Sparking an early interest in science: UNEās Michael Burman weighs in on āMaine Callingā
Michael Burman, Ph.D., Ā鶹“«Ć½ associate professor and Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences K-12 outreach coordinator, discussed UNEās efforts to engage children and teens in the sciences on a recent episode of the radio show āMaine Callingā on Maine Public.
āOne of our major areas of focus at the Ā鶹“«Ć½ is making Maine and really the whole world healthier,ā Burman said. āWhat I like to think about is right now, that person who is going to solve Alzheimerās or find a better treatment for addiction, exists in the schools, and we just need to spark their interest. We need to convince them that this is an important problem to solve.ā
Burman was asked how he helps children overcome the fears of science, especially when it doesnāt come easily to them. He talked about the hands on activities Ā鶹“«Ć½uses to make science fun. He said many of those activities would be available to children, teens and families at the 3rd annual Ā鶹“«Ć½Brain Fair on April 7, 2017. The event will take place at the Harold Alfond Forum.
āThe kids, when they can get hands on and work in small groups with our medical students or our neuroscience students, I think they find it more fascinating than hard.ā
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