Sparking an early interest in science: UNE’s Michael Burman weighs in on ‘Maine Calling”
Michael Burman, Ph.D., 91ֱƵ associate professor and Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences K-12 outreach coordinator, discussed UNE’s efforts to engage children and teens in the sciences on a recent episode of the radio show “Maine Calling” on Maine Public.
“One of our major areas of focus at the 91ֱƵ is making Maine and really the whole world healthier,” Burman said. “What I like to think about is right now, that person who is going to solve Alzheimer’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.”
Burman was asked how he helps children overcome the fears of science, especially when it doesn’t come easily to them. He talked about the hands on activities 91ֱƵuses to make science fun. He said many of those activities would be available to children, teens and families at the 3rd annual 91ֱƵBrain Fair on April 7, 2017. The event will take place at the Harold Alfond Forum.
“The 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.”
To learn more about the 91ֱƵ’s Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, visit
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