3rd USA Science & Engineering Festival Is a Huge Hit (photos)

How old is the universe? What do crickets taste like? What’s the big deal about nanotechnology?

These questions and more were answered at the gigantic Third USA Science and Engineering Festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on April 26 and April 27. The event which was billed as “the largest celebration of science & engineering in the U.S.” It featured more than 3,000 hands-on activities, 150 performances and lectures, book signings, a career pavilion and hundreds of exhibits with leading-edge technology. Celebrity science guests included Bill Nye (the Science Guy), physicists Michio Kaku and William Phillips as well as an appearance by the Science Cheerleaders. The mission of the festival was “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.” The greatly expanded third incarnation of the science festival, which has been held in the District in two-year intervals, occupied two levels of space at the convention center, incorporating large exhibits from organizations, such as the National Institutes of Health, NASA and corporate sponsors such as Lockheed Martin. More than 350,000 persons were expected to attend the free event.

View our photos from the 3rd USA Science & Engineering Festival by clicking on the photo icons below.