Meet the Mythbusters!

Newsletter No. 21 - August 2nd, 2010

Festival Dates: Expo Dates:
10/10/10 - 10/24/10 10/23 & 10/24

Exhibitors:
This week, you will receive a very important email from CSI announcing your booth location!

Exhibitors:
Join one of two upcoming conference calls to get your questions answered:
Tuesday, August 10, 10am Pacific/1pm EST or
Thursday, August 19, 10am Pacific/1pm EST
Click here to sign up and receive the dial-in information

Wanted: MCs for our Expo stages
Are you hilariously funny or entertaining? Would you like to MC one of the Expo stages? You will receive a Festival T-shirt and a small stipend if you sign up for a 4-hour shift. Email Larry Bock and tell us why you would make a great MC!

Wanted: Expo Volunteers - Sign up here!

Announcement! Audition TODAY, August 2nd, to act as a Superhero at the NIH booths!

The National Institutes of Health is looking for 2 absolutely hilarious volunteers to act as their superheroes, "Iron Pumping Man" and "Couch Potato Man" for 1-2 hours during the Festival for a fun-filled game show, hosted by Stacey Capers of The Biggest Loser and NIH scientists. No acting experience necessary. Auditions will be held August 2nd at NIH. Please call 301.496.3583 if interested, or email rachel.yanovski@nih.gov.

Join Life Technologies in These Events: Delve into the Intriguing World of Genetics; Win an Invitation to a Festival Reception at the Smithsonian!

If you're curious about genetics, including genetic sequencing, then the exhibit sponsored by Life Technologies Foundation at the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo is definitely a place for you to visit!

Life Technologies' booth will be abuzz with a host of activities. magnifying glass, fingerprint

Learn how scientists are using genetic sequencing to save not only wild cheetahs in danger, but also important elements of the food chain, including species of bananas. And through such activities as "Super Doctor" and "Modern Sherlock Holmes," learn how genetics is being used to better diagnose, treat and
investigate disease and other conditions.

The fun, courtesy of Life Technologies Foundation, doesn't stop there. On Saturday, September 18, Life Technologies will host an evening performance by Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, stars of the Discovery Channel's hit television show "Mythbusters at Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Leon Harris, popular award-winning news anchor from WJLA-TV (Washington, DC) will serve as emcee of the evening's festivities. Harris, after a 20-year tenure at CNN in Atlanta, is now the face of ABC affiliate WJLA-TV's 5, 6, and 11 p.m. newscasts and is actively involved with charities to benefit low-income students and others.

Teachers - do you want to win an invitation to the performance? Well, just click here for more details and to register! Winning teachers will not only attend the performance but will also bring five students to the evening event, and later, with their five accompanying students, serve as special ambassadors to the USA Science & Engineering Festival by spreading the word about the Festival to their schools and community. Spots will go very fast so apply before August 10th.

Mythbusters, Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage

Exciting as well as entertaining, the reception will also include an appearance by Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, stars of the Discovery Channel's hit television show "Mythbusters." In addition, Leon Harris, popular award-winning news anchor from WJLA-TV (Washington, DC) will serve as emcee of the evening's festivities. Harris, after a 20-year tenure at CNN in Atlanta, is now the face of ABC affiliate WJLA-TV's 5, 6, and 11 p.m. newscasts and is actively involved with charities to benefit low-income students and others.

Adding to Life Technologies Foundation's presence in the Festival is the fact that Life Technologies Foundation is a proud co-supporter of the Festival's Nifty Fifty speaking presentations. (The Foundation is sponsoring a number of Nifty Fifty scientists as they visit local schools in October). In addition, the Foundation is an important co-supporter of the Festival's Lunch with a Laureate program which brings leading Nobel Laureates into venues for students and the public to meet through informal brownbag lunch presentations.

An innovator in the field of biotechnology, Life Technologies Foundation also is known for its deep commitment to supporting the next generation of scientific leaders through education and outreach in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Says Heather Virdo, head of community relations for Life Technologies: "Events like the USA Science & Engineering Festival help inspire young students today to become the leading scientists of tomorrow who will dream up the new applications and technologies that will lead our society into the future."

