kcollins | December 2, 2011The ResMed Foundation and the Farrell Family Foundation, which served as key Sponsors for the inaugural Festival last year and for the original San Diego Science Festival(SM) (organized by the Science Spark team) in 2009, is continuing its support by signing on as a Sponsor for the 2nd USA Science & Engineering Festival in 2012!
"As the world becomes increasingly complex," says Dr. Peter C. Farrell, Founder of the Farrell Family Foundation and Founder, Chairman and CEO of ResMed Corporation, "an understanding of science and technology is ever more critical - which is the value that a…
kcollins | November 29, 2011By Joe Schwarcz PhD, Author, USASEF Expo Performer, AT&T Sponsored Nifty Fifty Program Speaker
The "beep..beep..beep" sounded innocent enough, but it shook America to its very core. Why? Because it was coming from outer space! No, the military personnel monitoring radio signals did not pick up a transmission from aliens. This beep was coming from a transmitter placed inside a twenty-three inch diameter ball made of aluminum, titanium and magnesium. A ball that was orbiting the earth, passing over Washington DC every hour, emitting an irritating signal that sent a clear message: We…
kcollins | November 21, 2011Reprinted from HUFFPOST EDUCATION:
The U.S. is becoming increasingly concerned over learning among the country's youth in areas of science and math. International testing has shown that American students fall behind foreign counterparts in a number of subjects. But is it just about the text and the test?
Students in Shanghai who took international exams for the first time outscored every other school system in the world. In the same test, American students ranked 25th in math, 17th in science and 14th in reading. A 2009 study showed that U.S. students ranked 25th among 34 countries in math…
kcollins | November 18, 2011Each year, 12 of the nation's top scientists and engineers are awarded with the nation's highest honors, America's Nobel Prize. The National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation represent the highest honors for achievement in science & technology bestowed by the President of the United States.
This year scientists and engineers were honored for groundbreaking discoveries in the fields of genetics, mathematics, energy technology, rocket science, avionics, energy and imaging technologies. The laureates were honored in a presentation ceremony by President…
kcollins | November 14, 2011Apply today for the The DiscoverE Educator Awards! The DiscoverE Educator Awards are shining a spotlight on the educators who are inspiring tomorrow's innovation generation. By honoring the teachers who are hard at work in our classrooms, the engineering profession wants to show its appreciation and respect for the educators who are helping students discover engineering.
Unique to this program, engineers and engineering students (college or graduate level) are part of the nomination process. Teacher nominees must be full-time U.S. or international school-based educators teaching in grades 6-…
kcollins | November 11, 2011Apply today for the The DiscoverE Educator Awards! The DiscoverE Educator Awards are shining a spotlight on the educators who are inspiring tomorrow's innovation generation. By honoring the teachers who are hard at work in our classrooms, the engineering profession wants to show its appreciation and respect for the educators who are helping students discover engineering.
Unique to this program, engineers and engineering students (college or graduate level) are part of the nomination process. Teacher nominees must be full-time U.S. or international school-based educators teaching in grades 6-…
kcollins | November 7, 2011AT&T sponsored Nifty Fifty program speaker and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science at Yale University Ainissa Ramirez has created a new YouTube video series entitled Material Marvels from her lab at Yale on some pretty cool materials used in space, robots and even in your mouth! Her titles to date are Space Shuttle Tiles, Shape Memory Alloys, Solar Cells and Quasicrystals.
Here is the first in her series:
Ainissa Ramirez is perhaps best known for discovering a universal solder that can bond metals to ceramics, glass, diamonds and the oxide materials used…
kcollins | November 4, 2011By Joe Schwarcz, Author, USASEF Expo Performer, AT&T sponsored Nifty Fifty program speaker & Director, McGill University Office for Science and Society - Montreal, QC, Canada
Thanks to chemical ingenuity we lead a colourful life. Synthetic dyes have served up a feast for the eyes but they may leave us starving for good health. Our reliance on these chemicals exposes us to a host of unnatural wavelengths that can affect our body chemistry.
Until about a hundred and fifty years ago we had no choice but to rely on natural dyes. If you wanted red, you had better know where to find a…
kcollins | October 31, 2011The USA Science & Engineering Festival is working hard to bring President Obama and the First Lady to Sneak Peek Friday on April 27, 2012, and you can help!
As most of you know, the inaugural Festival was endorsed by President Obama and received unanimous bi-partisan support of the House and Senate. To bring this same united spirit to the 2nd Festival, we are inviting The President and his family to attend Sneak Peek Friday to further ignite the support and recognition of the largest celebration of science and engineering in the nation! Will you join us in making history? Please join…
kcollins | October 28, 2011Be sure to check out this great new page by Oxford University graduate student April Le about hot careers in science & engineering! It can be found on the USASEF web site under 2012 Festival/School Programs.
The recent atmospheric and geological developments in the news provide an opportunity for the budding geologist or earth scientist in your family to explore a topic that imparts a clear and direct impact on their daily lives. Whether he or she enjoys "build and destroy" activities or virtual simulations of earthquakes volcanic eruptions, there are many ways for students of all ages…
kcollins | October 24, 2011How does science and engineering save us, improve us, and preserve our world? Which solutions can be re-imagined for a better tomorrow, and how? Where should we explore next? What should we build next? How will we get there? The next stop is the future!
