Press Release

USA Science & Engineering Festival Appearances By Science Celebrities, Performers and Entrepreneurs Will Take “Star Gazing” to Another Level

By SpaceRef Editor
February 21, 2012
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The USA Science & Engineering Festival hosted by Lockheed Martin will set the stage for attendees to meet some of the biggest celebrities in the science world on April 28-29 in Washington, D.C. Whether you’re a fan of Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, hosts of the Discovery Channel’s hit TV series the MythBusters, Bill Nye the Science Guy, The Big Bang Theory or the many entrepreneurs who are leading the charge in the Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) fields, the stars will be out in full force at the Festival – the nation’s largest celebration of science and engineering.

“The Festival is extremely fortunate to have very strong relationships with some of the most famous science celebrities, performers and entrepreneurs who will join us for the festival this year,” said Larry Bock, Executive Director of the USA Science & Engineering Festival. “We believe that these high profile personalities of the science world have a profound impact on increasing the knowledge of, and interest in, science for both adults and children, and we’re proud to have so many fantastic ambassadors.”

Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman – hosts of the Discovery Channel’s hit TV series MythBusters – are scheduled to perform at the Festival. During their performance, Adam and Jamie will talk about their favorite myths in the world of science, technology, movies, the Internet, history, news stories and other topics they’ve tested on the show.

“The Festival gives us a great opportunity to bring our take on science into an arena where everyone can truly appreciate and enjoy it,” said Adam Savage. “To be able to bring our show in front of a live audience adds extra energy to what we do, which further convinces us that science is indeed cool and meaningful.”

Mayim Bialik, the talented actress-scientist who plays the brainy Amy Farrah Fowler on the CBS TV hit comedy The Big Bang Theory, will also perform during the Festival. Now a married mother of two, the actress who played the title character on NBC’s Blossom, has not only made a name for herself in the entertainment industry, but she has also earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles. She has written a book on parenting based on the science of hormones involved in parent-child bonding that is scheduled for release later this year. She is also conducting her research toward her Ph.D. in neuroscience at UCLA that focuses on obsessive-compulsive disorder among people with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare condition in which the hypothalamus malfunctions.

“As an actress, scientist and parent, I feel that I bring a unique perspective to the Festival,” said Bialik. “I look forward to discussing my experiences and accomplishments with children to inspire them to reach their potential and get excited about science and STEM fields.”

Festival favorite, Bill Nye the Science Guy, will demonstrate the Passion, Beauty and Joy – or, as he calls it, the P.B. and J. – of Science by talking about our planet’s place in the cosmos.

“This is our second year of involvement at the USA Science & Engineering Festival,” said Nye. “We want to get kids excited about science, especially space exploration and understanding the Earth as a planet. We want the U.S. to be able to compete on the world stage, address climate change and improve the quality of life for people everywhere We need creative math and science students, and especially, we need engineers.”

The Festival will also feature appearances from several science entrepreneurs, veritable rock stars in the business world, including:

– Elon Musk – co-founder of PayPal, SpaceX – a company recently contracted by NASA to deliver cargo to and from the International Space Station and Tesla

– Richard Garriott – renowned video game developer and the sixth private citizen to travel to space as a self-funded tourist

– George Whitesides – President and CEO of Virgin Galactic – the pioneering U.S.-based space tourism company

– Anousheh Ansari – the first female space explorer and the first astronaut of Iranian descent and the fourth private citizen to visit space.

New to the Festival this year is a Book Fair, where attendees can meet 36 award-winning featured authors who have helped bring science to the public through carefully crafted books, and in some cases, have even made their way to The Big Screen.

Homer Hickam, author of Rocket Boys, a story based on his life as a young kid in West Virginia who wanted to learn about rockets and encouraged his school administrators to teach him and his classmates Calculus, became the hit movie October Sky. The inspirational educational film continues to be shown in schools across the country as a way to inspire youth to learn and soar to the stars. Hickam continued his love of education and writes novels geared toward middle school students, like his new series Helium-3, which will launch at the Book Fair.

Robin Cook, who became famous for his book Coma in 1977, saw his book transformed into a blockbuster movie in 1978 – helping to change our view of the medical profession from Marcus Welby, MD to ER. Cook, one of the Festival’s featured authors, produced several medical thriller books over three decades and will be featured in a special segment during the Festival – “Science Stories in Society & School; Using Narrative to Bridge the Gap” – on Saturday, April 28.

The USA Science & Engineering Festival and Book Fair is a free, family-friendly event that allows kids and adults to participate in over 2,000 hands-on activities and see more than 200 live performances by science celebrities, explorers, best-selling authors, entrepreneurs and world-renowned experts.

About the USA Science & Engineering Festival:

The USA Science & Engineering Festival is the country’s only national science festival, and was developed to increase public awareness of the importance of science and to encourage youth to pursue careers in science and engineering by celebrating science in much the same way as we celebrate Hollywood celebrities, professional athletes and pop stars. Lockheed Martin is again the presenting host of the USA Science & Engineering Festival and is joined by many other Festival sponsors and partners. The USA Science & Engineering Festival is a grassroots collaboration of over 500 of the United States leading science and engineering organizations. For more information on the USA Science & Engineering Festival, please visit the Festival website.

Contact:
Science & Engineering Festival
Larry Bock
858-759-7799
biobock@mac.com

SpaceRef staff editor.