February 11, 2012
Category: Festival Fan
The 2012 Festival will be here in April and we thought it would be special to honor some of the people that make the Festival happen: our fans. The Festival would not be possible without the help of our partners, sponsors and exhibitors; however our fans play a huge impact in the success of the Festival.
Leading up to the Festival, we have decided to implement a "Featured Fan" segment. Our first Featured Fan is Dr. Jessica Carilli. Jessica shares her insight into her passion: science and her excitement for the Festival below. Enjoy!
Dr. Jessica Carilli happy at work
I'm a big fan of science outreach, and am always looking for ideas to improve my own outreach by seeing presentations and exhibits from other scientists. I also like to learn about totally different realms of science from what I study, so many of the Meet the Scientist talks would appeal to me. For those reasons I'd also enjoy seeing presentations such as the various science comedians, and the Eat a Bug and the Women in Science presentations. As a new parent and scientist, presentations such as Babies and Sound and Geek Dad also caught my eye.
In addition, I think it's important to spread ideas on what normal people can do to prevent global climate change, and for those reasons I'd really like to visit the exhibits relating to "Preventing Global Warming," "Making Agriculture More "Green"," and "Solar Energy."
Finally, I'm an aspiring science writer, working on a book about my experience earning a PhD in marine science. I'd love to meet some of the authors at the Festival, especially those who've written books about Stories in Science and Discovery in Science.
Corals and Climate Change in the Marshall Islands from Jessica Carilli on Vimeo.
If you would like to be considered as a Featured Fan then please send an email to: festivaltwitter@gmail.com.
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February 10, 2012
Category: Festival Book Fair
By Larry Bock
Founder and organizer, USA Science & Engineering Festival
It's both funny and remarkable how some of the most simple and natural acts we do each day are teeming in science.
Take for example, the kiss.
A kiss, especially a passionate one, sets off a cascade of emotions and chemical reactions in our brain and body that would surprise most of us if we knew the whole story.
Well, just in time for Valentine's Day, Sheril Kirshenbaum, science writer and author of the recent book, The Science of Kissing: What Our Lips Are Telling Us, sheds light on exactly what goes on biologically when we lock lips. Kissing basically "acts like a drug by stimulating the natural chemicals in our bodies, yet unlike other human behaviors, science has barely begun to put kissing under the microscope" to study this intriguing evolutionary behavior," says Sheril, who serves as director of the University of Texas Project on Energy Communication and appeared last year as a speaker at TEDGlobal 2011.
This April, as a featured author at the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo and Book Fair hosted by Lockheed Martin, she'll bring insight into the kiss by discussing her book, answering questions and sharing other information that research is revealing about the science of kissing. But in the meantime, for all you sweethearts out there, here's a timely message from Sheril to take to heart. She writes:
On Valentine's Day, many of us will acknowledge those we love with chocolates, flowers, and cards. But the most meaningful messages will be exchanged without spending a dime: It's kisses that leave the most indelible impression of all.
Our lips are packed with sensitive nerve endings so that even the slightest brush sends a flurry of information to our brains that often feels very good. Although we often don't think of them in this way, our lips are the body's most exposed erogenous zone. When they are involved in a passionate kiss, our blood vessels dilate as our brain receives more oxygen than normal. Our pulse quickens and our breathing can become irregular. Our cheeks flush as our pupils dilate causing many of us to close our eyes. Five of our 12 cranial nerves jump into action as we engage all of OUR senses in interpreting what's going on and anticipating what may happen next.
When there's real chemistry between two individuals, a kiss sparks romance by triggering a cocktail of hormones and neurotransmitters that cascade through our bodies and brains. In this manner, locking lips serves as humanity's most intimate experience because it conveys more than our words can possibly express. It's nature's ultimate litmus test telling us when to pursue a deeper connection with someone special or to step back because we're incompatible with a partner. And understanding the science behind how this happens doesn't take any magic out of the moment. Instead, it provides a better understanding and appreciation of our ourselves and our relationships.
Sheril is one of many intriguing authors who will take the public behind the mystery and wonders of science, engineering and technology April 28-29 at the Festival Expo and Book Fair in Washington, D.C. (the nation's largest celebration of science and engineering). This free-of-charge weekend celebration, scheduled for the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, culminates a month-long series of Festival events which will be held nationwide to inspire the next generation of science and technology innovators. The Expo allows kids, their families and others to participate in over 2,500 exciting, interactive activities and see more than 150 live performances by science celebrities, best-selling authors, explorers, innovative entrepreneurs and world-renowned experts.
