July 28, 2010
Category: Festival Exhibit • partner organization
The DC Weatherams eventFest Coalition is a partnership of government, scientific societies, private enterprise, and institutions in education which focuses on serving as an important resource for information on weather, water, and climate, and how these impact our lives.
Recognized as a "Perfect Festival Partner" for its noted efforts in the event, the Coalition is especially cited by the Festival for assembling an impressive array of exhibits -- including those by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the American Meteorological Society -- all under the common theme, or strand, of atmospheric and oceanic science. This "common thread" concept is a great way not only to add depth and excitement to exhibits and presentations, but also to allow Expo visitors to explore related topics from different perspectives.
Using this approach to examining the wonders and mystery of weather, water and climate certainly adds intrigue and excitement to the many hands-on exhibits sponsored by DC WeatherFest Coalition partners, says Elizabeth Mills, a Coalition representative who serves as Associate Director, Education Programs at the American Meteorological Society.
For example, she says, "visitors in one area of our exhibits can be interviewed on camera, in another explore a weather station, and in others learn about the latest in weather research," and in other exhibits, "they can see, first-hand, the instrumentation used in the ocean and understand the way climate is changing, or watch their kids being entertained by the WeatherBug mascot."
Ron Gird, NOAA National Weather Service Outreach Program Manager adds, "Visitors will take away knowledge of how to access critical weather, water and climate information to protect lives and property. Information on careers and educational opportunities will also be available."
Organizations with exhibits in the WeatherFest Coalition include: the American Meteorological Society (with AWS WeatherBug, WJLA-TV, and News Channel 8); Alliance for Climate Education; American Geophysical Union; American Society of Limnology and Oceanography; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Weather Service; George Mason University; and National Earth Science Teachers Association.
The DC WeatherFest Coalition is also represented by organizations and institutions on its Festival Executive Committee (many which will have volunteers at booth areas). These include: CSC, Federal Aviation Administration - NextGen Integration & Implementation; Howard University; HowThe WeatherWorks; ITT; Johns Hopkins University; Lockheed Martin; NASA; Noblis; Raytheon, and the University of Maryland.
We have noticed that Festival partners, in addition to the DC WeatherFest Coalition, have also made use of use of the "common thread" concept in their exhibits, such as the "Evolution Thought Trail" in its exhibits covering evolution. If your institution or organization would like to sponsor a "common thread" track for the Expo, or if you have ideas for a track, please email the festival.
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July 26, 2010
Category: Rubik's cube tournament
Register now for the YCDTRC contest and attend a free teacher/coach workshop on August 14th from 1pm - 3:30 pm at The National Electronics Museum. Student names are not due until October 1st!
The Rubik's Cube Tournament will place K-12 teams in competition for the fastest time to collectively solve 25 Rubik's Cubes. The top six finalists will compete for the championship at the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo on the National Mall on 10/23. Prizes range from $100 to $1,000 and will be awarded by Dr. Erno Rubik, inventor of the Rubik's Cube
To learn more about the tournament click here.
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July 23, 2010
Category: Larry Bock • Satellite Festival
As a founder and organizer of the upcoming inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival, I'm in frequent contact with a wide range of teachers, students, innovators, community leaders, entrepreneurs and decision makers in science and technology across the country.
One thing that I continue to learn from these experiences: There is a growing need out there, even a grassroots desire, among average Americans to understand and connect in meaningful ways with the vast array of science and technology impacting their lives today -- provided that this information is presented to them through exciting, engaging and understandable communication and experiences.
The Festival will be the first national event of its kind celebrating the contributions and advances of science and engineering. It is a catalyst designed to bring researchers and other professionals from these fields together with schools, students, teachers and communities nationwide.
Join us at the 2010 USA Science & Engineering Festival in October as we take innovative steps to make this happen by creating a national network or alliance of science festivals -- comprised of a coordinated array of satellite festival events that we are assembling in each state throughout the duration of the Festival: October 10-24.
