Come in anytime between 10:30am and 1:30pm to build on our marble walls.

A great opportunity for children, grandparents, siblings, parents, etc. to build together.

Use paper towel tubes, funnels, clothespins, straws, and other materials to send a marble rolling.

Suggested ages 6 through adult. Sponsored by Cornerstones of Science.

Contact: Youth Services 725-5242, x225

Andrew Barton, from the Biology Department at the University of Maine at Farmington will give a presentation on the ecology of the ever-changing Maine forest.

This program will be both a fascinating introduction to the forests of Maine and a detailed but accessible narrative of the dynamism of these ecosystems.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

This event is free with no registration required.

Sponsored by the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust, Cornerstones of Science and The Nature Conservancy.

Date and time: Thursday, March 7, 6:30 p.m.

Location: The library’s Morrell Meeting Room.

The final session of the Fall Science Read of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson features Professor John Wise, the Director of the Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health at the University of Southern Maine.

Professor Wise, who is also the Principal Investigator at the Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, will explain how toxicology research is conducted.

This Fall Science Read is sponsored by Cornerstones of Science.

This event is free and does not require registration.

Date and time: Wednesday November 7th, 12:00pm

Location: The Library’s Morrell Meeting Room

“The human race is challenged more than ever before to demonstrate our mastery, not over nature but of ourselves.”
― Rachel Carson

Professor David Hecht from the History Department at Bowdoin College will discuss Rachel Carson as an Iconic Figure in American science.

Dr. Hecht is working on the history of images of scientists in the United States during the 20th century. This project examines the public personae of scientists – including Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Rachel Carson, and Linus Pauling – who have become icons to large numbers of Americans.

This Fall Science Read is sponsored by Cornerstones of Science.

This event is free and does not require registration.

Date and time: Wednesday October 31, 12:00pm

Location: The Library’s Morrell Meeting Room

“It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility.”
― Rachel Carson

The next Fall Science Read of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson will feature Elisabeth Stokes, Professor of English at Colby College.

Professor Stokes, who teaches about the writings of Rachel Carson in her classes, will offer her perspectives on Carson as a best-selling science writer and Carson’s pioneering role writing about science for general audiences.

This event is free and does not require registration.

Date and time: Wednesday October 24th, 12:00pm

Location: The Library’s Morrell Meeting Room

Dr. H. Bruce Rinker, distinguished ecologist, educator and explorer will speak in the Library’s Morrell Meeting Room on Wednesday, October 17 at noon.

Dr. Rinker’s scientific expeditions have included numerous trips to remote locations around the world, especially in the tropics.

He has received many awards including “Outstanding Biology Teacher” from the National Association of Biology Teachers and is the Director of Scientific Advancement and Development at the Biodiversity Institute in Gorham, Maine.

This Fall Science Read is sponsored by Cornerstones of Science.

This event is free and does not require registration.

Date and time: Wednesday October 17th, 12:00pm

Location: The Library’s Morrell Meeting Room

The mission of the Biodiversity Research Institute is to assess emerging threats to wildlife and ecosystems through collaborative research, and to use scientific findings to advance environmental awareness and inform decision makers.

Professor Gail Carlson, Colby College Department of Environmental Studies will discuss Rachel Carson and Silent Spring.

Professor Carlson’s expertise includes biochemistry, perspectives on the hazards of pesticides and Rachel Carson’s role as a woman scientist.

This Fall Science Read is sponsored by Cornerstones of Science.

This event is free and does not require registration.

Date and time: Wednesday October 10, 12:00pm

Location: The Library’s Morrell Meeting Room

“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”
― Rachel Carson

The Fall Science Read of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson celebrates the fifty year anniversary of this impeccably reported text.

This book is widely credited with helping launch the environmental movement.

These Weekly programs will begin at noon on Wednesday, October 10 and continue on October 17, 24, 31 and November 7.

Circulating copies of the books are now available in the Cornerstones display area on the first floor of the library.

Ebooks of Silent Spring are available on the library’s ereaders. Try to read as much of the book as you can.

These free programs do not require registration.

Sponsored by Cornerstones of Science.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Feeling adventurous? Check out our evolving map of places to get outside and explore nature in and near Brunswick and Harpswell.

Cornerstones of Science, which originated in 2000 at Curtis Memorial Library, has grown into an independent national program.

Curtis Memorial Library is proud to be one of the many libraries around the country that partners with Cornerstones of Science to “connect children, teens, and adults to science and technology through superb books, programs, and opportunities for community involvement in current scientific issues.” Check out the Cornerstones of Science kiosk in the lobby for reading ideas, upcoming programs, and more information about what’s going on with science at Curtis Memorial Library. To learn more about Cornerstones of Science, please visit the Cornerstones of Science website :

www.cornerstonesofscience.org