Lexington, KY - While students count down to summer vacation, FutureLab: The Innovation Expo prepares for liftoff of its fifth annual nationwide tour. This fall, the traveling science and technology expo called FutureLab will make three major stops east of the Mississippi, in Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee.

The 2008 tour launches September 25-27 at the IdeaFestival (IF) in downtown Louisville, KY. The three-day event, headquartered at the Kentucky International Convention Center, draws thinkers and entrepreneurs from around the world for show and tell sessions of today’s groundbreaking innovations. As thousands gather to celebrate big ideas, they will be enlightened through FutureLab’s interactive exhibits of the latest advancements in nanotechnology, robotics, deep space exploration and the life sciences.

From Louisville, FutureLab soars north to the Indianapolis Convention Center for the 81^st National FFA Convention. There, from October 22-25, the traveling time machine will greet over 50,000 FFA members, leaders and supporters. Convention attendees will experience, hands-on, how agriculture, science and technology disciplines can intertwine and how future careers will be affected by new developments in areas like alternative fuel methods.

Landing November 7-9 at Music City USA in Nashville, TN, FutureLab will finally set up shop at DECA’s 2008 Combined Southern and North Atlantic Region Conference. DECA, an international association, brings together students and educators of marketing, business management and entrepreneurship in an effort to improve their education and work opportunities. At the conference, DECA members will learn about cutting-edge technology while visiting FutureLab, with hopes that some might even be inspired to become entrepreneurs themselves.

FutureLab, brainchild of Dr. James Canton with the Institute for Global Futures (IGF), in conjunction with the Student Loan Finance Corporation (SLFC) and iHigh, Inc. aims to open the eyes of today’s youth to the exciting discoveries occurring in math, science and technology and inspire them to become architects of the future. With over 60 cities, 138 schools and 250,000 students reached in the past four years, FutureLab: The Innovation Expo has passed some significant milestones, though the mission is far from complete. For more information and updates, please continue to check out the FutureLab website.

After five great years, we’re moving FutureLab online. Yes, we’ll be on the road this year, but we want to extend the reach of FutureLab by putting it online. Visit here for updates and by all means participate and comment with us as we roll out the new site.

Thanks to everyone who visited the Future with us in 2007 :

West Jessamine High - Nicholasville, KY
Central High School - Aberdeen, SD
Osseo High School - Minneapolis, MN
Lincoln High School - Lincoln, NE
Northwest High School - Wichita, KS
John F Kennedy High School - Denver, CO
Jefferson City Public Schools - Jefferson City, MO
Central High School - West Helena, AR
Hillwood Comp High School - Nashville, TN
Mandarin High School - Jacksonville, FL

-Rick Ford

FutureLab visited Mandarin High School - Jacksonville, FL last April. Check out our photos:

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So many people have been asking where to get some of the great robots we have on display on tour so I thought I would ad a post. Wow Wee robotics is our contributing robotics company. They are the creators of RS Media, our foremost robot. They also make other models including the infamous Dragon Fly that wows every crowd. Check them out at