This year's Festival features an exciting array of hands-on, interactive experiences in science and engineering, including science open houses, student lunches with Nobel Laureates, more than 50 scientists and engineers visiting local schools and a variety of other events. The grand finale will be a two-day Expo on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas, involving more than 500 leading science and engineering organizations, 1,000 different hands-on activities, 50 stage shows and much more -- all expected to attract over half a million visitors.
But as heady an event as the Festival itself will be, equally important are the grassroots relationships that we will form with individual communities across America through the Festival's satellite events in each state. For this, we're calling on individual K-12 schools, universities, museums, libraries, science centers, businesses and other community-based organizations nationwide to join us by hosting a satellite event in their community during the same period as the Festival.
Satellite event activities, like activities on the national level, will be replete with exciting interactive experiences with scientists and engineers from neighboring communities, giving students, teachers and the public an up-close look at the wonders and future of technology, including real-world application and careers.
These networks and alliances will also allow the Festival to share the best practices (such as marketing information, funding requests, sponsorship information, logistics and participant databases) with individual state participants, thereby helping us form a strong national outreach infrastructure to build upon in the future.
Although the idea of establishing a similar national network of state-sponsored events for science and engineering festival endeavors has been attempted by others, I am particularly encouraged by the headway the USA Science & Engineering Festival is making towards this goal. For instance, at this writing, we have 15 states signed on as participants, including California, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, New Hampshire and Maryland, which thus far are hosting a total of 25 satellite outreach events among them. These events are of all sizes but are particularly comprised of major gatherings such as the events planned in Austin, TX, Clinton, NJ, and Raleigh-Durham, NC. Examples of gatherings already planned include science open houses and cafes, research weekends, and even a "Mom's Night Out" celebrating a mother's role in encouraging her kids towards science, engineering and technology.
You can track our progress through the satellite map and list of events at http://www.usasciencefestival.org/satellite-event-directory
Just as there is a growing need among the public to connect with science and technology, there is a burgeoning movement afoot in science and engineering to meet that need. Scientists, engineers and their research institutions in both the public and private sector are realizing that if they are to continue to attract innovative young minds to these fields in the future (thereby helping to assure America's global competitiveness in technology), they must take steps to engage and inform students and others about the wonders and importance of technological innovation, and how science and engineering impacts the real world. In addition, we also know that improving the public's understanding of science and technology pays big dividends in cultivating a more able and knowledgeable society, workforce and citizenry in all walks of life.
And, through concentrated outreach endeavors, they are. Scientists, engineers and other professional staff are spending numerous hours sharing the excitement of their work with students, teachers and the public via interactive classroom visits, hands-on exhibitions, engaging lectures, on-site laboratory experiences, mentoring with students, creative online videos, podcasts, etc.
One thing is clear: There is strength in partnerships. This is so true when it comes to the challenge we face in assuring America's competitive future in science, engineering and technology, and in enhancing a knowledgeable and supportive citizenry and workforce.
Our schools alone cannot meet this challenge. Neither can government or employers. But partnerships between these entities and other public and private sectors can do wonders by bringing us together to make science and technology come alive in inspiring ways -- inside and outside the classroom -- and, in the end, benefit all of us.
Follow Larry Bock on Twitter: www.twitter.com/usasciencefest
~~reposted from Huffington Post
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July 22, 2010
Category: expo booth • partner organization
Trauma surgery...emergency medicine...forensic anthropology. We know them today as invaluable fields in medicine and science - fields that save lives or provide important insight into the circumstances behind a traumatic death. What you may not know is that these professions, in many ways, were literally born under fire on the battlefields of war - from the Civil War to the conflict in Vietnam - where physicians and other medical professionals, working under dire conditions, often had to make quick decisions in diagnosing and treating severely wounded soldiers.
Take a look at this intriguing part of military medicine history and other compelling aspects of medicine's past and future with our most recent Festival "Perfect Partner" -- the National Museum of Health and Medicine/AFIP (NMHM), a Department of Defense museum located on the campus of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Through its three engaging Expo exhibits this fall, NMHM experts will not only take you back into medical history, but will also show how the past has contributed to progress in contemporary medical science.
