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WASHINGTON, April 23, 2012 â€� The American Chemical Öйú365betÖÐÎĹÙÍø (ACS) invites news media to attend a luncheon briefing on “Reaching the Crowd with Science & Engineering Informal Education.â€� It will be held Thursday, April 26, from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the Hart Senate Office Building 902. To attend, register at: .

This briefing is hosted by the ACS Science & the Congress Project, coordinated with the office of U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.). Honorary co-hosts include U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education Caucus, co-chaired by U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) and U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.).

STEM education and communication is vital to ensuring a competitive workforce and literate electorate. While formal STEM education is critical, informal programming serves to captivate and retain interest in STEM topics and skills. A wide variety of venues and approaches encourage adults and youth alike to participate in science and engineering festivals, conduct experiments through themed outreach activities, visit science museums and technology centers and learn through mass media offerings such as children’s shows, Science Friday, MythBusters and The Big Bang Theory. This panel, all experienced in informal STEM education and communication, will discuss approaches that can support and actualize STEM policies.

The briefing will feature the following panelists and an open discussion:

Panelists:

• James Bell, Association of Science-Technology Centers
• Lawrence Bock, USA Science & Engineering Festival
• Diane Bunce, Ph.D., Catholic University of America
• Bill Nye, The Planetary Öйú365betÖÐÎĹÙÍø

The Science & the Congress Project was established in 1995 to provide a neutral and credible source of scientific information targeted to policymakers on Capitol Hill. Expert speakers are chosen to provide a balanced presentation about the topic under discussion, and their comments are independent of any position that may be held by the ACS, the sponsors of Science & the Congress, or its co-hosts. For more information, visit .

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Öйú365betÖÐÎĹÙÍø contact newsroom@acs.org.

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