carlyo | January 30, 2012
By Larry Bock
Founder and organizer, USA Science & Engineering Festival
Tinkering -- that hands-on, garage-based tradition which sparked inventions ranging from the airplane and electric light bulb to the Apple computer -- is making a comeback among average Americans, promising to change our lives for the better on several fronts.
Known by such monikers as DIY (Do It Yourself) and the Maker Movement, its resurrection, fueled by the current economic downturn and the falling cost of high-tech tools and materials, stands not only to boost innovation and change how science is taught in the…
carlyo | January 27, 2012As many educators know, the elementary and middle school years are critical periods in which students' interest in science can "wither on the vine" if efforts are not made early to engage young learners in such subjects in exciting and creative ways.
This is why global biotech leader Life Technologies -- as it prepares to return as a major Sponsor of the USA Science & Engineering Festival next spring.-- will devote a major portion of its outreach exhibits at the finale Expo to wowing elementary and middle school students through a wide range of interactive science activities.
"We know…
carlyo | January 25, 2012 The USA Science and Engineering Festival is a part of the National Academy of Sciences 149th Annual Meeting! The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a private, non-profit society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the public good.
The NAS 149th Annual Meeting will feature the Festival on Saturday, April 28th from 10am-4pm. In this special activity for guests and family members of new members, registered guests may attend the opening of the USA Science and Engineering Festival…
carlyo | January 25, 2012The USA Science & Engineering Festival hosted by Lockheed Martin offers a special appeal for budding entrepreneurs, inventors, engineers and programmers who will find the ideas, tools and resources to help them make their dreams a reality.
"The Festival is a fantastic place for technical experts of all kinds to learn about the amazing advances that have been made in technology to help them make product prototypes from 3D printers, find designs online for parts and components, and meet an array of experts to help them bring their product ideas to life," said Larry Bock, serial…
carlyo | January 24, 2012Last week marked the 100 day countdown for the 2nd Annual USA Science and Engineering Festival! The Festival is scheduled for the weekend of April 28th & 29th at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. With less than 100 days to go we are gearing up for quite an extraordinary Expo this year!
The Expo is open to all ages and is free of charge! The Festival will feature over 2000 fun, interactive exhibits, more than 100 stage shows and 33 Author Presentations. Major Science Celebrities including Bill Nye the Science Guy and Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman from the…
carlyo | January 20, 2012Take a quick view of this link to see our USA Science and Engineering Festival Volunteer Outreach Team featured on Meetup.com!
Recently our volunteers got together on January 15th in Springfield, Virginia to gear up for the upcoming Festival this April. Be sure to visit our website for more details.
carlyo | January 20, 2012
By Larry Bock
Founder and organizer, USA Science & Engineering Festival
Ahh celebrities. From music and acting to the world of supermodeling and sports -- they are respected, admired, even worshiped, for their talent and magnetism. But herein lies the danger when these stars publicly espouse or endorse viewpoints and products in health and medicine without first thoroughly exploring the scientific validity of such claims.
Why danger? For segments of the population -- especially kids who are easily influenced by star role models -- celebrity statements and viewpoints (however misguided…
carlyo | January 17, 2012Just in case you haven't heard the Festival dates are set for April 28-29th! The doors are open on Saturday from 10am-6pm and on Sunday from 10am- 4pm. This year the Festival will be held in Washington D.C. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Visit our website for all of the upcoming events leading up to the Festival, to plan your day at the Expo and to browse our exhibits. Best of all- don't miss out on the chance to pre-register for the Expo for an opportunity to win a cool prize! You will automatically be signed up to win a chance to meet Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage of the…
carlyo | January 13, 2012 AT&T Sponsored Nifty Fifty Program Speaker and Surgical Roboticist Carol Reiley made the recent cover of MAKE Magazine! She is the first female engineer to make the cover of the magazine. Volume 29 of MAKE features an interview and two articles co-authored by Carol.
Carol, a Ph.D. student at Johns Hopkins University's Computational Interaction and Robotics Laboratory, is at the forefront of research which is ushering in a new age of technology called teleoperated robotics in which scientists, physicians and other professionals located miles away can operate robots with great precision…
kcollins | January 10, 2012
America's most fast-paced and fun math contest will be the finale for day one of the 2012 USASEF. Eight area high school students will compete for $4000 in cash and prizes in Who Wants to Be a Mathematician on Saturday, April 28 at 5:00 on the Carver Stage. Students from DC, MD, VA, DE, and WV are eligible to compete. Teachers who are interested in having their students participate in the qualifying process should write paoffice@ams.org, with the subject line WWTBAM USASEF. Include your name, school, courses taught this semester, and phone number in the body of the message.
