Newsletter No. 26 - October 4th, 2010  |
Festival Dates: Expo Dates:
10/10/10
- 10/24/10 10/23 & 10/24Celebrate Science: Don't miss the Expo on the National MallOctober 23 and 24, 2010, 10am-5:30pm - A free event for all ages
Over 1500 hands-on activities, more than 75 stage shows on four stages Volunteers Needed for Expo Weekend!
Help our exhibitors move-in Saturday morning, then explore the Expo the rest of the day! Find out more!Save the Date for the Festival Opening Event on 10/10/10
Powers of Ten: A Journey in Song from Quark to Cosmos 10/10/10, 5-7pm, Find out more |
Check out our NEW FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE and Invite ALL your Friends to the Festival! Now is the time to let us know you will be there and tell others what you will be doing!
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Tweet up the Festival on Twitter! Get real time updates from the Festival booths on Twitter with #scifestbooth. For updates from the Festival follow @USASciencefest and share your thoughts from the festival with #scifest on your tweets and upload and tag your photos on twitpic.
As we approach the Festival and the Expo one thing on the social media side we would love to see happen on Twitter is the hashtag #scifest 'trending' on Twitter. There are no 'rules' on how to get something to trend, (it's determined by an algorithm) but from our understanding the way a topic or hashtag will trend is if a lot of different people in a short period of time start tweeting about it.
Why is this important to the Festival? Many people who use Twitter are completely outside of the Festival's normal reach. If they see our #scifest hashtag trending they may start reading everyone's tweets about the festival and something might pique their interest about science and check it out. At the press conference we talked about how as a culture we celebrate various celebrities and not science as a culture and Twitter is a perfect example. Justin Bieber is just one of the various celebrities know for his constant 'trending' on Twitter. So let's Celebrate Science and get #scifest trending!
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Salute to the Military
All children with parents serving in the U.S. Military will receive two line skip passes for any Lockheed Martin demonstration at the USA Science & Engineering Festival. Please bring a military ID and come to the Military Skip Pass booth directly in front of the Mellon Auditorium. Lockheed Martin will have a number of volunteers at the booth handing out the passes.
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Festival Opens with Powers of Ten performance this Sunday, 10/10/10
Special Guest: Jazz Vocalist Jacqui Sutton Join us this Sunday, 5-7pm, for a performance of Powers of Ten by David Haines at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on the University of Maryland, College Park campus.
This event is free of charge, but you MUST have a ticket to be admitted, because seating is limited. To reserve your seat call 301.405.ARTS (2787). The event features over 250 singers from the DC area including the following groups: -Suitland High School (Prince George's County) -Thomas Jefferson High School (Fairfax County) -Loudon Country Day School (Loudon County) -Ft. Belvoir Elementary School (Fairfax County) -Collegium Musicum -The Refrains (National Academy of Sciences chorus) -Little River UCC Contempos -North Cambridge Family Opera A special treat will be a guest appearance by jazz vocalist Jacqui SutJacqui Sutton
 | ton. Jacqui Sutton has been on stage, either singing or acting or both, for over 25 years. Influenced by two seemingly opposite musical styles-jazz and bluegrass-she managed to fuse them together, in a style she calls "frontier jazz," with the release of her debut CD Billie & Dolly, an homage to Billie Holiday and Dolly Parton. Jacqui discovered David Haines' Black Hole a year ago as she was searching for songs to sing in a science cabaret. She fell in love with his inventiveness and decided to include it on her CD but with a jazz/Afro-Cuban spin. Jacqui will be performing two songs from Powers of Ten. The event promises to be one to remember. David and his vocalists - through a savory combination of musical styles, including a touch of classical, a soupcon of jazz, a dash of pop and a sprinkle of rap -- will take you on an amazing journey through science. During this experience, be prepared to be dazzled by the wonders and mystery of quarks, atoms, bacteria, the string theory, amoebae, tectonic plates, Earth, Moon, black holes and other marvels of science. David Haines. | Said David recently about his work: "I write science songs the way other people write love songs -- out of passion for the subject matter... I don't generally aim to teach science through song, but to celebrate it and to arouse the curiosity of those who perform and hear it."
