Who We Are  What We Do  Get Involved

Have you started planning for participation in the The USA Science & Engineering Festival??

The Inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival will be the nation's first celebration of science and engineering innovation in our nation's capital. The festival will run for two weeks, October 10-24, 2010. Its capstone will be a two day Expo on the National Mall, featuring exhibits and performances from some of the most dynamic speakers and performers in science and engineering, including: Darlene Cavalier - The Science Cheerleader, the Banana Slug String Band, Nick Walker - the Weather Dude, science comedian Brian Marlow, chemist Dr. Joe Schwarcz, and many more! The festival is supported by over 350 leading science organizations including Lockheed Martin, Popular Science Magazine, and Scientific American.

However,this celebration is not confined to our nation's capitol - this is a nationwide celebration. Organizations across the country are encouraged to host a Satellite Event in their communities, during the same weekend -- October 23 and 24, 2010, when hundreds of thousands of people will celebrate science on the National Mall. In fact, if your organization already has an event in the works, then you can register it as a Satellite Event of the USA Science & Engineering Festival. Satellite Events can be as small or as big as you want. They range from a single activity to a full-fledged Festival. They include Science Family Days, contests, workshops, Citizen Science projects, a science scavenger hunt, or whatever you want it to be, as long as it is educational, fun, science-related, and free to the general public! You create it, and the USA Science & Engineering Festival team will help you market it by including your information on the Festival website. To host a Satellite Event, please click here. Fill out a brief online form to let Festival organizers know you are planning an event. Or partner with a Satellite Event organizer in your area. Satellite Events are currently being planned in several communities throughout the United States. If you would like to partner with a Satellite Event organizer in your community, contact Ruth Kiefer at rkiefer@mindspring.com and she will gladly connect you to the right people.

For more information about the inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival visit www.usasciencefestival.org.

A focus group of science outreach advocates met at the University of California Berkeley March 22-23, 2010. Thanks to the generous support of The Whitman Institute, fifteen scientists, educators, and public engagement specialists from across the United States convened to discuss the future directions of COPUS - The Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science.  One of our many tasks for the one and a half day meeting was to outline the future and significance of COPUS beyond its very successful Year of Science celebration that engaged thousands of people, through numerous programs that took place across the country.

In the first of a series about the future of COPUS, I am introducing the newly formed COPUS Core - the individuals involved in shaping the future of COPUS.

Introducing the COPUS Core