Hooray, Hooray, USA Science and Engineering Festival Starts Today!

While events on the National Mall will take place on the 23rd and 24th, the first (hopefully annual?) USA Science and Engineering Festival officially starts later today with a performance of “Powers of Ten” at the University of Maryland (located in the D.C. suburbs).  (Event is currently fully booked, but you can try and catch any last minute releases at the hall.)  The event has been in the works for months, and I think it will end up being bigger (at least in scale if not in attendance) than I anticipated.  Excellent.

While most of the events of the Festival, and of the Expo (which is actually on the Mall and three other nearby locations) are in the D.C. area, there are satellite events and student activities for those not in the area.

The Expo, however, appears to be massive, looking at the performance schedule.  While some events will take place on both days, you will have to approach your Expo attendance strategically.  Aside from the schedule, there’s the issue of walking back and forth between venues.

Things to look forward to at the Expo: history, lots of science music (but no Baba Brinkman? Someone dropped the ball), some science comedy, and plenty of demonstrations.  It even looks like National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins will play his guitar.

While you wait in anticipation for Sunday, October 24 at 2, and something not quite as rock star as this:

but closer to this:

there are other Festival activities between now and the Expo.  Check the calendar.