For more information on David, visit www.davidhaines.co.uk and www.singtastic.com For more information visit http://www.usasciencefestival.org/powersoften Watch it on TV or live via the Internet: The University of Maryland's cable TV station will carry the Powers of Ten program LIVE in both Prince George's and Montgomery Counties. Comcast customers can watch on Channel 73 in Prince George's County and on Channel 2 in Montgomery. On Verizon, the event will be on Channel 40 in both counties.
Powers of Ten will also be streamed live (requires Silverlight plugin for Mac and PC) by the University of Maryland and fed live by fiber to Verizon's AVOC switch.
 We wish to sincerely thank the University of Maryland, College Park for hosting the Powers of Ten event, and for serving in other key roles as a Festival Dream Partner.
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Double the
Excitement! Science Channel, National Academy of Sciences and Others to Hold Expo Shows Both on
Stage and at Exhibit Booths
Get ready for a double dose of fun and inspiration at the
Expo this month! The National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the American
Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Science Channel,
Lockheed Martin and other major Festival partners will not only regale audience
s about the wonders of science through live stage shows, but also via
interactive shows in tented areas at their exhibit booth sites.
The extra exposure to live stage presentations and
demonstrations by these sponsors will help turn up the heat on the Festival's
excitement meter just a bit more on the National Mall, giving visitors added
opportunity for up-close-and-personal interaction with scientists, engineers
and discovery! For example, the NAS, with its exciting array of stage shows
scheduled at the Expo in Section NM-1 (located adjacent to the Capitol's
Reflecting Pool), is sure to inspire you. These NAS shows include: --"Nobel Purpose." Meet Nobel and Draper prize winners in
Chemistry, Physics and Engineering and hear their stories of dedication,
inspiration and a life of service to science as they are interviewed by
National Public Radio science reporter Jo Palca. --"The Bone Detective." Find out from Dr. Diane France, a real
life "bone detective," how scientists in forensic anthropology use bones to
reconstruct mysterious circumstances and solve crimes. You'll also have a
chance to get some hands-on experience in this encounter by using bones from
fried chicken pieces to see up close how bones tell a story. --"Intuition." Explore how the brain works when you
make a decision. Is it intuition
or rational thinking? Or is it
instinct or emotion that drives your decision? Join media artist Lee Boots and scientists from the Imaging
Research Center of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in this fun and
interactive exploration.
--"The Science of
Food." Learn from food
chemists how they are using a technique known as "molecular gastronomy" to help
chefs create new and interesting tastes and textures for more healthful eating. Come see and taste the goodies they are
cooking up and learn more about the science of food! Thank you NAS, AAAS, Science Channel, Lockheed Martin and
others for going the "extra mile" to invigorate and motivate Festival visitors
through your engaging stage shows!
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Connect With AT&T at the Expo: From the Latest in Smart Phones and Communications Careers to Environmental Sustainability!