At the Expo's Book Fair, visitors will get the chance to meet and hear some of the country's most intriguing authors who are regaling readers worldwide through their work. In addition to Sheril Kirshenbaum, these include:
--Astrophysicist and former NASA scientist Jeffrey Bennett who has not only authored best-selling college textbooks in astronomy, astrobiology and mathematics, but is also the author of the award-winning children's books such as, Max Goes to the Moon, Max Goes to Mars and Max Goes to Jupiter.
--Alfredo Quiñones, esteemed neurosurgeon and neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University, who in his autobiography Becoming Dr. Q, tells the amazing story of how he rose from an impoverished background as an migrant worker to become one of the most renowned physicians in his field.
>--Robin Cook, a physician and Naval officer, whose string of 30 best-selling books include such medically-based works as Coma and The Year of the Intern.
--Harvard physicist Lisa Randall, whose works such as Knocking on Heaven's Door has made her among the most cited and influential theoretical physicists today.
--Former NASA engineer Homer Hickam, whose autobiographical book, Rocket Boys formed the basis of the Hollywood movie October Sky.
--Seymour Simon, whom the New York Times called "the dean of the [children's science] field," and is the author of more than 250 highly acclaimed science books, more than 75 of which have been named Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by the National Science Teachers Association.
Experience these and other authors who never let us forget that, like the wonder of a kiss, science is indeed all around us. Join us in April at the Festival!
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February 8, 2012
Category: Festival Book Fair
By Sean Connolly
Festival Featured Author
What a difference a digit makes! There I was preoccupied with making my own eggnog, checking page proofs, and It's a Wonderful Life on television. Then along comes January 1, and with it that odometer switch from "1" to "2" at the end. Suddenly 2012 is this year.
And this year means a trip to DC in late April for the USA Science and Engineering Festival. A festival appearance gets us authors out of our garrets, blinking as we meet the real people out there. And it's those real people--particularly the young ones--who make it all so much fun.
I can draw them into my world of bad puns ("science friction," "give peas a chance") but also into the wider world of science. And on "Pi Day" (March 14) this year, Workman will publish The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math: 24 Death-Defying Challenges for Young Mathematicians.
Writing it has given me the chance to replace those old "two trains leave Chicago" word problems with challenges that have real bite. Speaking of which, if one vampire drinks the blood of two humans at each Full Moon, turning them into vampires, how long will it take for Washington to be populated by vampires (and don't say it is already)?
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February 6, 2012
Category: Festival Book Fair
Sitting elbow to elbow with strangers in the movie theatre is nothing new to the average American. However, when you are cramped in a packed theatre and you hear a cough every now and then while watching the movie Contagion, well that's another story. Even if you are viewing this movie in the comfort of your home, your mind will start to wonder about the thousands of hands that could have touched this disk you received in your mailbox this afternoon from Netflix. Then it begins..."What have I been exposed to?" My irrational fear as well as fascination about epidemics first grew after the movie Outbreak and now once again with Contagion. Lucky for me, I will have the opportunity to meet author Julie Chibbaro at this year's Festival. Julie Chibbaro is a Festival Featured Author and in her blog post below she offers a little glimpse into her new novel Deadly. In Deadly, Chibbaro digs deep into the typhoid fever epidemic in the early 1900's and the life of the notorious Typhoid Mary.
On Deadly by Julie Chibbaro
Germs are everywhere. According to Dr. Charles Gerba (aka, "Dr. Germ"), 71% of gas pump handles and 68% of mailbox handles are contaminated with highly contagious germs. At least we have some notion how to fight them. Imagine living a hundred years ago, when most people didn't even know what germs were. Most thought that diseases were spread by miasmas, or bad air from trash.
In my young adult novel, Deadly, which takes place in 1906, an epidemic of typhoid fever (caused by the salmonella typhi bacteria) spread in New York City from house to house. No one knew what caused it. Not until one man, Dr. George Soper, a sanitary engineer, had an idea. He thought that maybe a healthy person was carrying it inside her body and spreading it through her cooking. No one had ever heard of such a thing! Healthy people didn't carry disease.
In Deadly, along with his (fictional) assistant, 16-year-old Prudence Galewski, George Soper hunts down this carrier of typhoid fever, a cook named Mary Mallon. This cook really existed, as did the doctor who found her. Today, she is known to the public as Typhoid Mary.
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February 3, 2012
Category: Festival Partner
Popular Science, one of the leading sources of news in technology, science, gadgets, space, green tech and more, is returning as a key Media Partner with the Festival!
In doing so, PopSci joins a growing list of other top science media leaders who will be serving as Festival sponsors, including Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, MIT's Technology Review, Chemical & Engineering News, School Tube.com, ENGINEERING.com, EE Times and PBS Kids.
PopSci has been a major source of science and technology news since its award-winning magazine Popular Science was founded back in 1872. Its online version, PopSci.com, was launched in 1999, and in 2008 this site was redesigned and upgraded to give viewers even more up-to-the-minute tech news and insightful commentary on new innovations, and even scientific angles on the hottest Hollywood movies and stories.