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However, the Museum's participation in the Festival does not stop there! In October, it is also hosting the Nifty Fifty school presentation of Franklin Damann, anatomical curator at NMHM, and the performance of the Cosmic Tenors, a dynamic singing trio comprised of noted astrophysicists - James Gates of the University of Maryland, Larry Gladney of the University of Pennsylvania, and Herman White from the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
"Having the opportunity to share the excitement of medicine, medical history and science with students, teachers and the public through the Festival and Expo is particularly exhilarating for us at the National Museum of Health and Medicine," says Adrianne Noe, Director of the Museum.
In fact, she says, the Museum began in March promoting the Festival when NMHM sponsored an Albert Einstein dramatization event during their celebration of Brain Awareness Week. "We announced the Festival there and started to get people interested in attending this fall," she says.
Tim Clarke, NMHM Deputy Director of Communications, adds: "The Museum's Expo presentations will especially give visitors an interesting look at how things have changed in the last 50 or 100 years in the way, for example, diseases are diagnosed and treated, how broken bones are healed and how surgery is performed." Festival goers will also learn some great things about anatomy, pathology and the inner workings of the human body, says Tim (who has been doing a great job spreading the word about the Festival and Expo through Twitter @TimClarkeJr and other social media!).
Don't miss these NMHM exhibits:
* Visibly Human - About the Human Body. Explore the inner workings of the human body while interacting with intriguing plastinated human organs, real human bones and other specimens and artifacts from the Museum's Historical and Anatomical Collections. Images from the Museum's vast photographic archive will illustrate the advances in modern medicine.
* Binding Up the Nation's Wounds - Military Medicine From the Civil War to Today. Learn the origins of the NMHM - the nation's renowned medical museum. Watch a demonstration of a Civil War-era amputation, and look into the future of military medicine as you learn about technological advances that are improving medical care for our nation's military personnel.
* Connect the Bones - Forensic Identification of War Dead. Become a forensic anthropologist for a day! From a set of bones, determine such information about the person as estimation of age, sex, height, race and the type of trauma that caused death. Learn about the history of using forensic anthropology to identify war dead.
We thank the National Museum of Health and Medicine 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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July 21, 2010
Category: Expo exhibit • Satellite Festival
On Wednesday, October 6, 2010, the third annual 4-H National Youth Science Day, will bring together hundreds of thousands of youth around the nation to complete a single science experiment. This year, the National Science Experiment, 4-H2O, focuses on water quality and climate change - two critical issues facing our global community today.
In anticipation of 4-H National Youth Science Day, you can now pre-order a 4-H2O experiment kit with all the necessary materials to complete the first two tiers of the experiment! Kit includes enough materials for 15 youth and one facilitator to participate.
Each kit includes:
• One experiment facilitator's guide
• Five youth workbooks
• A bottle of Bromothymol Blue solution
• Plastic cups and straws
• An eyedropper
• A roll of plastic wrap
• Antacid tablets
• Sealable plastic bags
a href="http://4-h.org/nysd/index.php">The 4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD) experiment kit can be purchased for $22 on the National 4-H Mall. Additional printed copies of the facilitator guide and youth workbooks are also available for sale for $1 each. Kits will begin shipping on August 2, 2010.
At 4-H.org/NYSD you can continue your water quality exploration with new updates including:
• downloadable experiment guides
• a conversation with water quality experts
• resources from 4-H National Youth Science Day partners
• promotional materials to support your event, and more!
Join the fun! Take part in 4-H National Youth Science Day on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 and help youth discover clean water for a bright future.
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July 19, 2010
Category: Expo exhibit • sponsor
Join Illumina in its quest to discover "What makes you... you?" And to discern why even though people are genetically 99.9 % similar, we look and act so incredibly different!