See descriptions…
kcollins | January 6, 2012As its new corporate slogan - "Rethink Possible" - suggests, AT&T is known for its long history of continually exploring new ways to reinvent itself through technological innovation, educational outreach and community involvement. The global telecommunications leader is bringing this same spirit to the 2nd USA Science & Engineering Festival in its return as a major Sponsor!
Get ready for a bevy of excitement when AT&T assumes key roles in next year's event, including serving as the official host of the Festival's high-profile Nifty Fifty speaker engagements where four of its…
kcollins | January 3, 2012By Larry Bock USA Science and Engineering Festival Executive Director
They say New Year's resolutions are meant to be broken. But as another year begins, here is a national challenge we cannot afford to ignore, and should resolve to address without delay: the declining number of young Americans entering the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
This is not, nor should it be, a problem for our schools to tackle alone. It will take all of us -- from involved parents and teachers to employers, government entities, STEM professionals and civic and community…
kcollins | December 30, 2011By Joe Schwarcz PhD, Author, USASEF Expo Performer, AT&T Sponsored Nifty Fifty Program SpeakerThey sold out after just four hours. And they weren't even hotcakes. They were just little capsules. But these capsules came with a nifty promise. Pop some, and wrinkles, those fearsome hallmarks of aging, would be ironed out from the inside! Cleverly named "Strength Within," the contents were the product of at least five years of research by a team of scientists at Unilever's laboratories in the UK.
When word leaked out last September that the beauty pills would be test-marketed for two…
kcollins | December 27, 2011Two well-respected members of the science community-C&EN and the American Chemical Society (ACS) -have made commitments once again to participate as media partner and exhibitor/sponsor, respectively, in the USA Science & Engineering Festival. The Festival will be held for the second time on April 27-29 in Washington, D.C.
C&EN, the flagship weekly newsmagazine published by ACS, will help convey information about the festival nationally and internationally through both its print and online editions. With 163,000 primary member subscribers worldwide together with pass-along and…
kcollins | December 23, 2011The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world's foremost biomedical research center and the U.S. federal government's focal point for such research, is returning to the Festival as a major Sponsor and Exhibitor, bringing with it a bevy of high-caliber excitement in medical science that helped attract scores of visitors to last year's finale Expo.
"After participating in 2010, there was really no question about our desire to return to the Festival," says Bruce Fuchs, Ph.D., Director, NIH Office of Science Education. "We got the chance last year to introduce some exciting new ways to…
kcollins | December 20, 2011The world is buzzing from the latest news about the Higgs boson. Last Tuesday, scientists at CERN announced that they have made significant progress towards the search of the Higgs boson. Scientists are confident that the progress made will bring them much closer to the discovery by the end of next year.
At the Festival Expo, you will have the incredible opportunity to find out first hand from the experts about the details regarding this "God Particle". The Festival is honored to have The Atlas Experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (New York University), a research group that works at…
kcollins | December 16, 2011The second annual USA Science and Engineering Festival is fast approaching and people are starting to take notice of what a great resource the Festival organization has become. The mission of the Festival is to re-invigorate the interest of our nation's youth in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by producing and presenting the most compelling, exciting, educational and entertaining science gatherings in the United States. We are absolutely thrilled to have ranked as one of the 50 Essential Twitter Feeds for STEM Educators by Best Colleges Online!
Throughout the year, we at…
kcollins | December 13, 2011By Joe Schwarcz PhD, Author, USASEF Expo Performer, AT&T Sponsored Nifty Fifty Program SpeakerPhysicians today are unlikely to encounter "Gilder's palsy." Nor are they likely to diagnose a patient with "hatter's shakes." But prior to the twentieth century these ailments had to be considered when a patient presented with tremors, irritability, increased salivation and fatigue. In the case of the hatters, the culprit was mercury nitrate used to produce felt. Beaver and rabbit fur, the traditional materials for making felt, can be matted more easily when the pelts are first treated with…
kcollins | December 9, 2011
The news of The Kavli Foundation Video Contest has even spread to the oval office. Back in June, Robert W. Conn, President of the Kavli Foundation, met with President Obama to discuss the importance of science in America. President Obama commented that he and his daughters thoroughly enjoyed themselves at the USA Science and Engineering Festival last year. Obama commented that last year's video contest titled "Why Science is Cool" was wonderful.
Click here to view the article about President Obama and The Kavli Foundation.
Don't miss out on the chance to enter the contest! The 2012 Kavli "…
kcollins | December 6, 2011Global security giant Northrop Grumman Corporation is returning as a major Festival Sponsor and - in conjunction with the Northrop Grumman Foundation - is significantly enhancing the Festival's focus on technical innovation and STEM disciplines.
"Northrop Grumman Corporation, in partnership with its Foundation, is committed to inspiring and encouraging the next generation of innovators in STEM disciplines through funding and support of educational and outreach opportunities for students and teachers," says Sandra Evers-Manly, vice president of Corporate Responsibility and president of…