AT&T, a leader in delivering innovative products and services, has joined the USA Science and Engineering Festival as a major sponsor. Its participation greatly enhances our mission to expose students and others to new technologies and careers of tomorrow that strengthen communities and stimulate economic growth. In addition to being a technological innovator, AT&T is also known as a good corporate citizen, being recognized nationally for its commitment to sustainable efforts involving the environment, education and community volunteerism programs that improve the quality of life. Learn more about AT&T innovation and its efforts in sustainability next month at the Festival's Expo at the National Mall where the AT&T "Eco Booth" is sure to "wow" you. The booth features the latest iPhone, smart phones, solar power charging stations, information on how to prepare for careers in communications, as well as information on AT&T educational outreach  efforts and video interviews with AT&T scientists. "Serving as a Sponsor in the USA Science and Engineering Festival is such an important opportunity for AT&T to connect with people across the country to let them know what we do," says Jennifer Kuhn, executive director of Public Affairs for AT&T. AT&T Labs (once a portion of Bell Labs) employs more than 1300 scientists and engineers, and in its distinguished history, produced eight Nobel Prize winners!. For example, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, a former Bell Labs scientist, received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 with two other colleagues (from different institutions) for their development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light. Active in outreach endeavors in communities across America, "AT&T is very interested in reaching out to kids -engaging them in hands-on experiences in  technology, helping them to see that there is a whole new world out there and the importance of math and science," says Jennifer. Toward this end, AT&T, through a sustainable program in education known as AT&T Aspire, is working to improve high school retention rates among students in the nation's underserved communities, thereby helping to prepare the next generation of U.S. workers. Aspire (a $100 million multi-year program) provides mentoring and the opportunity for underserved students to "shadow" a variety of AT&T executives -- ranging from positions in External Affairs to laboratories -- which gives students insight into career opportunities, how science and technology are used, and the necessity of education (especially math and science) in today's high-tech world. Says Jennifer: "We want all these kids to stay in school so we can hire them to create the next new technology that will change the way we communicate." As testam  ent to AT&T's commitment to these and other sustainable efforts, AT&T was recently added to the reputable 2010 Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America, one of the world's most recognizable indexes that tracks the sustainability performance of top North American companies based on corporate, economic, environmental and community impact. "At the Festival's Expo, we invite everyone to stop by the AT&T exhibit to not only learn more about how the changing field telecommunications and AT&T's role," says Jennifer, "but also to get your cell phones, digital cameras and other electronic devices charged for free at one of our 28 solar panels that we will have available while you have fun with us." We thank AT&T and our other valued Sponsors as they join us in our goal of inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers! We would also invite you to learn more about AT&T's broader sustainability efforts by visiting www.att.com/sustainability or checking out our most recent Citizenship and Sustainability Report, which is available at www.att.com/csr.
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The World's Largest Classroom: 900,000 Students and
Growing
Innovative Education for the T in STEM
Cisco is sponsoring the
USA Science & Engineering Festival because of its commitment to transforming
education for today's students and tomorrow's leaders.
Visitors at
the festival can experience technology that will help transform education by visiting
the Cisco NOW Van (Network on Wheels), located in the
mobile exhibitor area at Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street. Enjoy
an interactive experience with the latest video phones, web cams, and mobile
wireless networks that technology students will use in school and on the job.
Visitors can also learn
about innovative education opportunities that align with the 'T' is STEM
(science, technology, engineering and math). Cisco provides ICT (informatio n
and communication technology) curriculum through its corporate social
responsibility initiative called Cisco Networking Academy, a public-private
partnership with more than 900,000 active students, and over 3.5 million
alumni. Courses are available at schools of all levels throughout the U.S. and
around the world. These convey ICT knowledge and
skills while developing the problem solving and critical thinking abilities
students need to become career and college ready.
Networking Academy courses
combine instructor-led networking theory with e-learning, hands-on labs, job
function simulations, online assessments, and preparation for certification
exams. Courses also develop project management, collaboration and
entrepreneurship. Students can compete in virtually every field of study or
industry that relies on ICT for success.
Cisco partners
with governments and schools to establish paths that can transform the
learning experience and equip students with the life and technical skills needed
to succeed in the 21st century workforce.
Take learning beyond the
traditional classroom, and connect students with an engaging, relevant world of
technology that can inspire lifelong learning. Discover
how to partner with Networking Academy to enhance or establish a technology
curriculum. Visit us at the festival or on our website at www.cisco.com/go/netacad/us. 
