Following a publically broadcasted invitation from President Barack Obama, children and parents from around the country gathered at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. Science and Engineering Festival on Oct. 23 and 24. Hosted by the global security company, Lockheed Martin, the festival strove to re-invigorate the interest of the nation’s youth in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by producing and presenting the most compelling, exciting, educational and entertaining science gathering in the nation. The festival had over 100 sponsors, including the university.

As most of us are aware, much of US security and intelligence data comes from satellites orbiting the earth. With growing suspicion of countries possessing nuclear weaponry, celestial technology has seen major innovation in recent years. On Tuesday, President Obama approved a bill calling for the purchase of multimillion-dollar commercial imagery technology, including several satellites with unprecedented abilities. Most of the advancements in satellite spying have been delayed since 2005 and the Obama administration is now working to reinvigorate the program and bring intelligence to a new level.