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WASHINGTON — (BUSINESS WIRE) — January 11, 2012 — If you’re a high school or college student who is uncertain about your career choice and your future, maybe it’s time for a big dose of career inspiration at the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo and Book Fair hosted by Lockheed Martin — the nation’s largest celebration of science and engineering that will take place April 28-29, 2012 in Washington, D.C.

“One of the focuses of the Festival is to impress upon students and their families the many exciting career opportunities available with the best job prospects for the future in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields,” said Larry Bock, Executive Director of the USA Science & Engineering Festival. “Many of the top employers in the U.S. are participating in our Career Pavilion to engage with prospective future employees and tell them about the wide array of great jobs available to them if they pursue a career in one of the STEM fields, and throughout the festival we provide them with a sense of what they would experience and achieve if they pursue one of these career paths.”

The Festival’s Career Pavilion – a special place created for students to see STEM in action – will be filled with exciting experiences and opportunities, including:

• Exploring tomorrow’s hot careers in areas such as renewable energy, robotics, space tourism, nanotechnology, virtual reality, clean technology, genetics, education and many other exciting fields – some that don’t require a four-year degree. Additionally, there will be opportunities to meet pioneers in these career fields, including George Whitesides, President and CEO of Virgin Galactic – the ground-breaking U.S.-based space tourism company and Elon Musk, co-founder of PayPal, Space X and Tesla.
• Learning about the degree programs available and meeting representatives from a full spectrum of college programs including major research universities, historically black colleges and small liberal arts colleges focused on STEM, including Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Purdue University, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Michigan Technological University, The Pennsylvania State University, George Washington University – School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Georgia, Georgia Institute of Technology, George Mason University, Georgetown University, DeVry University, Polytechnic Institute of NYU, Vanderbilt University, VCU School of Engineering and many more.
• Evaluating the many scholarships, internships, mentorships and after-school programs available in the STEM Programs Exposition.
• Meeting real-life role models in STEM careers – in all aspects, from entrepreneurship, government policy, exploration, medicine, research and many other areas – as part of the “Meet The Scientists Area.” One of dozens of scientists participating in this program is Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, one of the featured authors in the Festival’s book fair, who went from an undocumented migrant worker toiling in the tomato fields of Central California to an internationally renowned neurosurgeon and neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins who leads cutting-edge research to cure brain cancer. Students in Washington DC-area schools will also have the opportunity to meet with scientists and laureates through the Part of the Nifty Fifty program presented by AT&T.
• Meeting with members from companies now recruiting STEM-related professionals in the STEM Job Fair, including Lockheed Martin, AT&T, Microsoft, American Archeology & The Louis Berger Group, Inc., the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Institutes of Health, the National Security Agency, the United States Air Force, the Offices of Naval Research, and others.

Another place to meet several people who are influential in the STEM fields and learn about potential careers is the Festival’s Book Fair. Award-winning Featured Authors of K-12 Science, Technology, Math and Engineering books, will participate in presentations and book signings, including, Dr. Lisa Randall, leading particle physicist in the world researching the God Particle at CERN; Dr. Walter Lewin, internationally renowned MIT physics professor whose work is seen around the world with YouTube. Several Book Fair featured authors explore scientists, their struggles and how the discoveries have impacted our world are Joel Achenbach, who chronicles the success and failures of the BP Oil disaster and how engineers worked to find a solution; Thea Cooper, who documents the struggles of the scientists, manufacturers and patients in the development of Insulin in Breakthrough; Holly Tucker, author of Blood Work, delves into the mid-century perception of blood transfusions and how scientific understandings of the day limited the success of this life-saving procedure which is common in medical practices throughout the world today; and Celeste Baine, author of Is There an Engineer in You?, a book that provides engineering career advice along with resources that students need to make informed decisions about their school and degree choices.

“The USA Science & Engineering Festival is custom-built to help you check out the amazing variety of jobs in the science, technology, engineering and math fields that you may not have heard of before,” said Bock. “We encourage anyone who is undecided about their career to come out and join us, free of charge, and find your future career path.”

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