STEM Expo 2012

 So if you are a science teacher in the greater DC area, you have been receiving information about the STEM Expo since....October of last year.  My assistant principal asked me and fellow teacher Sheri to take a group of students and their parents on a big yellow bus for the expo last Saturday.  While the idea of giving up my entire day (7:30 am - 6:30 pm) on one of my "days off" was less than appealing, the expo had lots of fun activities, demonstrations, and people to meet!

 robotic snake

 Sheri and I stood in line for 2 hours to meet Bill Nye!  We got pics with him and autographs!

 Some kid had make an R2D2 replica and was driving it around the place.  He had a loyal following of fans behind him!

 The science cheerleaders.  All of these ladies are previous professional team cheerleaders (there were ones from the Redskins, Falcons, Bangals, etc) AND have advanced degrees in science (they introduced themselves and had master's degrees in Nursing, Public Health, Organic Chemistry, etc and doctorates!  One was a dentist among other really impressive degrees).

 Mayim Balik was there (she has a huge following as Sheldon's girlfriend on Big Bang Theory).  She was great speaker--she talked about how her grandparents were immigrants, her parents were teachers, and she went for her masters and doctorate in Neuroscience because she finds science fascinating but not easy--she wanted to challenge herself/see if she "could do it".  She wanted to go to medical school but her hands weren't steady enough for brain surgery.

 I swear she's looking right at me...