A success story in generating interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

The second USA Science and Engineering Festival was held in Washington, D.C., April 28-29. The event was free of charge and open to students and adults of all ages.

The largest celebration of science in the US, the Festival 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 festival in the United States.

The 2012 event featured over 3,000 interactive exhibits, +100 stage shows, and 33 author presentations. Both the Optical Society (OSA) and the OSA Foundation (OSAF) supported the event as sponsors and exhibitors in the “Big Top Physics” tent. The exhibit was hosted in partnership with the American Physical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers, the Acoustical Society of America, the Society of Physics Students, and the University of Maryland’s MRSEC program, and featured a wide array of interactive and fun demonstrations. Visitors were given learning materials and gadgets to take home. The tent was one of the festival’s most popular destinations for students and adults alike.

Participation in the Festival is one of many ways the OSA and OSAF support youth education programs. OSA/OSAF-sponsored materials such classroom posters, teaching guides, optics demonstration kits, and videos and DVDs are freely available to students, educators, and parents. The OSA hosts the OPTICS4KIDS  and OpticsEducation, both of which attract thousands of visitors from around the world. The OSAF supports college-age students through travel grants, scholarships, academic competitions, professional development grants and networking opportunities, and much more.

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The OSA Foundation (OSAF) was established in 2002 to support philanthropic activities that help further the Optical Society's (OSA) mission. The OSAF is concentrating its efforts on programs that provide career and professional development resources and support awards and honors that recognize technical and business excellence. The grants funded by the OSA Foundation are made possible by the generous donations of its supporters as well as the dollar-for-dollar match by OSA. The Foundation is exempt from U.S. federal income taxes under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is a public charity. To learn more about the OSA Foundation, please visit www.osa-foundation.org.

GRACE KLONOSKI is the Senior Director, Foundation, Membership & Education Services for the Optical Society of America, 2010 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20036; email: gklono@osa.org; www.osa.org.