Returning from its stint as a valued Media Partner in the 2010 Festival, Popular Science, like other key media sponsors in next year's event, will run advertisements pro bono via their respective media outlets which will play a key role in not only giving the Festival heightened visibility on a national and international scale, but also will help the event recruit for new satellite venues and participation in the Expo, contests and other activities.
Published by the Bonnier Magazine Group (which also publishes Science Illustrated), Popular Science is long known for its commitment to journalistic excellence in reporting on the latest in innovation, while giving readers an insightful look into what the future of technology holds.
Says Gregg Hano, Senior Vice President of Bonnier Corporate Sales & Technology Group, "We invest in that vision with our media properties everyday, and supporting the USA Science & Engineering Festival is one more way for us to ensure that the next generation will have the skills, knowledge and interest to deliver on that bright future."
We thank Popular Science and our other Media Partners for their valued participation!
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February 1, 2012
Category: Festival Book Fair
"The periodic table is the universal catalog of everything you can drop on your foot"
--Theodore Gray
You have the amazing opportunity to hear from best-selling author
Theodore Gray at this year's
USA Science and Engineering Festival Book Fair! Gray will be speaking at the Teen Non-Fiction
Festival Stage at 11:50 am on Saturday, April 28th. His newest book is Theodore Gray's
Elements Vault: Treasures of the Periodic Table with Removable Archival Documents and Real Element Samples - Including Pure Gold! Gray's other books,
The Elements and
Mad Science, are international bestsellers, as is the wildly popular
The Elements for iPadebook.
Theodore Gray's Elements Vault picks up where The Elements left off. Organized into the nine major groups of the periodic table, including the alkali metals, the alkali earth metals, the transition metals, the nonmetals, the metalloids, the halogens, the noble gases, the actinides, and the lanthanides, Elements Vault includes all new text, new photographs, and even more information about the elements.
Elements Vault also includes 20 removable historic documents related to the elements and the field of chemistry, such as Einstein's famous letter to Roosevelt explaining the potential of uranium for use in nuclear weapons, a genuine advertisement for lithium-laced 7UP soda, Mendeleev's original notes on the periodic table, and more. Each of these documents is individually packaged in an envelope attached to the book page. The document can be removed and handled and then put back into the book for safekeeping. Also included is a gorgeous 20″ x 10″ poster of the unique rainbow spectrum emitted by each element in the periodic table.
Along with all the information and fascinating facts about the elements, readers will discover the irresistible dry wit and humor of chemist and Popular Science contributor Theodore Gray. Cecil Adams, of "The Straight Dope" says, "Gray...has attained a level of near superhuman geekery that the rest of us can only mutely admire."
"Even if this book weren't absolutely gorgeous, it would still be a worthwhile investment because of how well it works as Coffee Table Education. This is when you leave a book lying around that is so tempting the kids pick it up and start learning stuff without even being asked! Delightful."
--Wired's "GeekDad"
For more information about the Festival Featured Author Theodore Gray visit our website and once again don't miss out on the opportunity to hear Gray in person on April 28th.
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January 30, 2012
Category: USA Science & Engineering Festival
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 classroom, but could herald a new industrial revolution, suggest the Economist, the Wall Street Journal and other luminaries.
The potential power of this movement is indeed thought-provoking. It rests on DIYers (who range from young students to everyday adults) believing that the average person has the ability to understand and apply technology in ways like never before, enabling ordinary individuals to build, even invent, meaningful creations of their own that they are passionate about -- from robots and sophisticated LED (light emitting diode) systems for movie film production to energy-smart conveniences for the home.
Through robust support networks that they've developed nationwide, DIYers delight in joining with like-minded friends, mentors and peers (either online or in-person) to tinker, create, hack and re-use materials, while learning to use such tools as computer-controlled table saws, 3-D printers, welding equipment and laser cutters to produce prototypes of their creations.
For me, as founder and chief organizer of the USA Science & Engineering Festival (the nation's largest celebration of science and engineering), the merging of DIY with 
technology represents a vibrant breath of fresh air across America, particularly what it means for inspiring the next generation of innovators. And I am not alone: Educators are realizing that hands-on experiences represented by such activities as tinkering and building may be one of the most powerful keys to improving STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics education) in this country. That's because students learn best by doing, especially when done in an engaging environment with peers and mentors.
Not surprisingly, engineering schools across the country, for example, report that undergrad students are showing an enthusiasm for hands-on work in DIY technology activities that hasn't been seen in years.