Life Technologies Corporation is a global biotechnology tools company dedicated to improving the human condition. Its systems, consumables and services enable researchers to accelerate scientific exploration, driving to discoveries and developments that make life even better. Life Technologies was created by the combination of Invitrogen Corporation and Applied Biosystems Inc., and manufactures both in-vitro diagnostic products and research use only-labeled products.

A Perfect Festival Partner: American Chemical Society's Activities are Sure to Wow You!

Bringing both its prestige and expertise in chemistry to bear on the inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival in multiple areas, the American Chemical Society (ACS) -- the world's largest scientific society and one of the world's leading sources of scientific information -- is duly recognized as a Perfect Festival Partner.
ACS - Science is fun

Get ready to be wowed and immersed by ACS in the intriguing world of chemistry, learning first-hand how innovations in this genre of science and engineering impact and improve our daily lives. From the high-powered Nifty Fifty talk by noted chemist and educator Diane Bunce (with her knack for demystifying chemistry for students) to myriad Expo exhibit presentations that explore the wonders of green chemistry, ultraviolet radiation, and how to produce a science podcast, these ACS-sponsored activities are sure to capture your imagination.

Adding to ACS's participation in the Festival is Chemical & Engineering News, the flagship publication of the ACS, which is serving as a key Festival Media Partner, helping to spread the word across the country about this first-ever national event.

Madeleine Jacobs, Executive Director and CEO.

"ACS members are at the forefront of creatively using the science of chemistry in finding solutions to our world's most challenging issues -- ensuring abundant food supplies and clean water, addressing disease and promoting public health and finding new energy sources and addressing climate change," says Madeleine Jacobs, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of ACS. "As the premier professional home for chemists, chemical engineers and related professions around the globe, we are well-positioned, and extremely excited, to play a key role in such an important undertaking as the USA Science & Engineering Festival."

A non-profit organization with more than 161,000 members, ACS is also known for its commitment to developing the next generation of dynamic chemistry leaders through high-profile initiatives, including such core outreach programs for students, teachers and the community as: National Chemistry Week, Chemists Celebrate Earth Day, Volunteer With Kids & Chemistry, and Chemistry Ambassadors.

ACS's busy schedule of sponsored events for the Festival and Expo during October include:

Nifty Fifty Presentation. Dr. Diane Bunce, chemistry education researcher and professor at Catholic University of America (and an ACS member), will speak at Westfield High School in Chantilly, VA. With a passion for helping chemistry come alive for students, Diane is especially popular for applying principles of chemistry to holiday cooking themes, such as her "Chemistry of Your Thanksgiving Dinner" workshop in which she helps audiences explore such common chemistry and biochemistry-related questions as: How does the pop-up timer in a turkey work? Why do muffins rise, even when made without yeast?

Three Expo Exhibits. In myriad activities presented in three Expo booths, visitors will get the chance to interact with representatives from ACS's Washington, DC chapter, students from ACS university chapters, students from local chemistry clubs -- and the ACS Mole, the American Chemical Society's furry mascot!

Booth activities, designed to coincide with National Chemistry Week in October, will illustrate how chemistry improves our lives each day through its transforming power. Learn how green chemistry is making the world cleaner and safer; put on your goggles to make and bounce some "flubber," learn how invisible ink is printed on pages, uncover the mystery of ultraviolet radiation and how ACS Communications experts produce science news podcasts for global audiences.

We thank the American Chemical Society and our other valued Sponsors as they join us in our goal of inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers!

Experience Cosmic Forensics, a Bus That Runs on Vegetable Oil, and Much More - All at Dartmouth College's Science Festival Exhibits!

In addition to an outstanding undergraduate liberal arts education, Ivy League Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH, offers numerous graduate programs in the sciences, engineering, business, medicine, and liberal studies. Dartmouth faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students will present a sampling of hands-on science explorations at the 2010 USA Science and Engineering Festival, all designed to meet the event's goal of inspiring the next generation of scientists, explorers, inventors, and leaders.

