STEM Education
carlyo | April 19, 2014Guest Blog By Bart Gordon
Our nation has a long and proud history as a global leader in the development of technological breakthroughs and the development of revolutionary products that change and save lives around the world. In recent years, however, fewer young Americans are entering fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and as a result, our global competitiveness is in jeopardy. For the past six years, the majority of patents issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have been awarded to international owners, and fewer American students are pursuing advanced…
carlyo | April 17, 2014You could call them child or teen prodigies – wunderkinds, who at remarkable young ages have already begun making their mark upon science and technology as innovators and visionaries. The USA Science & Engineering Festival not only applauds such young achievers, but is recruiting some of the best of them to serve on its new Youth Advisory Board.
The achievements of these recently-appointed board members will not only help us further excite, inspire and reach out to more students during the Festival next week, but will also call attention to the impressive cadre of young talent that is on…
carlyo | April 16, 2014Guest Blog By Festival X-STEM Speaker and Expo Performer Dr. Joe Schwarcz
“Hey, aren’t you somebody?” the teenager queried as I got into the elevator. While I was pondering an appropriate answer to this deeply philosophical question, his crony spilled the beans: "Yeah, he's that guy who talks about chemistry on TV." This was just the ammunition the philosopher needed. "Oh no, we're locked in an elevator with a scientist" he mocked, before volunteering the information that he got about 2% in chemistry in high school, and "that was with cheating."
Sadly, I've heard such comments before. After…
carlyo | April 14, 2014Guest Blog by Alan Ladwig
USA Science & Engineering Festival Emcee and Panel Host
I am really looking forward to having fun at my third USA Science and Engineering Festival. With its carnival-like atmosphere the Festival is the perfect place to bring your kids for an up close look at the wonders of science and technology. They’ll be able to engage with hundreds of scientists and engineers who are working on solutions to challenges that matter to the economy and to our daily lives.
The Festival fare features demonstrations by science professionals, television personalities, authors,…
carlyo | April 11, 2014The National Science Foundation returns to sponsor the USA Science & Engineering Festival and will showcase an incredible group of exhibits at the NSF and Friends Pavilion! Visit the National Science Foundation's exhibit area to explore tsunami waves, mind control, robots, spiders, cranberry acids, crazy physics experiments and more! Stage performances, a wearable tech fashion show and interactive activities will entertain and engage visitors of all ages.
Listed below is a sampling of the fun and excitement you can expect at the NSF & Friends Pavilion:
Wild Lives in Your Own Back…
carlyo | April 10, 2014By Shawn Flaherty
Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist and author of New York Times’ list topping “The Future of the Mind,” is one of 31 best-selling science-related and children’s book authors (and characters) who will be signing books during the USA Science & Engineering Festival’s Book Fair, hosted by Anderson’s Bookshops.
The Book Fair is part of the 3rd USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo, hosted by founding and presenting sponsor Lockheed Martin, taking place April 26 and 27 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C. from 9am to 6pm daily. Designed to inspire…
carlyo | April 9, 2014
You've heard the saying: Science is truly all around us. Get ready to discover how accurate this maxim really is as Science Buddies, an award-winning, non-profit resource in STEM for students, joins the USA Science & Engineering Festival as a major sponsor. Moreover, don't miss Science Buddies' exciting, hands-on exhibits for kids at the Festival Expo, which include delving into the physics of catapult launching and how to build your own robot "bugs" that follow light!
It's a natural fit for us at Science Buddies to join with the Festival in sharing projects that encourage kids to keep…
carlyo | April 7, 2014By Rick Ambrose, Executive Vice President, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
It’s time to let the next generation in on a secret.
The fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) aren’t just where the jobs are. They’re where the excitement is as well.
I’ve spent the past 30 years leading aerospace and technology teams, and I think we have the best jobs in the world. Who designs spacecrafts that speed from Earth toward distant planets? We do. Who builds satellites that save lives by tracking global weather patterns? That’s us, too.
We often talk about STEM in terms of…
carlyo | April 1, 2014By Travis Earles, Lockheed Martin Senior Manager, Advanced Material and Nanotechnology Initiatives
“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were.”
-Carl Sagan, famed astronomer, astrophysicist and cosmologist
Imagine a world where we have the ability to understand and control matter at the nanoscale, where unique phenomena enable novel applications. A world where novel materials enable entirely new approaches to design and production that is faster and better than ever before.
The nanotechnology exhibits at the upcoming USA Science & Engineering Festival will provide a…
carlyo | March 31, 2014
Mike Rowe star of TV's Dirty Jobs series and founder and CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, would like to add "skilled" trades to the well-known acronym of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). "Adding an 'S' to the end of STEM would further get across the vital role that training and jobs in skilled trades are playing in the future of STEM frontiers," says Mike.