IlStudents and adults are encouragedto participate in Illumina's interactive Expo exhibit at the USA Science & Engineering Festival to answer for themselves these tricky but intriguing questions in genetics, using tools of gene-based science and technology, including series of tests involving eye color, taste and more!
Discover how genetic researchers use genetic markers to study disease and to help improve the human condition, and how really cool and interesting genetics can be!
For example, every day, Illumina technology is helping unlock the mysteries of our genome. Just over the past year Illumina provided the first full coverage DNA sequencing of the first named family of four and celebrities in the worlds of entertainment and academia. Ultimately, Illumina hopes this information from a person's genome will eventually help them and their doctor make critical healthcare decisions . Because Illumina believes innovation is in our DNA, it is relentless in creating new products that push the envelope of science and technology. Kids today could be the next Illumina scientists to come up with a discovery that makes a real difference in the lives of many people.
Illumina wants to inspire young people and adults to learn more about the power of genetic research and the role of such science in helping further the understanding of human health. Illumina is right at the forefront of revolutionary efforts to change the way diseases are understood, detected and treated, based on greater knowledge about our genes.
By exhibiting at the USA Science & Engineering Festival, Illumina hopes to shed some light on the importance of genetics now and for the future. Already it has made significant strides forward toward enabling a healthier future for all, and it is anxious for future scientist and engineers to join their exciting quest as it moves into even more promising frontiers. Come explore, learn, discover, and interact with Illumina.
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July 16, 2010
Category: partner organization
Providing Students and Teachers With a Wealth of Resources in the Physical Sciences
Students, does this sound familiar?
You need information about the environment, physics, chemistry, or the earth and don't know where to go. And your teacher says that the information you reference must be authoritative. Plus, you need the information fast.
No problem!
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) - a Dream Festival Partner - is an excellent resource. DOE will sponsor 11 highly informative, interactive exhibits in the Festival's Expo this October at the National Mall in Washington, DC, in addition to equally exciting exhibits by DOE National Laboratories.
Immerse yourself in DOE's hands-on presentations! Explore how physicists are harnessing energy from the sun to make clean and renewable energy. Learn how DOE's Fermilab accelerates particles to probe the most basic components of matter, and use an "accelerator" yourself to identify shapes in hidden targets. Come see a car that can run on water and sunlight ... and much more.
Students and teachers are also highly encouraged to stop by the Department of Energy's Office of Science exhibit to see and use ScienceEducation.gov, a new search tool from the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) and the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS).
ScienceEducation.gov lets you quickly browse thousands of FREE and reliable government science education resources from a single place. And for teachers, the site features lesson plans, activities and other resources you may use in the classroom. Resources are getting added regularly, so visit now and visit often.
Visitors may be interested to know that the Department of Energy's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, providing more than 40 percent of total funding for this vital area of national importance. It oversees - and is the principal federal funding agency of - the Nation's research programs in high-energy physics, nuclear physics, and fusion energy sciences.
With such DOE expertise, be prepared to investigate the intriguing world of physical science!
In addition to DOE, its National Laboratories represented at the Expo on October 23-24 are: Ames Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Jefferson Lab, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, National Energy Technology Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories CA, Sandia National Laboratories NM, and ORNL/Oak Ridge Associated Universities.
We thank the DOE and its National Labs 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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July 15, 2010
Category: sponsor
Amgen, a leader in biotechnology, and the Amgen Foundation are committed to supporting science education programs and are proud to be a sponsor of the USA Science & Engineering Festival to further encourage bright young minds to explore a future in science and strengthen science literacy.
Jean L. Lim, President, Amgen Foundation
"Amgen applauds the Festival for bringing together leaders in science education to create an exciting educational event for students and the community," said Jean J. Lim, president of the Amgen Foundation. "The Festival can leverage the passion and expertise of industry, nonprofits and STEM organizations to help inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers."
The Amgen Foundation partners with leading education institutions and nonprofit organizations to develop replicable and scalable programs that advance science education through pivotal, hands-on science experiences for students and meaningful professional development opportunities for teachers. Two examples of Amgen Foundation programs aimed at hands-on experiences and teacher development include the Amgen-Bruce Wallace Biotechnology Lab Program and the Special Biotechnology Collection available on Teachers' Domain.
