses. The MSF worked with Maine Invention Convention organizers and hosted their competition as part of our Saturday events. This allowed Maine Invention Convention to make a comeback, as they had lost their financial and hosting support the previous year. Get Social! facebook.com/ mainesciencefestival twitter.com/ MEScienceFest instagram.com/ mainesciencefestival Winner of the 2018 Greater Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau IMPACT Award youtube.com Maine Science Festival

4 At our Friday Field Trip Day, we hosted almost 700 middle school students who learned about Maine science from the scientists themselves. We ve modified the Field Trip Day to be even more relevant to Maine students, with more direct connections and programming from both educational institutions and industry. Students attended panels such as A Day in the Life and Ask me Anything About Engineering where they heard from professionals in a variety of science careers. Other programming for the students included: taking on the role of Junior Curators with the Cole Land Transportation Museum, investigating artifacts and hypothesizing their uses creating JavaScript apps, with Project>Login learning about and trying to solve the challenge of ocean plastics with the University of New England Chemistry Club exploring how their bodies reacted to exercise with the Bangor YMCA; and they rolled up their sleeves to explore hands-on activities in the Cool Science exhibition area. Once again, sign-ups for this day were filled in about three-and-a-half weeks, requiring us to start a waiting list for On the map! 2018 Field Trip Day attendees and Mock Movie Trailer entries - where they are from. Mock Movie Trailer entries Field Trip Day schools Following up the successful launch of our Mock Movie Trailer contest, we hosted another film contest for Maine students! Middle and high school students created trailers for movies (that don t exist - yet) about science. This year, the winners shared their prizes with the organization that helped them produce their trailer. Comments and voices from the MSF Survery Question: What was your favorite part of the MSF Field Trip Day? - Seeing the kids get excited about science careers. - Humanity Needs Dreamers. My students are still talking about it. - Our students really liked Cool Science where they could do hands on activities. Thank you! I so appreciate all of your support during [the] planning for the fieldtrip! We had a wonderful time, it was a great learning experience for everyone even our kiddos who tend to be a bit passive about learning. Awesome program. Lisa Marie Dow & students Having fun and learning a lot of new things for the classroom ScienceFest!! Got to meet Wall-e, made a chapstick and participated in citizen science projects- and it s only 1 PM! -Saturday attendee It s great as it is! We ve come every year since you started & it keeps getting better. (attendee, aged 35-55) I didn t expect to tear up listening to Robert Krulwich from Radiolab tonight as the headliner But I am. He is speaking about metaphor and imagery and it relieves me to know other people see the world this way. Checked out last night [Science on Tap] hoping to hear about #food systems but instead became more fascinated by yogurt than I ever thought possible.

5 What presenters have to say: N Sharon Klein, University of Maine: The Maine Science Festival is such a unique and inspirational event for Maine. Showcasing such a diversity of scientific activities, achievements, and areas of exploration reminds people of the importance of science in our everyday lives, in solving problems we all face, and re-introduces them to the wonder of scientific discovery.... Overall, I am just thrilled that this wonderful annual event is happening in Maine. I love being part of it. Mike Burman, University of New England: It s always great to present at the MSF. The audiences are so enthusiastic. The school kids are full of energy and adult audiences are smart and engaged. This is THE place to reach a general audience in Maine. Connie McVey, Acadia Hospital: We are so lucky to have the Maine Science Festival in our community. I m a psychotherapist at Acadia Hospital, and Acadia is always looking for opportunities to educate the public on important mental health issues. Co-leading the workshop on Improv and Trauma recovery this year at the Maine Science Festival was an incredible experience. Combining science, mental health, theater and fun activities into a workshop where participants of diverse backgrounds from all over the region learned and grew together -- amazing! Phoebe Jekielek, Hurricane Island: The MSF creates a space where science is accessible for everyone, fun, and interactive and gets people noticing the importance and relation of science to their everyday lives. It s a great connection event in every way. Ian Bricknell, Aquaculture Research Institute & School of Marine Sciences, The University of Maine: (Prompt: Why do you like the MSF?): I ve always said Maine is very good at keeping it gems well hidden, the MSF gives the amazing scientific expertise that we have in Maine an opportunity to present what we do to the community in a really big and impressive way. Personally, I hope I can inspire the people of Maine to get involved in science either as citizen scientists or take the opportunities on offer through our schools, universities and science based companies to become scientists in their own right. Bill Lindblad, Husson University: As advisor to the Husson University Epsilon Gamma chapter of The Rho Chi Society, I want to thank you for the opportunity you provided our members to participate in the Maine Science Festival this year. From our member s perspective it was a great success and the students enjoyed the interaction with so many visitors to our booth....we had no idea how many festival-goers would participate with our hands-on activity to make lip balm, but in the end we ran out of supplies even after making a re-stocking run. Thank you again and I hope we have the opportunity to participate next year. On the map! 2018 MSF event participants - where they are from.

6 Pop ups! Beginning last fall, we have also started producing MSF Pop-Up events: a talk, a presentation, a film screening, in different locations around the state during the rest of the year. This allows us to keep a focus on Maine science throughout the year, and encourage people to join us at the full MSF. The MSF Pop-up events are often done with MSF Partners, and allow us to continue highlighting the remarkable science happening in Maine year round. Some of the MSF Pop-up events double as fundraisers for the MSF, to help us ensure that we can keep the festival weekend available to all. We ve held seven different MSF Pop-Up events in the past year; in Biddeford, Bangor, Augusta, Portland, Orono and the Portland-Lewiston/Auburn-Bangor urban areas, covering a range of different types of events and sciences: Manufacturing Business Showcase produced with MSF Partner Manufacturers Association of Maine, in Biddeford Science of Cocktails MSF Pop-up Event and Fundraiser in Bangor. Maine Digital Festival with MSF Partner Project>Login in Augusta. Humanity Needs Dreamers: A Visit With Marie Curie in Bangor. Science of Gin MSF Pop-up Event and Fundraiser produced with MSF Partner Project>Login in Portland. City Nature Challenge an international competition and celebration of wildlife in the Maine urban areas of Portland, Lewiston-Auburn, and Bangor produced with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, the Maine Discovery Museum and other Partners. Exploring the Ocean in the 21st Century - a talk by Sylvia Earle, with MSF Partner University of Maine.

7 MSF Sponsors & Partners: the secret sauce of the MSF One of the most important parts of the MSF is to learning from and meeting the people in Maine who do the science. We are focused on showcasing the science, technology, engineering, and innovative businesses, nonprofit and educational organizations, who are advancing and using science in Maine. The MSF relies on the partnership of many of these organizations, forming a network all over Maine, and working together to advance science appreciation and understanding. In addition to our Partners, the MSF leans heavily on our sponsors (many of whom are also partners), who have literally bought in to the MSF they help us keep the MSF free-of-charge. Just like the Partners, the MSF has Sponsors from all over the state, who know how important it is to get the word out that Maine is a national and world leader. Because of our Partners and Sponsors, we are able to highlight that science is everywhere! On the map! 2018 MSF Sponsors & Partners - where they are from. Sponsors Partners The MSF is thrilled to have had an ongoing partnership with the Emera Astronomy Center and Jordan Planetarium at the University of Maine with the Science Lecture Series (

8 Join us March 13-17, 2019 for the 5th Annual Maine Science Festival. We are expanding to 5 days of events - stay tuned! ALL AGES FREE Forums Workshops Exhibits Films Hand-on activites MSF Showcase Events On the map! 2018 MSF Attendees For more information contact: Kate Dickerson, Director kdickerson@mainesciencefestival.org, (207)