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) recently asked some of the world's leading technological thinkers to identify what needs to be done to make people and our planet thrive. Their findings can be found here.
Our video contest theme this year is inspired by these NAE Grand Challenges. Use the power of video to express your visions about…
kcollins | October 21, 2011In the American Mathematical Society contest Who Wants to Be a Mathematician, eight area high school students will compete at the 2nd USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo by answering multiple choice mathematics questions in a competitive quiz show format. The highest ranking 8 students will be pre-selected for the final round from written pre-qualification tests administered at area schools. The top prize is $3000 in cash for the winning contestant.
The game is a program of the American Mathematical Society Public Awareness Office and was developed by Mike Breen (AMS Public…
kcollins | October 17, 2011By: Joe Schwarcz PhD
Author, USASEF Expo Performer and AT&T Sponsored Nifty Fifty Program Speaker
Blueberries may reduce the growth of breast cancer! Apples and pears reduce the chance of stroke! I bet I have your attention now. But those are not my words, they're recent newspaper headlines. It seems that virtually every day some new study comes out touting the ability of this or that food to extend our earthly existence. Usually the researchers themselves are modest in their claims and end their discussion with the inevitable call for more research. But then the media get a sniff…
kcollins | October 14, 2011Join the fun! All schools, after school, and other "Not for Profit" community youth organizations in the Greater Washington DC area (including Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia) serving ages K-12 can participate. We currently have 37 teams registered for the competition and we have registrants in all 3 divisions - Elementary, Middle and High Schools. Our goal is to have 100+ teams!
The Tournament will consist of teams of eight students in grades K-12 plus a teacher/coach, divided into 3 divisions as follows:
Div 1 - Elementary Grades K-5;
Div 2 - Middle School Grades 6-8;
Div 3…
kcollins | October 10, 2011We're challenging musicians around the world to create a song for the 2nd USA Science & Engineering Festival and all entries are due by November 30, 2011. We are looking for a song that captures the spirit of curiosity, innovation and discovery that the Festival is all about, gets people excited about science and is so memorable that people can't stop singing it!
Over 100 individuals entered the inaugural USA Science and Engineering Festival jingle competition and the winner was Ryan Miyakawa and his song "Come and Play at the USA Science & Engineering Festival." Click here to hear…
kcollins | October 7, 2011by Joe Schwarcz PhD, Author, Expo Performer and AT&T sponsored Nifty Fifty program speaker
They say you can't take it with you. Actually that isn't quite true. Your earthly possessions stay behind, but there is something that you do take with you. Your body! And decisions have to be made about what is to become of it. Burial and cremation are the traditional choices, but now there is another option on the horizon. A "green" option. You can be resomated. In technical terms, your remains can be subjected to "alkaline hydrolysis." In somewhat less elegant language, you can be…
St. Cloud State University Promotes USA Science and Engineering Festival at the Minnesota State Fair
kcollins | October 3, 2011For the 2nd year the opening day of Minnesota State Fair was designated as STEM Day. There were over 30 STEM organizations exhibiting at the Carousel Area. The St. Cloud State University (SCSU) exhibit concentrated on "Wind Power" as an alternative source of energy and promoting and spreading the word about the 2nd USA Science and Engineering Festival at three locations at the Fair. The State Fair saw a record number of participants this year. Dr. Carolyn Ruth Williams, Associate Dean for Multicultural Affairs and STEM Initiatives, said, "We wanted to make sure Minnesotans know about SCSU…
kcollins | September 30, 2011By: Joe Schwarcz PhD
Author, USASEF Expo Performer and AT&T Sponsored Nifty Fifty Program Speaker
"Do you have any liquids, gels or powdered fruit drinks?" Except for the powdered fruit drinks, such questions have become routine at airports. But back on July 10, 2006 I had no idea why I was being asked this bizarre question. Why would the agent be concerned about my toiletry and dietary habits? I couldn't make heads or tails of it. The only connection with flight that sprang to mind was with Tang, the orange-flavoured crystals that John Glenn took along on his orbital mission in 1962…
kcollins | September 22, 2011Twitter Users: Please Help Us Raise $10,000 This Week So We Can Bring 4,000 Underserved Students to the Expo!
Constellation Energy is running a "tweet" promotion of the USA Science & Engineering Festival and the Constellation E2 Grants program Monday, September 19 through Monday, September 26.
For each twitter user's "re-tweet" Constellation Energy will donate $10 to the USA Science Festival (up to $10,000). And here is something to sweeten the deal. For every $10 raised, the Festival will match $10 so we have the potential of raising $20,000!!! This money will be used for bus grants…
kcollins | September 19, 2011WE.NEED.YOUR.HELP!!!
Constellation Energy is running a "tweet" promotion of the USA Science Festival and the Constellation E2 Grants program from now until Monday, September 26. For each twitter user's "re-tweet" Constellation Energy will donate $10 to the USA Science Festival (up to $10,000). And here is something to sweeten the deal. For every $10 raised, the Festival will match $10 so we have the potential of raising $20,000!! This money will be used for bus grants for inner city Washington DC students to come to the Expo. If we can get 1000 RTs, that means $20,000 to bring 4000 student to…