December 2018 MSF Partner news & events

December 8, 9:30am – 3:30pm: Maine’s FIRST® LEGO® League State Championship! The top teams from the regional competitions will be competing in the Championship. The event is free and open to the public to come and watch. The FIRST LEGO League is a cross between a science fair (this year’s topic is about space travel) and a robot competition. You can also volunteer at the event! More information about volunteering: http://www.mainerobotics.org/volunteer-registration.html.

Augusta Civic Center, 76 Community Drive, Augusta[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”2″ el_width=”60″ accent_color=”#a8aa31″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

December 8, 10am – 1pm: Project>Login presents the 2018 Maine Digital Festival, a MSF Pop-Up Event of the MSF. If you’re excited about coding and computer science, the these FREE Tech workshops are for you! Many activities including scratch, python, code-a-pillar, Dot and dash robots and more! The events are free, but pre-registration required. For ages 7-18.

Augusta Civic Center, 76 Community Dr, Augusta[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”2″ el_width=”60″ accent_color=”#a8aa31″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

December 20, 7:00pm: Science Lecture Series, Remodeling in Our Brain and Nervous System: Connections to Obesity and Diabetes. Obesity, and most cases of diabetes, stem from an energy imbalance whereby we take in more calories than we burn. This simple energy equation is actually quite complex at the physiological level, and involves brain communication with organs and tissues such as the gut, adipose (fat tissue), muscle, and pancreas. This talk will explore how our body maintains metabolic health, how our nervous system remodels in order to regulate hunger and energy expenditure, and what the research evidence tells us about healthy fats in our diet and on our bodies. Join Dr. Kristy Townsend from UMaine to explore how cell research is working on relief from these diseases.

Fridays (December 7, 14, & 21) 7:00pm and Sundays (December 2, 9, & 16), 3:30pm: Mystery of the Christmas Star. Journey back 2000 years to Bethlehem as we seek to discover a scientific explanation for the Star the wise men followed. Investigate possible dates for the birth of Christ and look at recorded sightings of significant historical and astronomical events during this time frame. Explore scientific explanations for celestial objects that could have been remarkable enough to cause the wise men to travel across the desert from Babylon to Bethlehem. Regardless of what the star was, the message of Peace on Earth and goodwill to all still rings true today! $6 for Adults, $5 for UMaine Students/Senior Citizens, $4 for children 12 and under.

Sundays (December 2, 9, & 16), 2pm: Legends of the Night Sky – Orion Take a fun and lighthearted look at the myths and stories associated with the constellation Orion, the great hunter of the winter sky. Orion comes to life in a fun-filled, animated accompanied by narrators Aesop the owl and Socrates the mouse as we follow Orion’s adventures as he grows to manhood, battles mythical beasts, foils the plot of an evil king and wins the heart of Artemis, the beautiful moon goddess. We learn how the constellation Orion was placed in the sky, forever turning overhead throughout the seasons. The program includes a live sky lecture showing where Orion and his companions are located in the Winter Skies. Recommended ages 4-10; $6 for Adults, $5 for UMaine Students/Senior Citizens, $4 for children 12 and under.

Emera Astronomy Center and M.F. Jordan Planetarium, 167 Rangeley Road, Orono[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”2″ el_width=”60″ accent_color=”#a8aa31″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Reminders:

Now open: Film Contest for Maine middle school students and high school students. Middle schoolers: create a Mock Movie Trailer. High Schoolers: create a short film. More details at the MSF Films page. Films have to be submitted by February 1, 2019. More information: https://www.mainesciencefestival.org/msf-films/

Tickets on-sale now! 2019 MSF Headliner, March 16, 2019, 7:30pm at the Gracie Theatre: Science Vs. As the Science Vs team says,” There are a lot of strong opinions, but then there’s SCIENCE. Science Vs takes on fads, trends, and the internet mob to find out what’s fact, what’s not, and what’s somewhere in between. Tackling everything from detox teas, to gun control, the ketogenic diet, to nuclear war – Science Vs is your team of friendly fact checkers that will blow up your firmly held opinions and replace them with science.”

This show is brilliant and dead serious about getting to the bottom of its hypotheses. – The Atlantic

In keeping with MSF’s mission to keep the festival as accessible as possible, the tickets are $10/students and $17/public in advance, with a $5 increase at the door. All tickets are general admission. Tickets available via Eventbrite.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”2″ el_width=”60″ accent_color=”#a8aa31″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions

December 3, 3:00-4:00pm: Can Homesteading Provide Sustenance and Surplus in an Age of Scarcity? Dr. Steve Coghlan of the University of Maine and Maine Chapter of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy will talk about the energy-flow models he built with data from a rural Maine homestead to quantify natural, human labor, and economic inputs and estimate Energy Return on Investment (EROI) as a metric of profitability for producing fuel, food, and value-added commodities.

107 Norman Smith Hall, Mitchell Center, University of Maine, Orono [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”2″ el_width=”60″ accent_color=”#a8aa31″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Seaside Sundays (December 2 & 9), 12:00 – 4:00pm: Curated time with our aquaculture tank and expert.

Tuesdays (December 4, 11, & 18), 11:00-11:30am: Science Detectives. Science for preschoolers, recommended for ages 3+.

Admission: FREE for members! $7.50 general admission. Maine Discovery Museum, 74 Main Street, Bangor [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”2″ el_width=”60″ accent_color=”#a8aa31″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

December 27, 28 & 31, 2018, 8:00am-4:00pm: December Vacation Camp. Three different days of science fun, for grades K-5. $55/day

Challenger Learning Center of Maine, 30 Venture Way, Bangor[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]