Funding Available: Schools Wanted To Sign Up For Expo Exhibit Grants

Do you know K-12 math, science and engineering teachers in the Greater Washington, DC region (including Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia)?

We'd like to let them know about the limited number of school exhibitor grants we are offering to assist K-12 classroom students and science and engineering clubs, in creating and conducting exciting, engaging hands-on exhibits for the Festival Expo next spring!

The $250 grants (used to offset  the cost of their exhibit materials and to provide free exhibit space) are going fast!

If you know of those who may be interested, please encourage them to apply today! They can receive more details, including the online application by

We also invite teachers to bring their students to the special "Sneak Peek" Friday, and we have a limited number of grants available to help provide transportation for field trip groups, so do not delay in signing up! To access a registration form, teachers can Click Here! 

Here's a brief look at some of the schools who have received grants and how they will be using theirs to develop exciting interactive experiences for Expo goers next April 27-29 at the Convention Center in DC:

Science students from Poca High School in Poca, WV are using GPS technology to determine the locations of flora and fauna which are native to West Virginia. In turn, these students will collect data and samples to create interactive displays for the Expo, teaching visitors about a wide variety of reptiles, trees, plants, mammals, fish and amphibians from the region.

The SuGO Club of the Garrett Engineering And Robotics Society (GEARS) in McHenry, MD will captivate visitors with the robotics activity of SuGO (a competition based on Sumo wrestling robots built from LEGO MINDSTORMS) in which Expo goers can compete against each others using pre-built SuGObots!

Innovative students from the "2011 Chemistry for Life Club" at Owings Mills High School in Baltimore, MD (an ESL school with learners from over 20 countries) will demonstrate how chemistry (in addition to math and other sciences) relates to real life. Through an array of more than 20 interactive experiments, students will engage visitors in everything from creating engineering designs and building parts of robots to exploring  polymers, surface tension and geometric shapes (with prizes and certificate awards given)!

Medical science and healthful living will be the focus of the Expo exhibit for Northwestern High School's Bio-Medical Club from Hyyattsville, MD. Club members will give visitors the chance to make their own DNA necklace, learn about how DNA functions, how to determine their BMI (body mass index) and  ways to lead more healthful lifestyles.

The Robotics Team at Jefferson Middle School in Washington, DC (using an exciting replica of Mars) will introduce Expo goers to the wide range of mysteries and intrigue surrounding the Red Planet - from how to probe the martian surface using a robotic arm and machines to learning what the latest research says about traveling to Mars, temperature there, radiation, and even what foods can possibly be grown there! 

Looking for TOP Science, Math, Engineering & Technology Kids Authors!

Bill Nye and the Secret Science League

Innovative Award-Winning Children's Author Seymour Simon selected as Featured Author

Seymour Simon, whom the New York Times called "the dean of the [children's science] field," will be a Featured Author in the USA Science & Engineering Festival Book Fair! Simon is an author of more than 250 highly acclaimed science books, more than seventy-five of which have been named Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by the National Science Teachers Association. On the cutting edge of electronic publishing, Seymour Simon has published one of the first children's ebooks in color available with all Color Nooks as well as Nook Kids for iPad. 

Details of a special Seymour Simon/USA Science & Engineering Festival Book Fair Contest will be announced at the beginning of the 2011/2012 school year.  Stay tuned!

For more information about Seymour Simon, visit his Webby Award winning website: http://www.seymoursimon.com 

Get a head start on competing in one, or ALL, of the Festival's ongoing contests this summer! There are exciting cash prizes for the winners and you will have the opportunity to showcase your science and engineering talents to the nation! Read on to find out how you can participate in one of our many contests that we have recently launched...

Who Wants to Be a Mathematician

In the American Mathematical Society contest "Who Wants to Be a Mathematician," eight area high school students will compete at the 2nd USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo by answering multiple choice mathematics questions in a competitive quiz show format. The top prize is $3000 in cash for the winning contestant.

For more information about the competition:

Click Here 

The Grand Challenges Contest - Sponsored by ENGINEERING.com

What do you think is the world's biggest challenge? How would you solve it?

Many of the world's greatest challenges can be seen as engineering problems. The National Academy of Engineering has identified 14 such challenges, from harnessing solar energy power to providing access to clean water.

For more information on entering this contest:

Click Here 

Kavli "Save the World Through Science &

Engineering" Video Contest

Join hundreds of the world's leading scientists, engineers, thinkers, and innovators as we tackle mankind's greatest challenges and help to build our future.

Students worldwide are invited to submit entries to the 2012 video contest, with cash awards and prizes for the top entries. Start brainstorming now for this contest which will launch soon!

Entries will be accepted on SchoolTube.com Oct 1, 2011 - March 1, 2012.

