The already stellar lineup of Expo presentations at the USA Science & Engineering Festival this October just got even better!

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a major Festival partner, will sponsor an extra round of its annual "Meet the Scientists" series at the Festival Expo on the National Mall, October 23-24 -- greatly adding to the range and scope of our Expo celebration.

Since 2008, the "Meet the Scientists" series has been a key component of AAAS's Family Science Days initiative and held each year as part of the organization's Annual Meeting.   "Meet the Scientists"  gives students, parents and others a chance to immerse themselves in interactive science and technology presentations and exhibits, learn about cool science careers and have questions answered by experts convened by AAAS.

The organization will be holding its regularly scheduled "Meet the Scientists" series in February at the AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.   

However, given the importance of the inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival (including the event's exposure to students, parents and the public), AAAS has decided to sponsor an extra series of "Meet the Scientists" just for the Expo.

The series will feature an exciting array of stage show presentations - from Mars exploration to enhancing students' skills in math and science using hip hop and video games -- conducted by leading scientific experts.

To accommodate the impressive list of presentations for "Meet the Scientists," AAAS will have its own separate stage, adding to the four stages we already have reserved for other Expo presentations.  

Here is just a sampling of the exciting, interactive AAAS series of events you can expect over the two-day Expo.  (All AAAS "Meet the Scientists" presentations will be held at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium):

• X-ray Vision: Revealing Ancient Secrets with New Technology -- Uwe Bergmann, Deputy Director, Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.  Learn how Dr. Bergmann and his team, using rapid-scan x-ray fluorescence imaging techniques, have brought to life the ancient parchment containing early transcriptions of the mathematical theories by Greek mathematician Archimedes.

• Hip Hop, Video Games and Math - Juan Gilbert, Professor and Chair, Human-Centered Computing Division, Clemson University.  We all know that the U.S. needs more scientists.  Find out how Dr. Gilbert is using an intriguing combination of hip hop music, video games and other technology to infuse excitement in learning science and math among students, including those from low-income backgrounds.

• What Does it Mean to be Human? - Rick Potts, Director, Human Origins Program, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.  Delve into the ancestral past of humans to discover why our evolution may have been shaped by one of the most unstable era's in Earth's environmental history.

• Conserving Endangered Species -Jennifer Mickelberg, Research Fellow, Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Program, Smithsonian National Zoological Park.  Immerse yourself in conservation efforts to preserve a rare species of small monkey called the golden lion tamarin in its only natural habitat, Brazil's Atlantic coastal rainforest.
  

• Could We Live on Mars? Why Should We Go There? - James Garvin, Chief Scientist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.  Could there be life on Mars? Learn what the Phoenix Mars Lander project and other ambitious research endeavors are teaching us about the mysterious Red Planet.

• Virtual Earths: Studying Climate Change with Supercomputers - Keith Dixon, Research Meteorologist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  Learn how research meteorologists are using state-of-the-art computer models to simulate the Earth's global climate -- past, present, and future.

• What We Know and Don't Know About Climate Change - J. Marshall Shepherd, Associate Professor, Department of Geography/Atmospheric Sciences Program, University of Georgia.  To better understand the causes and dynamics behind climate change, Dr. Shepherd will discuss the impact that populated urban societies have on Earth systems.

• The Physics of Superheroes -- James Kakalios, Physics Professor, University of Minnesota, and Science Consultant for Watchmen.  What can such superheroes as Spiderman and the Flash teach us about principles of physics?  You'll be surprised to find out!

• Searching for New Planets - Paul Butler, Staff Scientist, Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution for Science.  Get a rare glimpse into the world of scientists as they search for new planets, exploring which undiscovered stars have planetary systems similar to our Solar System, and how many other types of planetary systems exist.

• Bird Brains and Human Language - Erich Jarvis, Associate Professor of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center. Learn how cognitively advanced birds are, including learning new and complex vocal skills - leading scientists to believe bird brains often don't  deserve the bad rap they get!

  

   

    

               

                        



                

SpringBoard, a Program of the Juneau Economic Development Council
The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science
The USDA Food Safety Discovery Zone
Air Force Research Laboratory
DeVry University, DC Metro
The Aerospace Corporation
Periodic Quest Inc.
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