Exhibits, Demonstrations For All Ages at 2008 Maine Engineering Expo
Contact: Chet Rock (207) 581-2218; Tom Weber (207) 581-3777
ORONO — About 60 of Maine’s top engineering firms, engineering schools, government agencies and industries will be on hand Saturday, March 1, at the University of Maine Field House for the 2008 Engineering Expo.
The “Brain Power 08” expo, which will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and feature a variety of engineering-related demonstrations and exhibits for the public, is the highlight of the annual Maine Engineers Week, Feb. 25-March 1.
The Maine Society of Professional Engineers and the University of Maine will kick off the program Friday, Feb. 29, with a full-day continuing education symposium at UMaine’s Buchanan Alumni House. The seminar, which includes a buffet lunch and refreshments throughout the day, is a chance for working engineers to earn six professional development hours.
Friday evening, at the Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono, the Maine Engineering Promotion Council and its sponsors will host the Maine Engineers Week Banquet. The festivities, which begin with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. followed by the 6:45 p.m. dinner, allow engineers and their families to meet others in the profession and renew old friendships.
This year’s banquet speaker will be Mike Fisher, managing director of NASCAR’s Research and Development Center. Fisher will offer an insider’s view of the integral role that engineers now play on every NASCAR team, where they specialize in data collection, analysis, research and development.
Organizers say the 2008 expo promises to be the biggest ever, with more than 1,000 children and adults expected to show up at the UMaine Field House. The first 500 kids through the door will get a free T-shirt celebrating Maine Engineers Week, and everyone is invited to enjoy the exhibits and hands-on activities intended to introduce young people to the exciting world of science and engineering and to the many contributions engineers make to our communities.
To register for the banquet (the deadline is Feb. 20), call Be Schonewald, of GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. in Portland, at (207) 879-9190, or e-mail schonewald@gza.com.