The questions that plague most scientist are: why, how, where did this come from? Answering those fundamental questions is how mysteries of the world are discovered and solved. Forensic Anthropology takes these questions a little further as these types of questions are answered in a legal domain. According to the American Board of Forensic Anthropology: Forensic anthropology is the application of the science of physical or biological anthropology to the legal process. Physical or biological anthropologists who specialize in forensics primarily focus their studies on the human skeleton. Much of the work of forensic anthropologists are used in both legal and humanitarian contexts. Some forensic anthropologists, like Dr. Franklin Demann, work in parts of the world that have been torn by war to recover remains. Here is an excerpt from Dr. Frankin Demann nomination by the National Museum of Health and Medicine

It was an overcast day in 2004 in the tiny village of Saravan, Laos. Forensic anthropologist Franklin Damann, on a dig for the U.S. Military to recover remains of missing servicemen killed in the Vietnam War, spies what appears to be a bone fragment resting on the soil surface. But he cannot be sure. He puts the fragments in a plastic bag labeled "Possible Osseous Remains."

Read more about him here.

Where have you learned about forensic science in your daily life?

The 'Nifty Fifty' are a group of noted professionals who will fan out across the Washington, DC area next October to speak about their work and careers at various middle and high schools. Are you a Festival Partner Organization? Then nominate a 'Nifty Fifty' speaker! Find out more about how to nominate a speaker here.

The 2010 USA Science & Engineering Festival (USASEF), provides a great opportunity for COPUS participants to rally together in support of science. Through making this event truly national in scope, we can continue the great grassroots momentum we started with Year of Science 2009.

Many COPUS participants and hubs are beginning plans for their Satellite Events. Through partnerships among community organizations like Girl Scouts and 4-H, University student groups, informal science centers, and other scientific organizations, ideas are popping up from coast to coast to celebrate science in style October 23/24, 2010.

The best part is that you can keep doing what you have always been doing and we can't emphasize this enough. If you aren't in a place to start a new program, partnership, or project, that is ok! When we all band together as a community, it adds volume to the voice of science.

So think about what you can do to bring science to your community or circle of friends in October 2010. You create it - big or small-- and USASEF will help you market it. You can list your event on the USA Science & Engineering Festival web site along with hundreds of other events taking place across the country. Anyone in the nation can check the Festival web site to see what's happening in his or her region 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. There is plenty of time to plan -- the USASEF main event will take place on October 23 and 24, 2010.

In addition, all satellite event organizers and attendees will be invited to participate in a nationwide activity that will take place at all Festival locations on the same day. We are not sure yet what this science-related activity will be, and welcome your ideas!

Sound like fun? Sign up today!

To let Festival organizers know that you are planning a Satellite Event, fill out a brief online form.

Resources for Satellite Event organizers are available here

~~written by Sheri Potter
Manager, Membership and Community Programs
American Institute of Biological Sciences

Community Counts! Join AIBS:

CELEBRATE YEAR OF SCIENCE 2009! LEARN MORE HERE.

How to vote:
1) Go to seriouseats.com
2) Register on the site
3) Vote!

Congratulations to Stacy! Check out more of her amazing work .

~~written by Ruth Kiefer

It's Pi day or Pi(e) day...either way you look at it today is 3/14 so a good excuse to eat some pie and Scienceblogs and Serious Eats have teamed up to hold a pi(e) contest. Upon discovering this contest I enthusiastically embarked upon dreaming up something fitting for the famous number. After inspiration from some of the previous year's submissions, I came up with the idea of 'irrationally good' pie, since pi is an irrational number. I wanted something that sounded like it shouldn't be in a pie, yet it was good. My main hurdle was I couldn't think of anything that might be both tasty, and equally it needed to sound like something that shouldn't be in a pie. So what does one do when in a bind? Call in an expert.

I needed an expert in the field and consultant, so I called up my longtime good friend, and food writer Jess Thomson over at hogwash in a moment of much needed creative direction. Her first response: Think Vinegar

My first reaction: ewwwwww

But with a little google searching I found an extremely easy recipe for Old Time Vinegar Pie. For someone like me who isn't DYING to try out that newest greatest recipe, simple is good. I was slightly intrigued by the vinegar pie because I thought: surely it CAN'T taste good...can it?

But after talking further, we brainstormed some other ideas and remembered one of her own gems: A chocolate basil torte. The last time I had visited her was shortly after she made this amazing dessert so when she reminded me about this recipe, I knew I had to make both. As this is actually more of a tort, I ended up taking this recipe and making it more pie-like by putting it into a pie crust from Jamie Oliver (minus the lemon zest).

