AAS Seeks Volunteers for USA Science & Engineering Festival
Richard Fienberg AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force
The AAS is looking for volunteers in the Washington, DC, area to represent the Society at the USA Science & Engineering Festival to be held 14-17 April 2016 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. More than 1,000 organizations involved in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) will present informative exhibits, hands-on activities, and science-themed performances suitable for children of all ages. The event is free. Previous festivals have attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors, and this one will no doubt do the same.
The American Institute of Physics (AIP), to which the AAS belongs, has gathered a number of physics-related societies, including ours, into one large exhibit called Big Top Physics. Each participating society will have space and a table under the tent at which to interact with visitors and share the excitement of physics and astronomy.
We need help with setup on Thursday, 14 April; with Sneak Peak Friday (for school groups only) on 15 April; with the two-day Grand Finale Expo (open to the public) on Saturday and Sunday, 16 and 17 April; and with breakdown on Sunday evening. We're scheduling people in two-hour blocks, with a half hour of overlap with both the preceding and following blocks. You may sign up for as few, or as many, two-hour blocks as you wish. All demo/activity equipment will be provided, along with instructions for use. Each AAS volunteer will be paid a flat fee of $25 to offset the cost of parking, food, and other incidentals.
To sign up, please fill out the Google form by Thursday, 24 March; where the form asks for your partner affiliation, please choose "American Astronomical Society" from the pull-down list.
Questions? Contact Rick Fienberg or Gina Brissenden. Thank you!