No doubt, skilled trade professionals such as auto technicians, plumbers, heating/air conditioning technicians, welders and electricians represent some of the most well-paid and in-demand high-tech jobs in STEM…
carlyo | March 25, 2014The 3rd USA Science & Engineering Festival, the nation's largest celebration of STEM, is just one month away! This FREE and open to the public event will take place April 26 & 27 at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center. Over 250,000 attendees will experience the weekend of a lifetime with 3,000 hands on exhibits, 150 stage shows, including presentations from science celebrities Bill Nye and Michio Kaku, teacher development workshops, a Festival Book Fair and much much more!
Here is just a sampling of the upcoming stage shows at the Festival Expo Finale:
Learn From Mike Rowe of TV's…
carlyo | March 21, 2014Get ready as Festival Expo 2014 introduces you to a growing number of women innovators who are spearheading efforts to create exciting ways to inspire the next generation of female scientists and engineers! This includes designing STEM-inspired toys for young girls, immersing them in positive experiences that dispel the ¨nerd¨ stereotype that STEM-motivated females often encounter, and writing books featuring amazing STEM heroines.
Titled "Meet the Women Leaders Spearheading Cool and Fascinating Ways to Inspire Girls in STEM", this must-see performance panel in April will be moderated by…
carlyo | March 19, 2014When it comes to wowing young learners with a wide array of exciting hands-on experiences in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the Chevron STEM Zone exhibit ranks among the nation's best! Get ready when the "STEM Zone" lives up to its reputation during its debut at the Festival Expo in April, bringing to visitors a smorgasbord of dynamic, interactive science demonstrations in one 3600 square-foot location.
Chevron, which joins the Festival this year as a major sponsor, has used its STEM Zone with great success as a popular science outreach extravaganza throughout the…
carlyo | March 18, 2014By Shawn Flaherty
The first ever X-STEM: Extreme STEM Symposium—presented by Northrop Grumman Foundation and MedImmune—kicks-off the 3rd USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo and Book Fair, hosted by founding and presenting sponsor Lockheed Martin. Being held on April 24th at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in DC, X-STEM is a “TED-style” event for kids with talks by 50 of the nation's most noted science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals representing top universities, corporations, non-profits, and governmental agencies.
“X-STEM is the perfect…
carlyo | March 13, 2014
By Larry Bock
Co-Founder of USA Science Science & Engineering Festival
No doubt, the influences that move individuals into their chosen field of science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) are often as different as night and day, but one thing seems constant: most STEM professionals, in remembering how they made their selection, can trace that ¨A-ha!¨ moment back to a pivotal experience in their lives that connected them on an emotional level for the first time with their chosen line of work.
That moment for scientist James E. West, inventor of the foil electret microphone,…
carlyo | March 10, 2014By Jeri Moses, Lockheed Martin Engineer
When I tell people I work at Lockheed Martin, they often assume I work in finance or human resources. This is a strange assumption considering more than 50 percent of Lockheed Martin employees are technologists and engineers. But, females are underrepresented in engineering, particularly in computer science. I may be biased, but I think girls that code are cool.
According to Girls Who Code, 74 percent of middle school girls express interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and yet this is not translating into higher education…
carlyo | March 7, 2014
By Larry Bock
Co-Founder of USA Science Science & Engineering Festival
Engineers are some of the most necessary problem solvers on the planet. They conquer the daunting technological challenges -- both immediate and long-range -- that stand in the way of human progress and quality of life. You don't have to think long and hard to realize what our daily existence would be like without these innovators. Their imprint is everywhere - ranging from the water we drink, the cars we drive (and the roads and bridges on which we travel) to our iPhones and computers, and the programs that…
carlyo | March 5, 2014
By Stacy Jannis
The Kavli Science in Fiction Video Contest challenges Gr 6-12 students to examine the science in fiction, including science fiction movies, TV shows, and games. Our contest advisors include science educators , scientists, and Hollywood scifi visual effects experts. Follow #SciInSciFi on twitter for contest updates.
Joanne Manaster is a faculty lecturer teaching online biology courses for the Master of Science Teaching-Biology program at the School of Integrative Biology at the University of Illinois, and has taught lab courses in Bioengineering and Cell and Developmental…
carlyo | March 3, 2014STEMconnector®, "the one-stop shop for who's doing what in science, technology, engineering and math", has joined the Festival's growing cadre of Sponsors, bringing to the event a proven ability to keep professionals, students and the public abreast of STEM news and updates across a broad spectrum.
"STEMconnector® is proud to be a partner for the USA Science Festival as we support and endorse the largest gathering in the world celebrating science and engineering," says Edie Fraser, CEO of STEMconnector. "We couldn't be happier than to see young people interested in STEM and believe in the…
carlyo | February 27, 2014By Shawn Flaherty
What is the universe made of? What does science have to do with extreme sports? And how would you survive a zombie invasion? The answers to these questions and more are at the 3rd USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo and Book Fair, hosted by founding and presenting sponsor Lockheed Martin. Designed to inspire the next generation of innovators, the Festival Expo is a free, family-friendly expo that allows kids and adults to participate in more than 3,000 hands-on activities and see more than 100 live stage performances.
“Science is amazing…that’s our message to kids…