So for Pi day I made not one but TWO irrationally delicious pies.

While I made both pies and both turned out quite well, I only entered the chocolate basil pie into the contest. Head over there to vote for it! It IS irrationally tasty! (How to vote: Go to the website and then create an account and you can vote at that point.)

Irrationally good chocolate basil pie

Recipes:

Irrationally Good Chocolate Basil Pie filling from Hogwash

Although a true torte typically replaces a cake's flour with nuts or breadcrumbs, this deeply chocolaty, dense confection, rimmed with dark ganache, just seems too decadent for the word cake. It's a take-off on a chocolate-basil truffle I tasted Seattle's Theo Chocolate.

Note: If you have a double boiler, use that to melt the chocolate.

TIME: 40 minutes active time
MAKES: 8 to 10 servings

For the cake:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces, plus extra for greasing the pan
4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (65% to 75% cacao)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 packed cup fresh basil (leaves only)
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

For the ganache:
4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (65% to 75% cacao)
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and center a rack in the middle of the oven. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of wax paper or parchment paper, and butter the paper.

Place the butter and the chocolate in a small saucepan and melt over very low heat, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the mixture is smooth, transfer to a large mixing bowl, stir in the vanilla and salt, and set aside.

Next, make a basil sugar: pulse the sugar and the basil together in a food processor until the basil is very finely chopped and uniformly green in color. The sugar will look slightly wet.

Add the basil sugar to the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, blending completely between additions. Sift the cocoa powder over the batter and fold it in until no dry spots remain. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with a spatula.

Bake the cake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top of the cake barely begins to crack. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then invert the cake onto a round serving plate.

While the cake cools, make the ganache: place the chocolate and the cream in a small saucepan, and stir constantly over very low heat until melted and smooth. Using a flat spatula or knife, spread the ganache over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides, if desired. (Hint: Using the ganache immediately will mean a thin coating that drips easily down the sides of the cake; in this case, it's best to frost the cake over a cooling rack, then transfer it to a serving plate. You can also let the ganache cool a bit, then spread it just on the top, more like a thin frosting.)

Serve warm or at room temperature. To store, let cool completely, then cover and keep at room temperature up to 3 days.

OLD - TIME VINEGAR PIE from cooks.com

1 c. sugar
3 heaping tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 c. cold water
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
2 tbsp. butter
6 tbsp. vinegar
1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked

Mix sugar and flour in saucepan. Add water, egg yolks (reserve egg whites), whole egg, butter and vinegar. Cook until thick. Pour into baked 9 inch pie shell. For Meringue: Beat reserved egg whites until stiff. Add 4 tablespoons sugar, spread over pie. Brown meringue lightly.

Are you a teacher and looking to incorporate the Rubik's cube contest into your teaching lessons? There is an orientation workshop on April 10th at the National Electronics Museum (1745 West Nursery Road, Linthicum Hts, MD 21090-2906) where we will show you how to solve the Rubik's Cube and you will hear from Teachers and Educators who already use the Rubik's Cube in their classroom. To sign up for this workshop, simply state so on the tournament registration form.The first 30 teachers/coaches who register for the tournament AND attend the teacher/coach orientation workshop on April 10, are eligible to receive a free Math Education Kit valued at $150.

Since I last posted about the Rubik's cube, I have made substantial progress in learning how to solve the puzzle. I have come within two pieces of solving the puzzle before a wrong move ended up derailing me, but I can consistently get to the point of one face and two layers solved. It's just that top layer that is eluding me. My first goal is to solve the puzzle and my second is to start working on time. With practice and focus it is coming along! I have figured out a few go-to moves that can get me out of a few binds, but I regularly consult my '7 step solution guide' to help me. I am sure it will come with more practice, but hopefully I can convince a few out there that it is possible to learn how to solve. The other great thing is to discover how to use this fun puzzle to teach math. Check out that link and see some great ways to use the Rubik's cube in the classroom. I always enjoyed math class, but I think I would have enjoyed it even more if it were taught with a Rubik's cube! Back to practicing!

Do you have a blog and would like to help us get the word out about the science festival? Contact us if you have written a post about the festival. We will give you a shout out, re-post it here and link to your blog. Thanks!

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From sciencegeek girl's blog post on March 10:
USA Science & Engineering Festival - October in DC

Sorry I neglected to write a post with real content last week, but I have one in the works! Stay tuned. For now, though, here's a note about an science festival event in DC that they're trying to create some advance buzz on. I'm a big fan of science festivals -- bring science to the streets, and have people run across it who wouldn't usually go out of their way to go to a science museum or science talk. We have art festivals, music festivals, why not science festivals? There's a big tradition of this in Europe, apparently, and we're trying to learn their style. I know there were a lot of sessions on science festivals at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meetings several years back. Apparently this festival (which is the first nationwide festival!) are inspired by those international efforts. Interestingly enough, it's led by an entrepreneur and venture capitalist (Larry Bock), with a science bent, rather than a scientist. Kudos. Sounds like someone who knows how to get things done!

