STEM Education
carlyo | August 26, 2014The ‘Nifty Fifty (times 4)’, a program of Science Spark, presented by InfoComm International, are a group of 200 noted science and engineering professionals who will fan out across the Washington, D.C. area in the 2014-2015 school year to speak about their work and careers at various middle and high schools.
Meet Nifty Fifty Speaker Dr. David Brin
Welcome to the world of David Brin -- a realm of science, adventure and imagination. David is a scientist, speaker, technical consultant and world-known author. His novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other…
carlyo | August 19, 2014The USA Science & Engineering Festival is proud to announce the return of Lockheed Martin as its 2016 Founding and Presenting Host and expanded outreach activities to engage our nation's youth in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
"The USA Science & Engineering Festival provides an essential introduction and gateway to the exciting world of STEM," said Dr. Ray O. Johnson, Lockheed Martin senior vice president and chief technology officer. "It's an exhilarating event not only for the students, but also for the parents, teachers, and professionals like me to get hands-on…
carlyo | August 1, 2014On April 24, 2014, an exclusive group of visionaries presented to over 4,000 students at the USA Science & Engineering Festival's inaugural X-STEM Symposium sponsored by Northrop Grumman Foundation and MedImmune. The all day event included interactive presentations and workshops with some of the top scientists and engineers in the country.
In the presentation below, renowned oceanographer Dr. David Gallo dives into the unknown world deep under the sea to discuss ocean exploration, unexplored creatures and territory and the technology required to make it happen at the X-STEM Symposium.…
carlyo | July 16, 2014On April 24, 2014, an exclusive group of visionaries presented to over 4,000 students at the USA Science & Engineering Festival's inaugural X-STEM Symposium sponsored by Northrop Grumman Foundation and MedImmune. The all day event included interactive presentations and workshops with some of the top scientists and engineers in the country.
Geneticist and Physician Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, captivated crowds with his journey to the NIH.
Watch his presentation below:
http://youtu.be/o214CyMbJ2c?list=PLFxuEWfG5k6F2dH21LFhUCD7jYcLOLm4C
After being…
carlyo | May 15, 2014Guest Blog By X-STEM Speaker Aaron A. Alford, PhD, MPH, PMP
Hands-on learning and human connections are essential to STEM education. Without exception, all of the scientists that I know were inspired to enter STEM career tracks by someone who helped them make an emotional connection to science and discovery.
As a scientist and an educator, I was absolutely thrilled to be a part of the X-STEM Extreme STEM Symposium and the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C. at the end of April. Both events provided a grand opportunity to interact with students and learners of all types…
carlyo | May 12, 2014Guest Blog by Festival X-STEM Speaker Dr. Jeffrey Bennett
Originally Posted on The Huffington Post May 9, 2014
What you cannot imagine, you cannot do.
--Astronaut Alvin Drew (STS-118, STS-133)
How many people are living in space right now? I've found that since the end of the Space Shuttle program, most Americans think the answer is zero, but it's not. There are currently six people living aboard the International Space Station, including two Americans (Steve Swanson and Rick Mastracchio), one Japanese citizen (Koichi Wakata), and three Russian cosmonauts. All the astronauts currently get…
carlyo | May 9, 2014Guest Blog by Festival X-STEM Speaker Dr. Joe Schwarcz
How do you inspire students toward careers in science, and combat scientific illiteracy at the same time?
First, you spend two years planning the USA Science & Engineering Festival, the largest of its kind in the world. Then you rent the gigantic Washington Convention Center to host it and line up 3,000 displays, many of which feature hands-on activities.
You organize more than 150 stage presentations by Nobel laureates, athletes, astronauts, engineers and scientists of all kinds. You invite the likes of Bill Nye the Science Guy,…
carlyo | April 29, 2014It is difficult to grasp the magnitude of what was accomplished not only this past weekend, but also the entire two years leading up to the 3rd USA Science & Engineering Festival. The official numbers from the Washington D.C. Convention Center reveal that over 325,000 attendees visited our Nation's Capital to partake in the largest celebration of STEM or as we have dubbed it- the Superbowl of STEM! In addition to our Expo Finale weekend, we reached over 180,000 students and teachers with our STEM initiative programs including our Nifty Fifty and X-STEM School Programs.
Numbers of course…
carlyo | April 25, 2014Guest Blog by Lindsey Shephard
Rainmaker and Resident Mom at GoldiBlox
At GoldieBlox, we truly believe there are millions of girls out there who are engineers, but they just don’t know it yet. We’re thrilled to join this year’s USA Science & Engineering Festival, where we’ll be able to interact with girls and their families, showing them how fun engineering and science can be!
Like many other festival goers, we feel as though the toy industry could use some STEM love, especially among girls’ toys. If you take a stroll down the “pink” aisle at the toy store, you’ll come across…
carlyo | April 25, 2014Guest Blog By Jerry Baker
Executive Director of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
Imagine a world where every child, who dreams of becoming a scientist or engineer, is provided with the opportunity to fulfill that dream. Think of the possibilities and the discoveries that can help humanity or global sustainability. Think of the new solutions that all those minds might discover.
