Sparking an early interest in science: UNEā€™s Michael Burman weighs in on ā€˜Maine Callingā€

Michael Burman

Michael Burman, Ph.D., Ā鶹“«Ć½ associate professor and Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences K-12 outreach coordinator, discussed UNEā€™s efforts to engage children and teens in the sciences on a recent episode of the radio show ā€œMaine Callingā€ on Maine Public.

ā€œOne of our major areas of focus at the Ā鶹“«Ć½ is making Maine and really the whole world healthier,ā€ Burman said. ā€œWhat I like to think about is right now, that person who is going to solve Alzheimerā€™s 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 doesnā€™t 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.

ā€œThe 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€  

To learn more about the Ā鶹“«Ć½ā€™s Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, visit

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