I am a science education and communications consultant -- view my website for my full range of services.

Do you have a blog and would like to help us get the word out about the science festival? Contact us if you have written a post about the festival. We will re-post it here and link to your blog. Thanks!

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USA Science and Engineering Festival 2010
4 January, 2010 (10:31) | General Science | By: Mary

To submit your online proposal for a grant, click here. Proposals must be submitted no later than January 31, 2010. Applicants will be notified by February 15 as to whether they have been awarded a grant.

"The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery." ~~Mark van Doren

The chemical structures danced across the page as I sat trying to figure out what reaction came next. It was the beginning of organic chemistry as an undergraduate and people had warned me that o-chem would be a bit of a monster. Over that previous summer I had heard countless horror stories about how hard organic chemistry can be. As a biology/ pre-med major I had no other choice but to endure this course. Yet by the second month of class I enthusiastically soaked up the varied drawings, rapidly mastered the new reactions and loved the challenge mainly because my professor had made the subject come alive to me and invested countless hours into his students.

During one of our first lessons he explained his office hours: he had none. Not meaning that we could never ask him any questions, but if the door was open and he was in there we could stop in and ask questions to our heart's content. Many an hour he spent in his office fielding the hundreds of questions that his students threw at him. I believe it was both his willingness to invest in us as students as well as his ability to ignite an excitement for chemistry that changed my path from bio-pre med. By second semester I was a Chemistry major and had discovered a few teaching skills of my own as well as a heart for eduction. I feel quite fortunate that I was surrounded by great teachers in college, many of them influenced much of the path I find myself on today. Truly: "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. " ~~Henry Adams.

Meet Nifty Fifty speaker Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa, Brain Surgeon and Researcher at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His shares a little bit of his inspirational story of how he went from migrant worker to neurosurgeon in the video below. His story is one of perseverance and dedication for a better way of life as well as the magnitude of influence a few dedicated math and science teachers at San Joaquin Delta College (a community college) had on his life. He credits his success to their investment into him as a student, " "Honestly, there is no question, I would not be where I am today without San Joaquin Delta College." Read more about him on our Nifty Fifty website .

The 'Nifty Fifty' are a group of noted professionals who will fan out across the Washington, DC area next October to speak about their work and careers at various middle and high schools. Are you a Festival Partner Organization? Then nominate a 'Nifty Fifty' speaker! Find out more about how to nominate a speaker here.

When I set out to start the "USA Science Festival" and received a phone call from Chuck Vest, the President of the National Academy of Engineering, suggesting that I should stick "engineering" in the title, my ears pricked up. But I had already written several documents, gotten the domain name.... so it seemed it was really too late to change. But sure enough- a day or so later I got a similar call from John Watson, Associate Director of the Von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement at UCSD and past-President of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. A pattern was emerging. He stated emphatically that, "You really can't have a National Science Festival without Engineering in the name." That's when I recalled my venture capital experience.

What I wasn't prepared for were the cries of "Praise the Lord" for changing the name and the onslaught of help from all sorts of new communities for incorporating "engineering" in the title. Then I thought: who will call me next? The mathematicians? The physicists? The chemists? We can't possibly call it the USA Science, Engineering, Math, Technology, Nanotechnology, Biology, Earth Science, Statistical, Medical and Astronomy Festival...So we kept it as short as possible and went with USA Science & Engineering Festival. It sounded like a mouthful at first, but it works!

Let me put my lesson in simple terms: If you can raise a hundred thousand dollars for a Science Festival and a hundred thousand dollars for an Engineering Festival, you can more easily raise a million dollars for a Science & Engineering Festival.

Well, I certainly did remember that moment for the rest of my life. I confess I do not remember the actual radio broadcast, but I do remember my father's exhortation. He was a science teacher and Africa was our playground. I remember expeditions along remote rivers to map their courses, long forest treks following the trails of army ants, exploring sand banks on the Zambesi to prospect for diamonds, gazing at an endless panoply of stars on a moonless night on a beach on the shores of Lake Malawi. And Dad used science put all of this adventure into perspective. So the seed of my fascination for science was planted.

