Idaho State University to host USA Science Festival Oct. 23; deadline for entering hands-on science booth is Oct. 1

Idaho State University's Pocatello campus is hosting the 2010 Idaho Science and Engineering Festival on Oct 23 and is looking for additional groups to host scientific demonstration booths. The deadline for booth applications is Oct. 1.

The Idaho festival is a satellite event that corresponds with the inaugural national USA Science and Engineering Festival being held in Washington, D.C., Oct. 10-24. The national festival ends with a two-day Expo on the Mall, which will feature 1,500 booths with hands-on activities from more than 500 organizations. There are also concurrent satellite science/engineering festivals taking place throughout the United States, but ISU’s festival is the only one scheduled in the Intermountain West.

"This is our nation’s first national science festival, and we are proud to be part of it," said Linda DeVeaux, ISU associate biology professor and one of the ISU event's three organizers. "Eventually, this may be celebrated statewide, but for now we're looking for strong participation in our area. The goal of the festival locally and nationally is to present hands-on, fun science activities to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers."

Its organizers are billing the national festival as "the ultimate multi-cultural, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary celebration of science in the United States." ISU satellite festival sponsors include Micron Foundation, ON Semiconducter, Idaho National Laboratory – INL and Simplot.

The Pocatello event has about 20 organizations that have signed up to host booths from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Pond Student Union Ballroom. There is space to accommodate about a dozen more booths.  School children of all ages and their families are invited to attend this free event. Area school groups are also invited to attend.

"We are looking for interested individuals and departments to put up booths about their brand of science or engineering," said Caryn Evilia, ISU assistant professor of biology and chemistry. "One requirement for the booth is that it has hands-on activities for kids. These activities should assume up to a 10th grade understanding of science concepts. We also invite local government agencies to participate in this event by setting up demonstrations."

Besides helping to organize the local festival, DeVeaux will be representing Idaho State University at the national festival in Washington, D.C. DeVeaux will be in a booth that demonstrates accelerator technology, a technology DeVeaux uses to carry out studies on radiation-resistant microbes.

For more information on the national festival, visit http://www.usasciencefestival.org/; for more information on the ISU festival, visit www.isu.edu/departments/bios/USA_Science_Engineering.shtml or contact DeVeaux (deveaux@iac.isu.edu or 282-5661), Evilia (deveaux@iac.isu.edu or 282-5661) or Jean Pfau (pfaujean@isu.edu or 282-3914).

For information on what makes a good booth, visit http://www.usasciencefestival.org/images/files/What_Makes_a_Good%20Exhibit_1_10_10.pdf.

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