"Explaining the impact and benefit of research is important," says Martin Wybourne, Vice-Provost for Research. "Three years ago Dartmouth established an Office of Outreach to facilitate faculty and student engagement in projects that communicate the relevance of research and that promote public interest, understanding, and involvement in science, technology, engineering and math."

Teams of faculty and students worked with partners from several local science centers to develop activities that are both educational and fun, says David Kotz, Associate Dean of the Faculty for the Sciences. "We are pleased to be a part of the USA Science Festival, and to share the excitement of science and engineering with tomorrow's leaders," he says.

Look for the Dartmouth team at these exhibits:

Stellar dartmouth 2

Forensics
By observing light from the cosmos, Dartmouth scientists are reading clues from the past to help us understand the world we live in today. How were the Earth's elements created? Are Earth-like planets common around other stars?

Polar Detectives
Clues hidden deep in glacier ice help today's polar scientists decode climates of the past. Try out your own detective skills by examining an ice core from Greenland that originated as snow hundreds of years ago. Create a model glacier and watch it flow.

Misbehaving DNA: Self-Assembly Gone Wrong
It happens naturally all the time - within each cell of our bodies, molecules assemble themselves into the forms we need for life. Did you know you have about 2 yards of DNA in every one of your tiny cells? What do you think happens when the DNA misbehaves and disobeys these rules of organization?

Biosignals! Synchronizing Rhythms in the Human Body dartmouth 1

Outside our conscious awareness, our heartbeat, breathing rhythms and muscle contractions are coordinated with each other and with the environment around us. Can you coordinate your own rhythms with someone else's? See for yourself, and find out what scientists are discovering about the brain's function in synchronizing our biological rhythms.

Big Green Bus
Does a vehicle that runs on used vegetable oil smell like French fries? Come explore the Big Green Bus, which has been converted to run on this alternative fuel. Operated annually by a group of Dartmouth undergraduates committed to promoting alternative energy and sustainable living, the Big Green Bus aims to encourage people to change their behaviors-through information, compelling visualizations and inspiration- to conserve resources.

PBS Joins Festival as a Sponsor:
Come On Out and Meet Sid the Science Kid, Curious George, and Others!

PBS, America's most trusted media brand, has joined the USA Science & Engineering Festival as a sponsor, greatly enhancing our aim to inspire and engage young minds in the world of science. In addition, at the Expo, PBS will be bringing plenty of familiar TV characters and friends from its children series to help out!

For instance, Sid from SID THE SCIENCE KID will be there. So will Curious George, as well as friends from DINOSAUR TRAIN, PBS KIDS, and the soon-to-be launched PBS series, THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT!

With its nearly 360 member stations across the country, PBS offers Americans from all walks of life the opportunity to explore new ideas through television and innovative online content covering all curriculum areas - from the arts to literacy to science and mathematics.

During the Festival, visitors will get a heightened appreciation of how PBS's innovative science programming -- ranging from NOVA to SID THE SCIENCE KID -- entertains and educates children and adult viewers alike.

For preschoolers and their teachers, scientific discovery starts with PBS KIDS (the brand for children's programming aired by PBS) and its commitment to creating science, technology, engineering and math-based series and online destinations (http://www.pbs.org/teachers/stem/).

At the Festival Expo exhibitions, visitors will learn more about these PBS KIDS productions:

CURIOUS GEORGE (http://pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/): Explore the investigative skills of this familiar childhood character and how he uses that curiosity to engage viewers in science, engineering, and math concepts.

SID THE SCIENCE KID - Get to know more about Sid, the energetic and inquisitive star of the show, as he embarks on his characteristic fun-filled journeys to learn why bananas get mushy and to find answers to other science-related questions.

DINOSAUR TRAIN Discover how this inventive series helps preschoolers master basic science thinking skills as they explore life science, natural history, and even paleontology with a lively group of prehistoric creatures.

THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! Learn more about this brand new PBS KIDS program due to appear September 6! Modeled after the Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat, the new series leads young explorers on adventures in natural science. In a whimsical style typical of the famous Seuss stories, the Cat offers a fresh perspective on science, to generate excitement.