What I didn't realize back then was that moment of people landing on the moon represented the pinnacle of human technological achievement and, for me (as a Brit), all that was good and great about America. And it fired the imagination and enthusiasm of a generation of kids like me. How I dreamed of being part of that spirit of exploration! How enthralling were the wonders and mysteries of science, and how inspiring was the human quest to reveal the unknown.

So I undertook a career in science, from my academic studies including my graduate research and later on a mission, through a career as a science communicator, to share the wonder and joy I had felt at that moment when humans first landed on the moon, not to mention during my adventures in Africa. In a way, science was just an extension of my exploring. What new discoveries lay around the corner?

I had the opportunity a few years back, while working with Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, to lead their initiative to develop science outreach through science cafes working with folks at WGBH Boston. These are a great way to connect with the public by taking the conversation to where people are already chatting about work, the weather, their other halves -- just everyday things.

So it was that I came across the idea of science festivals, since the first science festival in the US was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just over the river from Boston and home to MIT and other organizations that were leading outreach to the public.

"Wow. This is a great opportunity for the Triangle," I thought. So began the idea of a Triangle Science Festival. Since that first thought in 2008, we have worked to bring together scientists, science educators and communicators under a common roof. We all share the same goal -- to communicate our love of science, and a passion for knowledge and discovery -- the very quests that took us to the moon back in 1969 and which will take us there and beyond.

--written by Roger Harris Executive Director, Triangle Science Festival

Tip 1: Capture the High Ground (Convene the best and brightest in the field)

As the Science Festival movement grows, I am often asked about "best practices" in setting up a local Science Festival. So I decided to write a series of short blog posts about the know-how I have accumulated. Please take all of this advice with the knowledge that I have an experience base of only one and a quarter festivals. I invite comments and additional wisdom from others. Please post your best practices here if you are a fellow festival organizer.

The typical first question I am asked is "How do we get started?" For this, I draw upon my experiences from the world of high tech and life science venture start-ups:

Pull together an Advisory Board of the key thought leaders in the field.

This is valuable for several reasons: it allows you to gain instant credibility and rise above the noise. It is a network that can open lots of doors and it forms a warm nest that others are more inclined to join. I think the Advisory Board should be a reflection of the region or vision of the Festival. I targeted the Advisory Board for the USA Science & Engineering Festival to portray high science, translational research, entrepreneurship and innovation. See our Advisory Board here.

In both the inaugural San Diego Science Festival and the USA Science & Engineering Festival, my very first step was to recruit an advisory board. Both consisted of the key science outreach stakeholders in the local community. Examples included the leading academic leaders in the field, the Deans of Sciences (and Engineering) from the local universities, the key science coordinators from the local school districts, the Chief Technology Officers of the local high technology and life science companies (both major global companies and key entrepreneurial start ups) and key government officials or science policy makers.

These are usually very busy people, so I don't bother them with a bunch of committee meetings. Rather, I consult them on a one-off basis for advice on particular issues or introductions to other key stakeholders. I try to be tightly defined in how I consult them and I like all of them to have some tangible involvement in the Festival that I can showcase. For example, when I asked Nobel laureate David Baltimore to be on my Advisory Board, he participated in one of our Lunch with a Laureate Programs, introduced us at a high level to some potential corporate exhibitors and sponsors and helped us recruit other Festival Advisors and participants. (I should emphasize that these are Advisors and not Board Members; I am not seeking information from them on governance issues or exposing them to any sort of liability.)

The key element the Advisory Board brings: it signals that the train has left the station.

In my next blog post I will discuss the important lesson I learned about why it should not be a Science Festival but a Science and Engineering Festival.

--written by Larry Bock

43 quintillion different combinations...

I don't believe I have actually ever solved a Rubik's cube, so after finding out that we are going to have a Rubik's cube competition at the USA Science and Engineering Festival I went out and bought one...for research purposes of course. After all, I am a scientist and my curiosity got the better of me as this website claims that I CAN learn how to solve a Rubik's cube. Working with a '7 steps solution guide of on how to solve the cube ' so far it seems that the key to solving a Rubik's cube is part muscle memory and part pattern recognition. I have only been able to solve one side so far...but I'll keep the blog posted periodically on my progress. Sign up a K-12 student here for the competition. There is plenty of time to learn how to solve the cube! Check out some back ground info on Rubik's cubes below.

In the process of learning how to solve a Rubik's cube I discovered the sport of ''speedcubing". World Record holders can solve the puzzle in less than 10 seconds! That is pretty amazing! Better get back to practicing.

The question, "Does other intelligent life exist beyond our planet?" is something that Nifty Fifty speaker, astronomer, and author Dr. Seth Shostak has pondered and researched at the SETI Institute. Read more about his bio here and learn more about his research below.