carlyo | December 7, 2012Nobel Prize winner Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin was another amazing woman that changed the world with science!
To read the full biography of Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin click here
carlyo | December 6, 2012Read about this Chemist from the Big Easy who may have had a hand in developing the shirt on your back!
To read the full biography visit our Role Models in Science & Engineering Achievement page here
carlyo | December 5, 2012WASHINGTON, DC – The USA Science & Engineering Festival today announced Lockheed Martin as its founding and presenting host, unveiled a new website, and detailed year-round activities leading up to its return to Washington, DC on April 24-27, 2014.
The USA Science & Engineering Festival creates the thrill of hands-on science for America’s youth, getting them interested at an early age so more students will pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
“This nation suffers from a severe shortage of up-and-coming scientists and engineers,” said Dr. Ray O. Johnson, senior…
carlyo | December 4, 2012Here's one for the Math lovers! For the full biography of David Blackwell, visit our website: http://ow.ly/fPuLK
carlyo | December 3, 2012This environmental crusader was a voice for our beautiful planet- she is an inspiration!
For the full biography of this incredible woman, visit our website: http://ow.ly/fN7pM
carlyo | December 1, 2012Have you ever wondered why on some days cats lick themselves more vigorously? I suspect not. But their licking rate is indeed variable. And it just might have to do with the animal’s fear of getting an electric shock. Unfortunately for felines, cat fur loses electrons very readily, and therein lies a problem. Anytime a cat rubs up against something, and they do a lot of rubbing up, electrons are transferred from the cat to the object, leaving the cat positively charged. When the animal now comes close to items that are good electrical conductors and therefore readily give up electrons, it is…
carlyo | November 30, 2012For the full biography on the amazing Benjamin Carson visit our website: http://ow.ly/fIXdY
carlyo | November 29, 2012Luis Walter Alvarez – Physicist, Inventor and Engineer
He was one of those rare thinkers whose contributions to science impacted a wide spectrum – ranging from splitting atoms (he was part of the research team that developed the atomic bomb) and creating aircraft radar systems, to developing theories about the extinction of dinosaurs. He is perhaps best known for receiving the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physics for the development and use of the liquid hydrogen bubble chamber to discover a number of resonance particles whose classification led to the quark description of matter. His diverse thinking…
carlyo | November 28, 2012Hypatia -- Influential Mathematician and Philosopher
--Perhaps the first woman to make a substantial contribution to the development of mathematics
--Murdered by her adversaries
Her influence as a mathematician, philosopher and teacher in ancient Alexandria, Egypt --at a time when opportunities for women were practically non-existent-- was so great that Carl Sagan paid tribute to her in his book Cosmos. Hypatia has also been recognized in art work and novels throughout history. Born between the years 355 and 370 A.D., Hypatia, collaborating with her father (the mathematician Theon)…
carlyo | November 27, 2012Rebecca Lee Crumpler -- Physician
Challenged the prevailing attitudes of her day when in 1864 she became the first African American woman to earn a medical degree.
Even at an early age, Rebecca Lee Crumpler displayed a penchant and sensitivity toward caring for the poor and ill. Born in Delaware in 1831, she was raised by an aunt who was dedicated to looking after sick neighbors and friends. At the age of 21, young Rebecca moved to Charleston, Mass., to work as a nurse for the next eight years. Since the first formal nursing school wouldn’t open for another 20 years, Rebecca was able to…
carlyo | November 26, 2012We are seeking exhibitors for the 2014 Festival! Join us if you want to change lives! The exhibitors from the last Festival were amazing and we hope you come back again!
carlyo | November 21, 2012Abelardo Aguilar -- Filipino physician-scientist
Co-discoverer of Erythromycin (Ilosone®), an effective antibiotic against various respiratory tract and intestinal infections, and certain sexually-transmitted diseases
Fungi and soil bacteria are amazing ecosystems from which key medicinal products have been discovered. For example, the life-saving drug Erythromycin (Ilosone®) is a product of the fungus Streptomycesery threus, which was first found in soil samples collected in the Philippine Islands by Filipino physician-scientist Abelardo Aguilar in 1949. Abelardo, who was at the time a…
carlyo | November 21, 2012Exhibitor applications are now being accepted for the 3rd Festival!