Over the past 20 years, the Amgen-Bruce Wallace Program has provided teachers with a hands-on, inquiry-based, molecular biology curriculum, in addition to a full suite of transportable, research-grade equipment and supplies, at no cost to participating schools. Science teachers administer the program in over 150 high schools across California, Colorado, Rhode Island, Washington and Puerto Rico. The three-week program has exposed hundreds of teachers and more than 125,000 students to the fundamentals of biotechnology and the excitement of scientific discovery.
On another front, Amgen Foundation is working to enhance science education broadcasting with public media powerhouse WGBH. Funded by a grant from the Amgen Foundation, the WGBH Educational Foundation has launched a new biotechnology digital media collection for the classroom on Teachers' Domain, the public broadcasters' free, online resource for teachers and students. These extraordinary digital media resources - along with a new online professional development course for teachers - are designed to deepen the teaching and learning of biotechnology in schools throughout the nation.
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July 12, 2010
Category: Festival Exhibit
Bill Nye the Science Guy
"We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars." --Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan's dream that one day spacecraft would "sail" in space, powered only by light from the sun, is reaching fruition at The Planetary Society, the world-renowned organization he co-founded.
No longer the stuff of science fiction, solar-sailing and the technology to make it happen in the U.S. is being developed by The Planetary Society, a major Festival Partner.
The Society hopes to launch its first solar sail craft, dubbed LightSail-1, next
year - a key test flight to evaluate solar-sail technology. Visitors to the Festival's Expo can view a replica of LightSail-1 and other elements of the craft in an intriguing Planetary Society exhibit demonstrating how a steady stream of reflecting photons from the sun alone can actually propel a spacecraft in Earth's orbit.
Expo goers will also want to stop by the Society's exhibition area to see
well-known media personality Bill Nye The Science Guy® who will be on hand to meet and greet visitors.
Nye has a long and close relationship with The Planetary Society. A former astronomy student of Carl Sagan, Nye has been a member of the Planetary Society's Board of Directors for more than a decade.
And in September, Nye will take the helm as the new Executive Director of the Society, replacing Louis Friedman, who has served as co-founder and Executive Director since the organization began 30 years ago. After leaving his position, Friedman will remain closely involved with the Society, continuing to direct its solar sail project Lightsail-1 (a project funded solely by private funds) and other Planetary Society initiatives.
The Planetary Society, the world's largest space-interest group, is dedicated to inspiring the public with the adventure and mystery of space exploration. The Society is non-governmental and nonprofit and funded by the support of its members. http://planetary.org
Says Nye: "The inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival is an important event. It's an opportunity for us at the Planetary Society. I look forward to sharing the passion, beauty, and joy of space exploration with the entire nation, especially with the young innovators of tomorrow."
LightSail-1 rendering
Inn addition to a solar sail, the Society's exhibit will also feature young working engineers from Stellar Explorations, a small company that is working closely with California Polytechnic State University = in designing and building the diminuative LightSail-1 craft. (LightSail-1 is constructed of 32 square meters of aluminized, reinforced Mylar and includes four triangular sails arranged in a diamond shape resembling a giant kite. The inner workings of the craft are housed in three tiny Cubesats --miniature cube-shaped satellites, made tiny thanks to micro- and nanotechnology --which house central electronics, the control module, and other capabilities.)
The young engineers will be on hand to give visitors an up-close look and demonstration of such technology and provide youngsters and the public the chance to have photo images of themselves sent up with LightSail-1 on its maiden voyage.
LightSail-1 -- the first in a series of spacecraft in The Planetary Society's effort to develop solar sailing capability - is slated to be placed in orbit about 497 miles above the Earth next year, giving scientists further insight into using sunlight as a means of propulsion.
So, visit The Planetary Society exhibit and be a part of space history!
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