USA Science & Engineering Festival
carlyo | May 6, 2013
By USA Science & Engineering Festival Founder Larry Bock
The answers to some of the biggest challenges facing us this century lie waiting to be discovered in the laboratories and institutions of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. But we must remember, scientists do not operate in a vacuum in such endeavors.
Increasingly, policy makers -- often working in the highest seats of government -- are playing an important role in the research discovery scenario, including deciding which projects to fund, and assuring that scientific discoveries and their resulting impacts are sound…
carlyo | April 29, 2013By USA Science & Engineering Festival Founder Larry Bock
In what started out as a hopeful trickle more than four years ago has seemingly evolved into a full-blown trend: Suddenly it's cool and hip to be a scientist in Hollywood. Ranging from such blockbuster films as The Amazing Spiderman, Battleship, The Avengers, and Iron Man 2 to TV hits including House, Fringe, Criminal Minds, and Breaking Bad, an increasing number of Hollywood productions are using real-life scientists as advisors to not only boost the technical accuracy of scripts and video content but to also create more exciting…
carlyo | April 26, 2013Save the date: the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo is just one year away! We are so excited to bring you the largest celebration of science & engineering for the 3rd time! Leading up to the Expo we will have affiliate events, the return of the Nifty Fifty (x3), contests, and school programs! The Festival week will kick off with the U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference, the launch of X-STEM Extreme STEM Symposium (Thursday, April 24) and Sneak Peek Friday (April 25)! The free and open to the public finale Expo will be the weekend of April 26-27, 2014!
The spotlight on STEM (…
carlyo | April 24, 2013Guest Blogger USA Science & Engineering Festival Nifty Fifty Speaker Joe Schwarcz PhD
I had my tonsils out in 1954. In those days a few bouts of tonsillitis, and out they came. I remember being plied with chloroform before the operation and with ice cream after. I also remember being given a special gum, “imported from America” to chew. It was probably some version of “Aspergum” which contained aspirin and was supposed to relieve the sore throat. The idea of using the gum after a tonsillectomy was introduced in the 1940s by Lawrence Craven, a California physician, who made an interesting…
carlyo | April 4, 2013Celebrating Role Models in Science & Engineering Achievement!
Ali Javan's important work is a major component of what you are doing right now- using the internet. To read his full biography and the profiles of all our STEM Role Models click here.
carlyo | March 27, 2013Celebrating Women's History Month with another STEM Role Model! In today’s blog we feature Nanomaterials Physicist Dr. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky.
We are excited to announce that Dr. Leslie-Pelecky will be serving as a Nifty Fifty Speaker for the Festival!
She has appeared on television for ESPN, H2 and VOOM channels, and in print for publications such as TIME and Sporting News magazines, and professional society publications such as C&EN and the Materials Research Society Bulletin. She appears periodically on the SiriusXM Speedway satellite radio program where she uses science to dispel…
carlyo | March 26, 2013Celebrating Women's History Month with another STEM Role Model!
Often rated among the top 10 forensic science experts today. Became internationally known for her work with the United Nations in conducting forensic investigations of mass grave genocide killings in Rwanda and the Balkans -- and through such scientific evidence, helped bring perpetrators of such killings to justice, including former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes
Read all about the important work of one of the top 10 Forensic Scientists Clea Koff here
carlyo | March 21, 2013The USA Science & Engineering Festival is thrilled to introduce our elite group of X-STEM and Nifty Fifty Speakers for the 3rd Festival! In today's blog we feature Physicist and former NASA Astronaut Dr. Kathryn Thornton!
We are excited to announce that Dr. Kathryn Thornton will serve as both an X-STEM and Nifty Fifty Speaker for the Festival! Selected in 1984 by NASA as an astronaut candidate, Kathryn Thornton would go on to serve 12 notable years with NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston -- a career which would see her become the second American woman to walk in space, in addition to…
carlyo | March 12, 2013By USA Science & Engineering Festival Founder Larry Bock
"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." - Carl Sagan
The excitement, the rigors and the risk of scientific discovery: Sagan loved and shared these emotions more effectively and openly with us than perhaps any other contemporary scientist. And in the process he helped catapult "science outreach" into the public lexicon.
Today more than ever, if we are to inspire the next generation of innovators and better inform the public about science, we, with Sagan-like boldness, need to rethink science outreach, especially…
carlyo | February 12, 2013TONIGHT- special guests of the First Lady at the State of the Union include USA Science & Engineering Festival X-STEM speaker Bobak Ferdowsi and Nifty Fifty Speaker Jack Andraka!
Bobak Ferdowsi- referred to as NASA's "Mohawk Guy" is a flight director at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In addition to his inspiring day-to-day work on the Mars Curiosity mission, he volunteers as a FIRST robotics mentor to get more boys and girls excited about STEM education. We are thrilled for Bobak to participate in our Extreme STEM Symposium! Read his full biography here.
Jack Andraka- 15 Year-Old…
carlyo | May 1, 2012The 2012 USA Science and Engineering Festival was a huge success this past weekend! More than 150,000 attendees battled the rain, traffic and crowds to celebrate science at the Convention Center!