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It's Official: Bot h Houses of Congress Pass Resolutions Supporting Festival!The inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival received the official stamp of approval from both Houses of Congress recently when the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate each passed resolutions honoring and supporting the goals of the nationwide event. In doing so, the House of Representatives approved H. Res 1660, and the Senate unanimously agreed to its version of this resolution by passing S. Res 656. We are extremely happy about these developments since Congressional recognition of the importance of science and engineering to future American competitiveness can help us affect real change. The recent action by Congress reflects the efforts of a bi-partisan group of legislators who worked together in recent weeks to spotlight the Festival's goal of developing a new generation of American talent so that our nation does not outsource innovation. The Festival wishes to sincerely thank members of Congress, including Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-CA), who graciously led the effort to pass H. Res 1660 after witnessing the success of last year's San Diego Science Festival -- the event which inspired the inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival. Also instrumental in the passage of H. Res 1660 were House Science & Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN), Representative Pete Olson (R-TX) and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). Other members of the over 100 member Honorary Congressional Host Committee can be found here. Said Rep. Bilbray of the Festival: "This is a unique opportunity for thousands of Americans to learn more about science and engineering from exhibits, participation, demonstrations, performances and discussions." In the Senate, the resolution backing the Festival received strong support from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) who co-sponsored S. Res 656. Senator Ted Kaufman (D-DE) and Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) were also avid supporters. To hear more about H. Res 1660 as it was discussed in late September in the House of Representatives, check out this C-Span video. |
ScienceRapper, Science Leaders and Science Fun at Festival Preview
Albert Einstein and some 21st century students
 | From the appearances of Albert Einstein and the Cat in the Hat (he's becoming a scientist) to an interactive demonstration about the power of green chemistry, the USA Science & Engineering Festival Press Preview was a big success. Held at the Marian Koshland Science Museum, Zach Powers, the ScienceRapper, who has been rapping about subjects like a structural biology and the human genome since fifth grade, warmed up the room by testing out the special rap he is writing for his performance at the Festival. For a sample of how Powers makes science cool check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCRJ4r0RDC4&feature=relatedPost ScienceRapper attendees heard talks and congratulations from some of the Washington areas leaders and proponents of improving science education. They included Jim Dinegar, President & CEO, of the Greater Washington (DC) Board of Trade, and a number of Ph.Ds including Francis Q. Eberle, Ph.D., Executive Director, National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), Wallace D. Loh, J.D., President-Designate, University of Maryland College Park, Charles M. Vest, President, National Academy of Engineering and Steven Koonin, Undersecretary for Science in the U.S. Department of Energy. Keynot John P. Holdren, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
 | e speaker John P. Holdren, Ph.D., Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, discussed his support for the Festival. He mentioned how dedicated the White House is to improving STEM education and referenced several of the President's including Change the Equation, a network of more than 100 corporate leaders who have signed up to innovate and invest in STEM teaching and learning. About 60 students from Martin Luther King Elementary School in DC, School Without Walls and The Nysmith School for the Gifted Inc. participated in a dozen interactive exhibits to get a taste of what the USA Science & Engineering Festival would be like. Among the exhibits students participated in: A Virtual Reality Mirror of a Real City. Lockheed Martin previewed its Mirror World virtual reality system and showed students the difference between virtual reality and the video games kids are familiar with. Fourth and fifth graders clustered around three laptop computers which allowed them to go on missions through city streets and walk, run and jump on blocks and buildings from a virtual city, created with GPS Precision so they mirrored real life. Extracting DNA to Make Goo Resembling Strawberry Snot. The National Human Genome Research Institute worked with students to extract DNA from strawberries using a dish soap, table salt, rubbing alcohol, a coffee filter and a plastic bag. The red DNA the students found was drippy and the texture of what comes out of their noses. Students went home with details about the experiment so they could conduct it with family and friends. What's Green and Good and What's Poisonous? EPA's father of green chemistry, Paul Anastas, Ph.D., clad in a white lab coat, led a roundtable of students who learned how light sensitive film changed color depending on the chemicals it was exposed. Each student got to take their film home and share what they learned with everyone they know. Making Physics Fun by Checking Out Really Cool Devices. The University of Maryland had a lot of everyday stuff students could hear, see and touch including one that made their thoughts could contr  ol objects. They also got to see standing waves in a Slinky, hear pipe tones, a singing aluminum rod, and listen to sound waves creating wave patterns in gas flames. Can sound waves really break glass? Come to the USA Science & Engineering Festival and Find Out! Jumping Around to Learn How Our Bodies Work. AAAS put students through aerobic paces to learn about their hearts, brains, skeleton and skin and what keeps them working. They jumped, ran in place, danced and a lot more as they learned about nutrition and other biological processes that help to "keep our motor running." To see some footage from the Press Conference go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qjV_qs1-LA |
