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Host a Satellite Event

Help us make the USA Science & Engineering Festival a truly national experience by hosting a Satellite Event in your area. Whether you are a student club, school, university, community organization or company, why not put on your own celebration of science the same weekend that thousands of people celebrate science in the National Mall?
Our goal is to have hundreds of Satellite Events throughout the country, anchored to the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo on the Mall on October 23 and 24, 2010. You can make it as small or as big as you want. It can be a single activity put on by your student club, a small celebration at your school or company, a larger event that involves organizations from your community, or a full fletched Festival modeled after the USA Science & Engineering Festival.

You create it, and we help you market it by including your information on our website and in our newsletters. That way, anyone in the nation can check our website to see what’s happening in their backyard the weekend of the USA Science & Engineering Festival. It’s a great way to get your community excited about science, and to put your organization on the national map.

Linking Festivals across the Nation

Then join the fun by having your event attendees participate in a nationwide activity to take place at all locations at the same time. While we are exploring several options in terms of what this activity might be, we do welcome your ideas! It will have to be something science-related that is easily replicated in many locations - similar to initiatives like “Earth Hour”, where households across the globe were asked to switch off their lights at the same time. Ideally, it would be an activity that allows us to collect digital data from across the country which could be displayed on a huge digital map in real time. This could involve texting, a wordle (www.wordle.net), twitter or other tools. Or it could be something completely different. We welcome your ideas! Please send them to Ruth Kiefer at rkiefer at mindspring.com

Why host a Satellite Event in your community?
• It’s fun to organize!
• Get people in your community excited about science and engineering!
• Be part of the biggest celebration of science & engineering in the World!
• Get media coverage in your community by linking your activity to the USA Science & Engineering Festival.
• Increase awareness of your organization by having your event listed on the USA Science & Engineering Festival website.

Three easy steps to get going:
Review the “Recipe for a Satellite Event” below to give you some ideas
Fill out the form below to let us know that you are interested in organizing a Satellite Event in your community
Once you have figured out the date, time, location and what you will be doing, fill out our online Satellite Event form to have your information listed on our website (this form will be made available at a later date)

Our promise to you:
• We will list your event information on our website so people can find you
• We will announce the Satellite Events on our homepage and in our newsletters with a link to the listings on our site
• We will keep you up to date on the national community activity and other relevant information to make your event a success
• We will provide USA Science & Engineering Festival graphics for you to download from our website so you can use them in your own marketing materials
• We will provide you with the opportunity to buy USA Science & Engineering Festival T-shirts at a discounted price for use at your event

Your commitment:
• You will organize the Satellite Event in your community
• Your event must be free of charge for attendees
• You will participate in the national USA Science & Engineering Festival activity (details to be determined)
• You will provide a post-event report through an online form we will provide, so we can track how many people participated in the USA Science & Engineering Festival nationwide

Recipe for your Satellite Event
Here are some ideas for you that have worked for us:
• Decide what you want to do
• Your date(s) will be the same as the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo: Oct. 23 & 24, 2010
• Choose a location
• Invite local organizations, schools, colleges and universities, and scientists and engineers to participate by putting on fun, hands-on, interactive science activities for children (we typically provide a 10x10 festival tent to each organization, but depending on your location and the number of exhibitors you might be able to make the space bigger, or not need tents at all)
• Ask each participating organization to provide you with a catchy title and short description of their activity
• Market your event to the local community by:
• asking participating organizations to spread the word to their communities through their e-newsletters and websites asking local school districts and universities and colleges to help you spread the word to their student body
• sending out a press release to local media mentioning that you are part of the Inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival
• sending out email announcements
• listing your event on local online community calendars
Would you like to host a Satellite Event? Then please fill out the form below to let us know what you are planning to do (even if you don't know all the details yet.) This will allow us to stay in touch with you with new accouncements pertaining to Satellite Events. Thank you for making the USA Science & Engineering Festival a truly national experience!
We are proud to partner with COPUS to inspire people across the nation to organize Satellite Events.

I have an idea -- Everywhere there is a Regional we set up a Satellite event... This would be great publicity for FIRST! A great off-season event also!! *hopes this is Dean's homework*