We invite you to celebrate science at the 3rd USA Science &
Engineering Festival, the largest celebration of science and
engineering in the United States! The 3rd Science Festival will kick
off with nationwide school programs, contests and events year-round,
and culminate in a 2-day Grand Finale Expo on April 26-27, 2014 at the
Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Sneak Peek Friday will take
place on April 25.
Sign up to Exhibit by December 31st, 2012 to take advantage of all the
benefits of our new plans for the 3rd…
carlyo | November 20, 2012Rakesh Agrawal -- Chemical engineer
Developed effective process to cool natural gas to the point that it liquifies, thus helping the gas to be transported safely across long distances by ship, rail or other means. This has helped improve energy production and efficiency.
Born in India, Rakesh Agrawal studied extensively there, earning his Bachelor's of Science degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in 1975. He then came to the U.S. to pursue his post-graduate studies, and here he continued to cultivate a keen interest in energy production and ways to improve…
carlyo | November 19, 2012Virginia Apgar – Physician
The New York anesthesiologist-researcher who helped establish the field of modern neonatology, and created the newborn APGAR Scoring System in 1953 – a simple but important test administered at birth to determine the physical health of infants. This test is responsible for helping to dramatically reduce infant mortality over the last 50 years.
If you were born in the last 50 years or so, chances are –within minutes after birth -- you underwent an important health evaluation devised by Virginia Apgar. The work of this feisty, no-nonsense pediatric anesthesiologist…
carlyo | November 16, 2012Alia Sabor -- Materials scientist
Modern-day child prodigy who earned her Ph.D. at age 17, and became the youngest college professor in history in 2008.
No doubt, materials scientist Alia Sabur has been ahead of the "learning curve" for most of her young life. She was born in New York City in 1989 and started talking and reading when she was just 8 months old. She finished elementary school at age 5, and made the jump to college when she was just 10.
By age 14, Alia had earned her Bachelor's of Science degree in applied mathematics (summa cum laude) from New York's Stony Brook University,…
carlyo | November 15, 2012Samira Ibrahim Islam -- Noted Saudi pharmacology researcher and professor
First woman in Saudi Arabia to earn a Ph.D.; introduced formal university education for girls in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Recalling when she became the first woman from her country of Saudi Arabia to earn a Ph.D., noted pharmacology researcher and professor Samira Ibrahim Islam still wells up with pride and emotion: "It was big news in my country," she remembers. "There was a newspaper that asked my father to describe what he felt about me earning the Ph.D., and my father [with tears in his eyes] answered, 'Now, I can…
carlyo | November 14, 2012Before being elected to the U.S. Congress in 1998, physicist Rush Holt taught and researched such areas as solar spectroscopy and plasma physics. This background inspired some of his supporters in the 12th District of New Jersey to make bumper stickers that proudly read: “My congressman IS a rocket scientist!” -- reflecting their growing desire "for more science, or at least more scientific thinking, in Congress," Rush recalls. Combining a keen interest in science with politics came relatively smoothly for Rush. He inherited his interest in politics from his parents. His father was the…
carlyo | November 13, 2012Granville Woods -- born in Columbus, OH in 1856 and who taught himself electrical and mechanical engineering while working in railroad machine shops and steel mills -- is perhaps best known for inventing a device called the " Multiplex Railway Telegraph." This variation of the "induction telegraph" allowed for messages to be sent from moving trains and railway stations -- enabling greater railroad safety by allowing dispatchers to know the location of each train. Twice Granville defeated a lawsuit by Thomas Edison that challenged this patent. Later, Granville even turned down Edison's…
carlyo | November 12, 2012The USA Science & Engineering Festival Facebook page has grown at an incredible rate! Today we have reached over 30,000 Likes on our page! Facebook has been instrumental in helping us to achieve our mission to invigorate the interest of STEM.
Festival Executive Director Marc Schulman states, “We recognize the importance of social media to our supporters and continuing efforts in spreading the word promoting STEM education. Facebook offers us a unique, collaborative platform for us to experiment with all types of entertaining and educational content. To reach over 30,000 Likes is a…