The Festival would not have been possible without the hard work of our amazing volunteers! Over 750 volunteers dedicated their valuable time and showed incredible patience and enthusiasm during their shifts at the Festival. We are so grateful to ALL of you! We received wonderful feedback about our exhibitors and the amazing hands-on activities. Exhibitors made each person feel welcome and…
carlyo | April 27, 2012
The excitement is filling the air at Sneak Peek Friday today as we are gearing up for an amazing weekend! The Festival takes place Saturday from 10-6 and Sunday from 10-4 at the Walter E Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Please visit our "Plan Your Day" section on our website for important information regarding attending this FREE event. Those attending the Festival will be in for quite a treat with over 3,000 hands-on science and engineering activities and over 150 stage shows!
We have had some incredible events leading up to this weekend including our AT&T Sponsored…
carlyo | April 26, 2012The 2nd USA Science & Engineering Festival has finally arrived! The Expo will take place this weekend at the Walter E Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. The hours are Saturday from 10-6 and Sunday from 10-4. Evening shows are also scheduled for the weekend including the Stargazing Party with Bill Nye and Featured Author Panel Discussion- Science Stories in Society & School: Using Narrative to Bridge the Gap.
The Festival will be packed with entertainment for the whole family with 3,000 amazing hands-on exhibits and over 150 incredible stage shows. This FREE event is…
carlyo | April 23, 2012Under the guidance of some of the top astronomy experts in the country, explore our amazing Universe - including up close views of the Earth's moon, Jupiter and other mysterious planetary objects - at the Stargazing Party, an exciting educational collaboration between the Festival, the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum (NASM), telescope manufacturer Celestron and other partners, on Saturday, April 28 at NASM in Washington, DC.
A hit with visitors at the inaugural Festival in 2010, the Stargazing Party is returning to the Festival Expo with an equally impressive lineup of evening…
carlyo | April 20, 2012Thank you to Blogger Amy from DC Metro Mom for a wonderful post on the USA Science and Engineering Festival!
Read all of DC Metro Mom's Post here.Spark An Interest in Scientific Discovery at the USA Science & Engineering Festival!
By Amy from DC Metro Mom
The 2nd Annual USA Science & Engineering Festival is a super-charged series of public events and school programs with a mission to "re-invigorate" children's interest in science, technology, engineering and math. The Festival kicked off this week with over 150 FREE events for the public and Greater Washington, DC schools leading…
carlyo | April 19, 2012Imagine the opportunity for your kids to chat one-on-one with some of the nation's top scientists, engineers and other professionals in such fields as medical research, the CIA, oceanography, microbiology, and technology intellectual property law!
They'll get the chance at the finale Expo at the end of this month when the Festival, in association with the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), hosts its Meet the Scientists/ Engineers sessions. These informal gatherings, part of the Festival's STEM Career Pavilion initiative, will allow students to conduct in-person interviews with a wide…
carlyo | April 18, 2012
By Larry Bock
Founder and organizer, USA Science & Engineering Festival
Similar to what the legendary Woodstock Festival did in gathering and celebrating the best and the brightest in the world of rock, the 2nd USA Science & Engineering Festival hosted by Lockheed Martin, the nation's largest celebration of science and engineering, has assembled some of the country's top innovators, celebrities and innovations in the realm of science and engineering to wow visitors at the Festival's upcoming Expo celebration.
The Expo -- set for April 28-29 at the Walter E. Washington Convention…
carlyo | April 16, 2012The Kavli Science Video Contest has wrapped up with over 260 entries! Now it's time for the People's Choice Vote, in advance of the awards ceremony on April 29, in Washington, DC, as part of the USA Science & Engineering Festival. Voting is easy, just view the videos on YouTube and click 'like" for your favorites. Click here to view the videos.
We have been highlighting the Top 20 Finalists on our blog for the past two weeks. In today's blog get to know the remaining Top 20 Finalists:
SPOTLIGHT ON KAVLI VIDEO CONTEST: TOP 20 FINALISTS
Entrant: Jenna Mason, 17Entry: Ubiquitous…
carlyo | April 14, 2012Rockville High School in Rockville, MD was visited by Dr. April Croxton, Marine Biologist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Dr. Croxton is one of the AT&T Sponsored Nifty Fifty X 2 Speakers. WTOP's "Man About Town" Bob Madigan was on hand to broadcast Dr. Croxton's presentation and even catch some student comments about this inspiring event.
Listen to WTOP's coverage with Bob Madigan here.
The USA Science & Engineering Festival's AT&T Sponsored Nifty Fifty Program sends more than 100 top scientists and engineers to DC-area schools leading up to…
carlyo | April 13, 2012Under the guidance of some of the top astronomy experts in the country, explore our amazing Universe - including up close views of the Earth's moon, Jupiter and other mysterious planetary objects - at the Stargazing Party, an exciting educational collaboration between the Festival, the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum (NASM), telescope manufacturer Celestron and other partners, on Saturday, April 28 at NASM in Washington, DC.
A hit with visitors at the inaugural Festival in 2010, the Stargazing Party is returning to the Festival Expo with an equally impressive lineup of evening…