Click Here to learn more! 

Songwriting Contest

Our Songwriting Contest has begun and we're challenging musicians around the world to submit your original song to the Festival!   

To learn more and submit a song, Click Here.

The 2nd USASEF - At A Glance

Amgen 

A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, bone disease, and other serious illnesses, and has returned to the Festival as a Platinum Level Sponsor. 

At the forefront of research at the nano- and atomic-scales, FEI works with academic institutes and industrial research labs to produce electron microscopy technologies, and joins the Festival as a Palladium Level Sponsor.  

American Society of Agronomy (ASA)

A prominent international scientific society dedicated to the development of agriculture enabled by science, has become a Titanium Level Sponsor.

American Society of Civil Engineers   

America's oldest national engineering society founded in 1852 and represents more than 140,000 members of the civil engineering profession worldwide, has become a Titanium Level Sponsor.  

Crop Science Society of America (CSSA)

An educational and scientific organization comprised of more than 4700 members dedicated to the conservation and wise use of natural resources to produce food, feed, and fiber crops while maintaining and improving the environment, has become a Titanium Level Sponsor. 

The nation's medical museum since 1862 and one of America's oldest and most respected institutions which exhibits a large collection of American military medical tools, has become a Titanium Level Sponsor.

A major scientific agency within the US Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere and protects, preserves, manages and enhances the resources found in 3.5 million square miles of coastal and deep ocean waters, has become a Titanium Level Sponsor.   

NumbersAlive!  

A project of the Rebecca Klemm Charitable Foundation dedicated to demystifying numbers and math for students of all ages to join the inquisitive numbers - plush toys, puppets, and animated characters - as they explore the relevance of mathematical concepts worldwide, joins the Festival as a Titanium Level Sponsor.

Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

A progressive international scientific society that is the professional home for 6,000+ members dedicated to fostering the transfer of knowledge and practices to sustain global soils, has become a Titanium Level Sponsor. 

University of Rochester   

One of the country's top-tier research Universities, Rochester is one of the smallest and most collegiate in character among the nation's, and has become a Titanium Level Sponsor.   

*****

Exhibitors Signing up For Festival!

The Festival Finale Expo is quickly gaining momentum, with over 250 exhibitors signed up to date, and over 500 booths reserved! Here are some of the exciting organizations who have signed up to exhibit at the 2nd USA Science & Engineering Finale Expo!

*****

Schools Taking Advantage of Grants to be Exhibitors at the Festival!

Our School Grants are going quickly, and we have nearly 20 K-12 schools and science and engineering clubs signed up to exhibit at the 2nd USA Science & Engineering Finale Expo! Here is a list of those schools who have recently signed up:       

• Musselman High School  - Watershed Environmental Team or WET
• North Marion High School - Science Competition Club
• Archbishop Neale School - Roboeagles
• New Hope Academy - Robotics group
• Owings Mills High School - 2011 Chemistry for Life  
• Independence School Local 1 - Independence Pulsar Search Club
• Wilsonburg Elementary - Wilsonburg wonders
• Jefferson Middle School - Robotics Team
• Sidwell Friends School - The Science and Robotics Group
• Garrett Engineering And Robotics Society GEARS) - SuGO
• Northwestern High School - Bio-Medical Club
• Poca High School - Science National Honor Society  

*****

USASEF Satellite Events and Affiliate Festivals Around the Nation 

Already, over 20 Satellite Events are underway in communities across the nation. Find out what's happening in your backyard: search by city, state or age group. Or host a Satellite Event in your community! Find out more by clicking here. 

Here is a sampling of some of the organizations hosting Satellite Events and Affiliate Festivals across the map:

• North Central PA Technology Futures
• Connect2Engineering
• vidya vikas institute of engineering and technology
• Discovery Science Place
• Northern Illinois University STEM Outreach
• Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center
• Intel/Fairfax County/Equal Footing Computer Clubhouse Network
• U.S. Navy
• Robbinsville Science Club
• Soudan Underground Physics Lab; University of Minnesota, Fermilab, others
• CareerTales.net
• InScite Illinois - FLL Robotics Program
• Sandhills Community College
• St. Pius X Catholic School
• CareerTales.net
• New Jersey Applied Science and Technology Council
• Michigan Tech MIND TREKKERS
• North Carolina Science Festival / Morehead Planetarium and Science Center / UNC - Chapel Hill
  
  

   *****

LEDs, Students, and Teachers Unite!

Middle & High School Teachers & Students:  Apply to receive a free LED  (light emitting diode) materials kit valued at $150 and training to create an LED project, and to compete for a $3,000 grand prize!  

CLICK HERE to apply now!  

*****

A special THANK YOU to American Astronautical Society for helping to spread the word about the Festival in their publication and for the free advertisement!