DIY also cannot help but to have a positive impact on the human spirit itself, says Naomi Lamoreaux, an economic historian at the University of California, Los Angeles. "The really dynamic times in our history are times when you have lots of ordinary people who think they have a chance to make a difference," she opines.
Yes, the chance to make a difference is indeed a powerful motivator, especially for young students. That is why the USA Science & Engineering Festival hosted by Lockheed Martin this April is devoting a significant portion of the event to exciting, hands-on DIY encounters -- all designed to inspire budding inventors and entrepreneurs with ideas, tools and resources to help them make their dreams a reality. From robotic technology to amazing desktop manufacturing technology that makes prototype development easy and cost-effective, future innovators will find it all during the Festival's finale Expo (as well as in the Robot Fest and DIY Expo pavilion) in Washington, DC on April 28-29.
The Festival is also 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 find designs online for parts and components, and meet an array of experts to help them bring their product ideas to life.
Participants and activities such as the following will make the Festival an unforgettable one-stop experience in DIY:
--Organizations like MakerBot Industries, Fab Lab DC and Fab@Home by Cornell University and Dassault Systèmes Americas will demonstrate how to develop product prototypes via digital fabrication and 3D printers, while Sparkfun Electronics will show how to develop new product ideas more easily and inexpensively through electronics and microcontroller kits. The Festival will also feature an array of robotic technology ranging from military, manufacturing and surgical robots to more entertaining robots like R2DC's Star Wars droids and other exhibits that allow attendees to build their own robots.
--At the DIY Expo, budding entrepreneurs will be able to network with members of various "hackerspace" groups, such as the Baltimore Node, Unallocated Space and HacDC, who work collaboratively to network, socialize and develop technical solutions and new innovative products in their spare time, simply because they love to tinker with new ideas, create something from nothing, and solve problems!
--In addition, the Festival also features a Book Fair that includes some of the leading authors and experts in the DIY world, including William Gurstelle, author of The Practical Pyromaniac. Gurstelle, a professional engineer, has been researching and building model catapults, ballistic devices and flamethrowers for more than 30 years. Dustyn Roberts, author of Making Things Move: DIY Mechanisms for Inventors, Hobbyists and Artists, will also appear at the Festival. Roberts, also an engineer, started her career at Honeybee Robotics working on a project for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission.
The late Steve Jobs (who was perhaps the ultimate modern-day DIYer), was right when he said individuals who invent, build and make things have the power to change the
world -- or at least a part of it.
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January 27, 2012
Category: Festival Sponsor
As 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 how important it is for kids, especially young girls, to remain engaged and motivated in science at that age," says Heather Virdo, head of Community Relations for Life Technologies." And we know how powerful science outreach can be when it is combined with exciting hands-on interaction with real-life scientists and other professionals.
"That's why," she says, "Life Technologies looks forward to returning as a Sponsor of a major public event like the Science & Engineering Festival as this gathering works to help inspire young students to become leading scientists of tomorrow and to prepare them to play an important role in developing new applications and technologies that will lead our society into the future."
Life Technologies Corporation and its Foundation, with its long history of scientific excellence and community involvement, is also known for its deep commitment to supporting the next generation of scientific leaders through education and outreach in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
At the Life Technologies exhibits during the finale Expo in April, elementary and middle school students and their teachers will get an up-close-and personal look into the
intriguing world of bioscience research, including how Life Technologies scientists are using DNA sequencing techniques to not only better diagnose, treat and investigate disease, but to also save wild cheetahs and other endangered species, in addition to improving farming and agriculture techniques for the food we eat.
And through hands-on interaction with Life Technologies scientists and research technicians, Expo goers will also participate in genetic sequencing and human identification exercises.
"The Festival also offers a great way for
our non-scientist employees at Life Technologies to also become involved with outreach," says Heather. "So members of our Human Resources, Finance and other departments will also be present to talk to students about career opportunities in these fields as well at our corporation."
Known worldwide for its innovation and leadership in scientific discovery, Life Technologies is a global biotechnology tools company dedicated to improving the human condition. Its systems, consumables and services enable researchers to accelerate scientific exploration, driving to discoveries and developments that make life even better. Life Technologies was created by the combination of Invitrogen Corporation and Applied Biosystems Inc., and manufactures both in-vitro diagnostic products and research use only-labeled products.
We thank Life Technologies and our other valued Sponsors as they join us in our goal of inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers!
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January 25, 2012
Category: USA Science & Engineering Festival
The 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 entrepreneur and Executive Director of the USA Science & Engineering Festival-- the nation's largest celebration of science and engineering that will take place April 28-29, 2012 in Washington, D.C. "If you're an inventor or entrepreneur looking for inspiration, the Festival will be a wealth of ideas and the DIY Expo will provide the tools to get your ideas in motion."
See our recent press release to read more.
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