Bar Harbor, Maine — Who will take first place in the 2016 Maine State Science Fair? Two likely contenders are Gould Academy senior Demetri Maxim, top winner at the 2014 and 2015 Maine State Science Fairs, and Paige Brown, a Bangor High School senior who placed third in the 2015 Fair and who just won a first-place, $150,000 award at the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search.
Maxim and Brown are among the more than 180 students from 17 Maine high schools who will gather in the Cross Insurance Center, 515 Broadway, Bangor, Maine on Saturday, March 19, for the 2016 Maine State Science Fair, organized by The Jackson Laboratory and the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance.
Students participating in this year’s Fair attend Bangor High School, Baxter Academy for Technology and Science, Brunswick High School, Dexter High School, Erskine Academy, Falmouth High School, Gould Academy, Greely High School, Lincoln Academy, Machias Memorial High School, Maine School of Science and Mathematics, Massabesic High School, Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, Presque Isle High School, R.W. Traip Academy, Washington Academy and Watershed School. A volunteer team of 59 judges will review the projects.
The student projects will be on display during the judging period, from 9 a.m. to noon. The awards ceremony starts at 3 p.m., with co-presenter Irwin Gratz, host and producer of Morning Edition on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network.
For the second year, the Fair takes place during the Maine Science Festival, March 18-20. The weekend of science-centered events and activities for Mainers of all ages involves more than 80 organizations including The Jackson Laboratory, the MDI Biological Laboratory and the University of Maine. Both the Maine Science Festival and Maine State Science Fair are free and open to the public.
Since 2012, winners of the Maine State Science Fair have been eligible to qualify for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s largest science fair. The top three winners of the 2016 Maine Fair and their mentors will travel to Phoenix, Ariz., in May for this year's Intel event.
The Jackson Laboratory offers educational programs for scientists throughout their careers—from STEM education for high school students and training for science and math teachers to courses and conferences for experienced researchers defining the cutting edge of genomics research and specialized training for physicians interested in incorporating genetics and genomics into their practices.