Secretary Abraham Announces Energy Department "What's Next" Expo to be Held in Detroit Area

DEARBORN , MICH. – Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announced today that the Department of Energy’s 3rd annual “What’s Next” Expo will be held in the Detroit area.

“Detroit is certainly a fitting place to hold the 'What's Next' Expo,” Secretary Abraham said. “Henry Ford demonstrated how powerfully technology and innovation could revolutionize society—as, of course, they still do. Those of you who visited the auto show this week saw how far the automobile has come since the days of the Model-T.”

The expo is part of the department’s Scientists Teaching And Reaching Students (STARS) science education initiative announced by Secretary Abraham in July 2004. The What’s Next Expo is designed to showcase the newest, most innovative, cutting edge scientific and technological advances as a way to interest students in pursuing careers in math and science.

“The STARS program will leverage the resources of DOE and its 17 national laboratories to help create a new generation of scientists who will achieve the scientific breakthroughs and technological advances so essential to our future security and prosperity,” Secretary Abraham said.

Secretary Abraham made the announcement at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.

The inaugural “What’s Next” Expo was held in Chicago, Ill. in July 2004. Secretary Abraham hosted more than 500 Chicago-area seventh- and eighth-graders and their teachers at the expo which featured talks by Secretary Abraham and the lead researcher in a DOE-funded project designed to help restore sight for blind people affected by retinal disorders. Students then toured the nearly 50 interactive and instructional exhibits of cutting-edge science and technology exhibits provided and staffed by science professionals from 14 of DOE’s national laboratories and a number of private companies.

The department’s 2nd annual “What’s Next” Expo will be held in Albuquerque, N.M., in the fall of 2005.

The STARS program is designed to enhance the training of America’s mathematics and science teachers; boost student achievement in science and math, especially in the critical middle school years; and draw attention to DOE scientists that have been instrumental in cutting edge discoveries. More information about the STARS program and the labs’ science education offerings is available via the Internet at www.science.doe.gov.