October 23 "Today in History" blog for the Engineering Pathway. Excerpt: The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has teamed up with Walt Disney Studios to co-create an interactive exhibit in Tent 102 at the USA Science & Enginee  ... more

October 23 "Today in History" blog for the Engineering Pathway. Excerpt: The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has teamed up with Walt Disney Studios to co-create an interactive exhibit in Tent 102 at the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo, which will take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 23 and 24 from 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. each day. The hands-on experience blends themes from the upcoming major motion picture TRON: Legacy with the NAE's Grand Challenges for Engineering. Exhibit-goers will be transported into the digital world of TRON: Legacy and examine where movie fantasy and reality intersect. Visitors can try 3-D scanning and see how it’s bringing the real and virtual worlds closer together. They’ll get a chance to do brain surgery on a computer-generated replica of a real brain, and experience a trip into the TRON: Legacy digital grid through an incredible 3-D light painting activity created especially for this exhibit. The NAE worked with Disney Imagineering research scientist Lanny Smoot to develop the interactive demo.   less

The National Academy of Engineering's exhibit and stage show at the USA Science and Engineering Festival at its inaugural festival in 2010. "Explore the visually-stunning cyber universe of Disney's upcoming theatrical release T  ... more

The National Academy of Engineering's exhibit and stage show at the USA Science and Engineering Festival at its inaugural festival in 2010. "Explore the visually-stunning cyber universe of Disney's upcoming theatrical release TRON: Legacy in an exhibit co-created by Disney, the National Academy of Engineering, and leading educational experts. Families and kids of all ages will see real props from the film including Kevin Flynn's Light Cycle and participate in interactive activities being developed especially for this event. These activities draw upon the art & engineering of film making and themes from the film, including cyber-security and virtual reality, two of this century's Grand Challenges for Engineering."   less

Explore the wonders of science with activities for the whole family at the first-ever Cal Science & Engineering Festival. This free event will take place at UC Berkeley, on Spieker Plaza (located next to Haas Pavilion) on Satu  ... more

Explore the wonders of science with activities for the whole family at the first-ever Cal Science & Engineering Festival. This free event will take place at UC Berkeley, on Spieker Plaza (located next to Haas Pavilion) on Saturday, October 23 from 10am to 2pm. It's all about science in action! You'll put solar power to the test, get hands-on with ancient fossils, discover the "science" of unicycling and basketball, make your own earthquake, journey to the stars—and more! The Cal festival is hosted by Science@Cal, an initiative of the UC Berkeley Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, and is presented in conjunction with the inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival.   less

Map with links to satellite events across the nation for the USA Science & Engineering Festival. The site is searchable by age group, city, state and keywords.  ... more

Map with links to satellite events across the nation for the USA Science & Engineering Festival. The site is searchable by age group, city, state and keywords.   less

AAUB Blog excerpt: " Who Was Rosalind Franklin? September 10, 2010, by AAUWFellow If you don’t think of Rosalind Franklin when you’re thinking of great scientists, you’re not the only one. This accomplished but seldom-credi  ... more

AAUB Blog excerpt: " Who Was Rosalind Franklin? September 10, 2010, by AAUWFellow If you don’t think of Rosalind Franklin when you’re thinking of great scientists, you’re not the only one. This accomplished but seldom-credited woman was a biophysicist who made many contributions to the field of science but is best known today for her critical role in understanding DNA. Franklin was born in 1920 in London and attended a private school to study chemistry and physics. Although her father was against higher education for women and wanted his daughter to become a social worker, she resisted his expectations and enrolled at Newnham College. However, as a woman, she was only given a nominal college degree. She earned her doctorate at Cambridge and went on to perform research at the biophysics unit of King’s College London. It was there that she made her revelations about DNA while experimenting with X-ray diffraction techniques. Her data served as the basis for Francis Crick and James Watson’s theoretical models of the double helix, although her male colleagues beat her to publication. Despite her assertive and sometimes confrontational demeanor, Franklin still fell victim to sexist policies of the university system and prejudices of her colleagues. Crick later admitted that he and his colleagues “always used to adopt — let’s say, a patronizing attitude toward her” and Watson downplayed her work and ability in his memoir. After leaving King’s College, Franklin went on to Birkbeck College to lead a research group that studied RNA and its presence in many viruses. While in the United States to work on the polio virus, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, possibly the result of radiation exposure. She continued to work, but died shortly thereafter in 1958, at the age of 37."   less

The Inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival, hosted by Lockheed Martin, will be the country’s first national science festival and will descend on the Washington, D.C. area in the Fall of 2010. The Festival promises to be the  ... more

The Inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival, hosted by Lockheed Martin, will be the country’s first national science festival and will descend on the Washington, D.C. area in the Fall of 2010. The Festival promises to be the ultimate multi-cultural, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary celebration of science in the United States. The culmination of the Festival will be a two-day Expo in the nation’s capital that will give over 500 science & engineering organizations from all over the United States the opportunity to present themselves with a hands-on, fun science activity to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. Our mission is to re-invigorate the interest of our nation’s youth in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by producing and presenting the most compelling, exciting, educational and entertaining science gatherings in the United States. We will accomplish our mission by: * • Offering stellar, multi-faceted programs with high entertainment value and integrity of scientific content. • Appealing to a large, diverse audience of all ages and backgrounds, from professionals to novices, from science enthusiasts to the merely curious • Engaging the greatest minds in science. • Involving the most dynamic leaders in business, technology, government, education and culture. • Building a strong foundation of prestigious and impressive institutional partners resulting in increased communication between the scientific and educational communities. • Producing each program at the highest level of quality, applying professional media and theatrical standards of excellence and technical sophistication. • Spreading the message through powerful media partnerships and an effective communications strategy resulting in increased public awareness of the importance of science in their lives. • Sustaining the Festival’s impact through year-round programming and curriculum development and a content-rich, interactive website. • Creating a science festival programming template to facilitate the development of more local festivals throughout the United States.   less

Dropdown menus to filter performances and stage shows by age range and/or subject area. Or search by keyword or organization name. The Inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival, hosted by Lockheed Martin, is the country’s f  ... more

Dropdown menus to filter performances and stage shows by age range and/or subject area. Or search by keyword or organization name. The Inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival, hosted by Lockheed Martin, is the country’s first national science festival and descends on the Washington, D.C. area in October 2010. Opening on 10/10/10 with a concert of amazing science songs performed by over 200 children and adults at the University of Maryland, the Festival promises to be the ultimate multi-cultural, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary celebration of science in the United States. The culmination of the Festival will be a free, two-day Expo on the National Mall and surrounding areas on October 23 and 24 that will feature over 1500 fun, hands-on science activities and over 75 stage shows and performances on four stages. In addition, several exhibitors will be hosting talks and performances in their exhibit areas. The Festival is a grassroots collaboration of over 500 of the nation’s leading science organizations. The Festival has a bipartisan Honorary Congressional Host Committee with over 100 Members supporting its efforts.   less

Official blog for the Inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival will be the country’s first national science festival and will descend on the Washington, D.C. area in the Fall of 2010. The Festival promises to be the ultimate  ... more

Official blog for the Inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival will be the country’s first national science festival and will descend on the Washington, D.C. area in the Fall of 2010. The Festival promises to be the ultimate multi-cultural, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary celebration of science in the United States. On this blog, you can keep updated on Festival events and scheduling, and follow along as the Festival's organizers and presenters further discuss the ideas and themes that shape the agenda.   less