Iowa's 'Moms Night Out' Adds Momentum to Festival's Nationwide Satellite EventsAs satellite events for the inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival grow in number across the country, the Iowa Math and Science Education Partnership (IMSEP) greatly added to the momentum of this effort recently when it announced that it will be hosting a unique satellite gathering - just for moms - at 20 sites across Iowa simultaneously on October 18. Aptly dubbed Moms Night Out for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), the event was conceived by IMSEP and the Iowa State University Engineering College to inspire primary caretakers, particularly moms, to take a more "hands on" approach to their children's math and science education. Says Jeff Weld, Director of IMSEP: "Research evidence continues to mount that point to moms (and dads) as key to the attitudes and decisions of youth when it comes to STEM careers. This satellite event in conjunction with the USA Science & Engineering Festival puts moms and dads right in the middle of the mix." Moms Night Out gatherings will be held simultaneously October 18, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 pm. at 20 locations across Iowa, including Cedar Rapids, Ames, Cedar Falls, Davenport, Des Moines, Sioux City and Waterloo. These free events - to be held at libraries, schools, museums and other community sites -- are open to the public and will feature motivating hands on experiences with local teachers and researchers to show parents how math and science can be made fun and less daunting for their children. It will also include items for parents to take home and use with their children. The Iowa gatherings are particularly unique because they center on an important group the Festival is also trying to reach - parents. The Moms Night Out events are part of a wide network of other exciting Festival satellite events that will be taking place during October in more than 25 states across the country -from California, Washington, New Mexico and Colorado to Texas, Florida, West Virginia, Maryland Delaware and Vermont. For a complete listing of the participating satellite states and their events, click here |
The Week In Highlights:
Larry Bock and Dr. Andrew Zwicker of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory on
WJLA's Let's Talk Live morning tv show having fun with Liquid Nitrogen
NIH Director Francis Collins welcomes the audience at the Life Technologies Foundation MythBuster's Event

300 Student Ambassadors from 60 Schools enjoy an evening with Adam Savage and
Jamie Hyneman of the MythBusters
Leon Harris moderates a discussion with Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of the
MythBusters
 Chef Jose Andres speaking at the Life Technologies Foundation MythBuster's Event
 Chef Jose Andres serves the crowd some molecular gastronomic delectables at the Life Technologies Foundation MythBuster's event 
Nobel Laureate John Mather meets with students of the Nysmith School
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THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
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Silicon Valley Bank - Bechtel National Radio Astronomy Observatory Space X - Research In Motion SciVee - SchoolTube Thirty Meter Telescope Project Astronomy Outreach Foundation Virginia Commonwealth University School
of Engineering National Math and Science Initiative Rochester Institute of Technology 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. ExxonMobil
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Visit us online at www.usasciencefestival.org
New logo design by MORRIS
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Festival Host:
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Buy a Festival T-shirt Buy 10 or more and get 15% off Go to store

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Register your team for our You Can Do the Rubik's Cube Tournament Click here for more info
In partnership with

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Engineering.com is partnering with The USA Science Festival to bring you "The Great Science Teacher Video Contest" Are you a great science teacher? Prove it! Submit your video now for a chance to win cash and electronics prizes! Click here for more info
In partnership with

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Are you a Fan of the Festival? Tell others by posting our "I am a Fan" Logo on your Facebook page, website, blog or wherever else you share information.
The logo is available for download on our "Resources" page

In return, we will gladly post a link to your site. Provide us with your basic info and your Fan "ShoutOut" about the Festival, and we will add you to our website... Click here to fill out a brief form
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Be part of the National Celebration: Check out the Satellite Events Map to see celebrations around the county.Take a look! |
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