I look forward to meeting some of those young people during the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C. on April 24-27, 2014. It is the largest celebration of science, engineering, technology…
carlyo | April 25, 2014Guest Blog by Paul Anastas
Assistant Administrator for the U.S. EPA for Research and Development and the Agency Science Advisor
For too long sustainability and environmental protection have been defined by those saying that we need to do less, have less, expect less. For too long, we have been told that we need to consume less energy, use less materials, travel less, give up the vast array of modern conveniences. I couldn't disagree more and thank goodness the leading inventors and designers of our time agree with me.
I believe the problem of sustainability largely isn't that we use too…
carlyo | April 25, 2014Guest Blog By Andrea Beaty
New York Times bestselling author of Rosie Revere, Engineer and Iggy Peck, Architect along with children’s novels, Dorko the Magnificent and Attack of the Fluffy Bunnies
Kids are their own worst critics. Perfectionism can reduce even very young children to hysterics over toppled towers, drawing disasters and other creative catastrophes. It breaks our parenting hearts to watch and we rush in with hugs and kind words to soften the blow. I confess that when my kids were young, I sometimes resorted to less dignified tactics to calm them. “Look! . . . It’s Barney! . . .…
carlyo | April 25, 2014
Guest Blog By Lek KadeliActing Assistant Administrator in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Research and Development (ORD)
Each spring around the same time that so much of the country is swept up in the “madness” of amateur basketball tournaments, a dedicated team of employees at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are finishing up preparations to host student teams for another hard-fought college challenge: EPA’s P3 student design competition for sustainability.
While participants may not grab national headlines, the long-term benefits of their efforts have the…
carlyo | April 25, 2014
Guest Blog By David Bolinsky
Founder and Creative Director of e*mersion Studio
In 1962, when I was ten, my family and I had the rare privilege of exploring the ancient caves of Lascaux in southern France to see 17,000 year-old Paleolithic paintings close up. Though sadly no longer open for public viewing, these iconic works changed me forever. In his film ‘Cave of Forgotten Dreams’, Werner Herzog documented limestone galleries of astonishing thirty-thousand-year-old artwork in the French Chauvet Pont d’Arc.
Having practiced the visualization of science for nearly forty years, I resonate with…
carlyo | April 25, 2014
Guest Blog By Stacy Jannis
Science Media Producer and the Manager of the USA Science & Engineering Festival’s Kavli science video contest
Can science fiction influence science? Many theoretical physicists and astronomers seem to think so, and quite a few scientists say they were inspired to go into science by reading Jules Verne, or watching TV episodes of Flash Gordon and Star Trek. Do you think it’s just a coincidence that NASA’s first space shuttle was christened the Enterprise? At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, a formal partnership with science fiction writers was announced…
carlyo | April 25, 2014Sponsored by Northrop Grumman Foundation and MedImmune, our X-STEM Symposium featured multiple presentation sessions covering a wide array of subject areas including space exploration, storm chasing, oceanography, the science of social networks, the physics of superheroes, mathematical puzzles and much, much more!
As a special treat, the Senior Science Advisor to President Obama, Dr. John Holdren delivered the opening address. Thank you speakers! And thank you students for attending!! View all of the photos from the event here.
carlyo | April 23, 2014
Guest Blog by Adora Svitak
USA Science & Engineering Festival Youth Advisory Board Member
Note: See Adora as part of the Teen Inventors Panel at the Festival on the Lockheed Martin Stage!
When I was little, I hated a lot of things. I refused to practice piano or violin. I didn't eat my leafy vegetables. But most of all I hated math. By extension, I disliked anything that stank of equations: physics, chemistry, technology, engineering. After falling in love with Corinthian columns and the University of Washington's collegiate-Gothic buildings, I wanted to be an architect... until I…
carlyo | April 22, 2014Guest blog by Dr. John Sotos
Getting the Science Right in Hollywood Panel Member and Book Fair Author at the USA Science & Engineering Festival
I love medicine. But maybe not for the reasons you think.
Most people go into the field desiring to help others. Not me, at least not at first.
Many people go into medicine to make scientific discoveries. Not me.
And, alas, some people go into medicine to gratify their ego, pad their wallet, or satisfy parental expectations. Not me, thank goodness. I went into medicine because, well . . . I don't really know why. And that's the point.
One…
carlyo | April 21, 2014Under the theme of "Start Your Journey," Caterpillar, as a major Festival sponsor and leader in STEM and skilled trades, is set to wow audiences at the Expo this month with a dynamic array of interactive exhibits and presentations designed to demonstrate the breadth of opportunities that exist at Caterpillar and Cat Dealerships around the country in STEM-related frontiers and career paths.
Says Gwenne Henricks, Caterpillar's Vice President of Product Development & Global Technology & Chief Technology Officer: "We want attendees to leave with the impression that Caterpillar is an…
carlyo | April 20, 2014Guest Blog by Dr. Catherine Mohr
Senior Director of Medical Research, Intuitive Surgical
USA Science & Engineering Festival X-STEM Speaker
I work on surgical robots - at the intersection of cool, high tech, and helping people get well. One of the things I like most is that my job changes every day as I look for new technologies that might help us improve patient outcomes. For example, one day we may play with new kinds of lasers for cutting bone, the next we are looking for new less invasive ways of accessing the body to do more effective surgeries, and the next we are looking out 10 to…