USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington D.C.

This weekend, I went to represent my university at the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C.

What exactly is a science and engineering expo?  Imagine some of the most impressive technological inventions and discoveries, all brought for show and tell under one massive roof.  Oh, and did I mention, thousands of people?

The event lasted 4 days and drew in approximately 325,000 people.  It was BIG.

As an exhibitor, I got to both enjoy the festival and learn a bit how these things work. Set-up begins early in the morning before the crowds arrive.  The exhibition halls are eerily quiet.

Eventually, crowds begin to build at the entryway.  As the clock strikes 9, people begin to flood in and the fun begins!

There were live shows by famous science icons such as Bill Nye

Explosive activities

And uplifting experiences too.

Care to chat with a representative of NASA?

Or pose for a high-particle physics-themed photo?

And there were robots galore!  You could try a mock surgery with a da Vinci surgical robot...

...meet rethink robotics's famous Baxter and teach him some moves...

...watch 3D printing in action...

...or relax while this guy puts together a puzzle for you.

I even got to try my hand at flying an F-22 fighter jet.  I had made the assumption that because I love Top Gun, I would be magnificent.  This assumption turned out not to be accurate.  

Anyhow, so what about our booth?  

Here's our little nook of the festival, and the amazing team from Cornell University who ran it.  I didn't know most of them before coming to the festival, but was so glad to have met them and couldn't have imagined better people to work and spend the weekend with.

At one table, we taught visitors about basic circuitry, the end product of which was what we deemed a "blinkie" - a hip, flashing, multi-colored LED that you could attach, via a magnet, to your shirt and wear around.  Everyone wanted a blinkie - it turned out to be quite the festival item.

Another fun project was called "singing balloons" - a trick involving friction that could make your balloons sing as you moved them.

And at our other table, we had Elmer's glue and borax, which make silly putty when you mix 'em up.

In addition to the festival, we also got to soak up city life in and around D.C.

We discovered a fantastic little homestyle Italian cafe, Alvaro Bread and Pastry Shoppe, in Harrisburg PA on the way in - delicious!  And also got a sneak peak of spring, which hadn't yet made it all the way up to Ithaca yet.

Then there was this scrumptious rare tuna steak salad at Capitol City Brewing Company in downtown D.C..

I also loved the swanky ChurchKey/Birch & Barley, which had an impressive on tap collection and an innovative bar menu.

And something I really enjoyed - cheese and grits for breakfast.  They paired nicely with an iced mocha.  

I even had enough time on one of my breaks to drop by the National Gallery of Art to check out the Gary Winogrand exhibition they currently have going on.  I couldn't snap a shot in the exhibition itself, but this was a lovely museum courtyard I came across as I was exploring around.  

I cannot tell you how delighted I was to see the exhibit - it in itself was eye-opening, and I also loved simply being in a place where culture seemed to abound.

The opportunity gave me the chance to spend time with fun, interesting people (we got a bit exploratory with our magnets during mealtime one night)...

...in a city I feel is always teeming with energy and mystery.

But the most meaningful part of all was something that never gets old - the wonder on childrens' faces when they learn or experience something for the first time.  I love being a part of that.

If you ever get the chance to go to or take part in the USA Science and Engineering Festival - go for it!  You won't regret it.