State of the Fest Address

AP Photo: From left to right: Vice President Ruth Kiefer, President Larry Bock,
and Speaker of Larry's House, Diane Bock.

As we approach the end of the year, here's a review of what has been accomplished with your help over the first three months and what our goals are for the beginning of next year.

We have been laser-focused on the finale event of the USA Science & Engineering Festival: the two-day Expo on the National Mall on October 23^rd and 24^th, 2010.

Currently, over 300 Partner Organizations have committed to present fun, hands-on interactive science and engineering activities.  The exhibits are a true representation of the scientific and engineering outreach communities and span the entire gamut of sophistication from flight simulators and virtual reality environments to making virus structures with marshmallows and toothpicks.

Our Festival Partners include a grassroots collaboration of:

>75 Professional Science & Engineering Societies including the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, AAAS, American Physical Society, American Chemical Society, IEEE, Association for Women in Science, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, National Society of Black Physicists etc.

>75 Universities/Colleges/Research Institutes from 35 States including Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Georgetown, University of California San Diego, University of California Berkeley, Johns Hopkins, U.S. Naval Academy, Duke, University of Maryland, J. Craig Venter Research Institute, Carnegie Institute of Sciences etc.

>25 Government Agencies and Federal Laboratories including NSF, NIH, Department of Energy, NASA, USDA,  EPA, Office of Naval Research, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Facility etc.

>20 High Technology and Life Science Companies including Lockheed Martin, ResMed, Agilent, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, NuVasive, Hitachi, Amgen, SpaceX, Celgene, Dow Chemical etc.

>50 Informal Science Outreach Organizations including the Smithsonian, American Museum of Natural History, US Botanic Gardens, Marian Koshland Science Museum, E-week Foundation etc.

>25 Community Organizations including FIRST, Girls Inc., Boy Scouts, Earthday Network, National Girls Collaborative Project, Alliance for Climate Education etc.

>25 Local High Schools

We add three to five major organizations everyday. You can see the growing list at: www.usasciencefestival.org

Our primary goal right now is recruiting more high tech and life science companies and DC-based community organizations as well as programs related to the science of "pop culture" such as NASCAR, National Football League, Marvel Comics, Hollywood, etc. We always appreciate your ideas so email Larry Bock at biobock@mac.com

We are well on the way to raising the necessary funds to put on the Festival.  We have secured over $900,000 in sponsorship and grants from a growing list of corporate, government and individual sponsors including Host Sponsor Lockheed Martin, the US Department of Energy, Larry & Diane Bock, Farrell Family Foundation, ResMed, Agilent Technologies, Amgen, Celgene, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Sandia National Laboratory, You Can Do the Rubik's Cube, Genentech, NuVasive, FEI Company, and Silicon Valley Bank.
For sponsor benefits, click here.

As 2010 begins we will turn our attention to firming up the two weeks of Festival Programs leading up to the Expo.  In early January, we will start accepting proposals from Partner organizations to host Festival events.

We will also ask all Partner organizations to nominate a "Nifty Fifty" scientist. From this we will pick fifty of the most dynamic American scientists and engineers to present one assembly at a local middle or high school during the two weeks just prior to the Expo.  Start thinking about a scientist or engineer who can really (I mean really) get kids excited about science.

And we will begin to provide Partners with materials to help broadcast the Festival message.

We could not have accomplished this if not for our Advisory Board and growing list of volunteers who have been inspiring and helping us on a daily basis.  We would like to especially thank a few individuals who have gone above and beyond: Charles Britt, Ed Brogie, Juan Burciaga, Ines Cifuentes, Jennifer Collins, Leslie Collins, Lucinda Crabtree, Patti Curtis, Delta Esparza, Christopher Frew, Margaret Glass, James Hollenhorst, Toby Horn, Patrice Legro, Brian Malow, Stanley Maloy, Elizabeth Marincola, Lisa McDonald, Suzan Onel, Shawn Otto, Sheri Potter, Karen Roehr, Duane Roth, Stacey Rudolph, Brian Schwartz, Ed Shapiro, Judy Scotchmoor, Janet Sun and Carrie Wolinetz.

We would especially like to thank Dr. Ray O. Johnson and Lockheed Martin for their founding vision, support and encouragement in launching this unique event.

Have a Happy Holiday Season!

Larry Bock and Ruth Kiefer

Thanks, Ray, for your direction!

Be Water and Energy Wise!
by National Environmental Education Foundation

Join us as we present an interactive investigation that demonstrates the connection between energy and water and  fun tips on how to conserve these two important resources in your home and school.

Water Quality Detectives

by Water Environment Federation

How do you know if your local river, lake, or stream is healthy? How do human behaviors impact the health of a waterbody?  Come learn the "basics" of water quality monitoring while conducting hands-on tests of real samples.

Do you have an activity that explores sustainability and environmental issues that you would like to bring to the Expo? Contact us.

Internship Opportunity

Join the Festival team:
Social Media "Expert" Wanted

Do you use Facebook, Twitter, and other social media? Would you like to get involved with the first ever USA Science & Engineering Festival?

We are looking for someone who is "at home" with social media, including Facebook, Twitter, meet-up, blogging, and any other tools that will help us get the word out about the many opportunities the Festival provides. In this position, you will develop a strategy on how to spread the word about the Festival through various social media tools, and then implement that strategy throughout the year. The ideal candidate works independently, is self-driven, and knows (or is willing to figure out) how to reach middle and high school students, college students, science & engineering clubs, and current and future science enthusiasts. This is an unpaid position, however, for outstanding achievement we will write you a glowing recommendation!

Interested? Then please contact Larry Bock at biobock@mac.com. In your email, please explain why you feel that you are a good match for the internship position. We look forward to hearing from you!