Annual Maine EPSCoR Conference Focuses on Supporting State’s R&D Capacity

Supporting Maine’s R&D capacity through workforce development, technology and science communication is the focus of the 2013 Maine EPSCoR State Conference at the University of Maine Sept. 30.

The conference, which begins at 8 a.m., in Wells Conference Center, is free and open to the public.

This year’s annual conference of Maine EPSCoR — an Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research funded by the National Science Foundation — will be highlighted by a keynote address, “Technology and Communication for Maine’s Future,” by Rafael Grossmann, a trauma surgeon at Eastern Maine Medical Center. His 3 p.m. presentation about the importance of applying innovations in technology and integrating them into society will include a demonstration of Google Glass.

Morning presentations include discussions led by NSF EPSCoR Program Director Sian Mooney and NSF Directorate for Education and Human Resources Program Director Carol Van Hartesveldt. A panel discussion will focus on Maine EPSCoR’s innovative science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) program for Native American youth. Connecting Maine’s Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI) to school curriculum development and learning activities will be the focus of two other morning panels.

In the afternoon, two panels will highlight SSI’s multifaceted efforts to communicate science via technology and innovative partnerships.

For more information about the Maine EPSCoR conference or to request a disability accommodation, call 207.581.2285 or email maine.epscor@umit.maine.edu. Registration is online.