"Wake up, wake up!" My father shook me gently and indicated to follow him into the living room early in the morning July 1969. There in a remote town in central Africa, a group of people were gathered around a radio avidly listening. "Listen, remember this moment the rest of your life," Dad said, "Man is landing on the moon right now." Well, I certainly did remember that moment for the rest of my life. I confess I do not remember the actual radio broadcast, but I do remember my father's exhortation. He was a science teacher and Africa was our playground. I remember expeditions along remote…
Tip 1: Capture the High Ground (Convene the best and brightest in the field) As the Science Festival movement grows, I am often asked about "best practices" in setting up a local Science Festival. So I decided to write a series of short blog posts about the know-how I have accumulated. Please take all of this advice with the knowledge that I have an experience base of only one and a quarter festivals. I invite comments and additional wisdom from others. Please post your best practices here if you are a fellow festival organizer. The typical first question I am asked is "How do we get…
You CAN do the Rubik's cube Tournament is taking place at the USA Science and Engineering Festival.Have you signed up yet? 43 quintillion different combinations... I don't believe I have actually ever solved a Rubik's cube, so after finding out that we are going to have a Rubik's cube competition at the USA Science and Engineering Festival I went out and bought one...for research purposes of course. After all, I am a scientist and my curiosity got the better of me as this website claims that I CAN learn how to solve a Rubik's cube. Working with a '7 steps solution guide of on how to solve…
What is out there? Is there life on other planets? People have pondered these questions for centuries as they have looked up into the night sky and wondered what might lie beyond. Pop culture is littered with these reflections in film, book and TV. After watching Steven Spielberg's E.T. as a kid, I was fascinated by the idea that an extraterrestrial life might like Reese Pieces and secretly hoped I could turn a Speak and Spell into some kind of communicator device, just like how E.T. 'phoned home'. The question, "Does other intelligent life exist beyond our planet?" is something that…
Hi. This is Mike Paitchell. I founded the New Jersey Science and Engineering Festival and the parent organization which is staging it, the New Jersey Applied Science and Technology Council. The USA has a crisis brewing. Many of us believe that the USA needs to get more young people interested in science and technology, choosing technical careers, becoming assets to industry, and developing new industries if we are to continue to function and grow as a viable country. It appears that the general population is less interested in science than ever before, and they have a minimal understanding…
The t-shirts are ready to be ordered for the "Woodstock of Science" A portion of the proceeds will go to helping a child attend the festival It's always good to remember that science is FUN! And the Festival will be too! Show your support and pride for the USA Science and Engineering Festival by purchasing a t-shirt here!
Francis Collins and Larry Bock I was attending the AAAS annual meeting last week in San Diego, and Dr. Collins was speaking to several groups at the conference. After living in Washington, DC for almost a decade, and having worked for various federal agencies, I am used to the reverence people have for senior federal officials. In DC, the head of an organization like NIH is essentially the CEO of a big company who has people who meet with people like me. My professional contact with federal officials at Dr. Collins' level has been limited to a quick introduction and handshake before a…
A big shout out to Scientific Blogging 2.0 who is currently covering the AAAS convention in San Diego, CA. We get a little excited around here when we start seeing people talking about the festival mainly because WE are so excited about the festival. Here is an excerpt from Hank Campbell's post referencing the USA Science and Engineering Festival. "...[Aimee Stern] was off to meet Larry Bock, the gent who is putting on the USA Science & Engineering Festival, and biology legend Francis Collins at the Pancake House, the unofficial de facto offsite meeting spot of the convention, it seems…
Many moons ago as a chemistry major, one of my first college internships was working in product development for paints and coatings. That summer I discovered the fascinating world of formulation science and was in awe of the chemistry that went into making everything from my shampoo to dishwashing soap. The chemistry and the science of the world around me came alive and I was amazed by the breadth and the scope it touched in my life. Here is a video of one of the USA Science and Engineering Festival's Nifty Fifty speakers, Diane Bunce, demonstrating the "Chemistry of Thanksgiving" and making…
The 2010 USA Science and Engineering Festival is the first of its kind: multi-cultural, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary celebration of science in the United States that will take place in Washington, D.C. from 10/10/10 through 10/24/10 culminating in a two day hands-on expo with over 300+ booths dedicated to exciting the public about science in interactive fun exhibits. Leading up to the Festival you will find on this blog, entries about what you can expect to find at USA Science and Engineering Festival, updates on our Nifty Fifty and Lunch with a Laureate programs, guest…