Sir Richard Branson, trips to the moon, students who are interested in science and technology. That sums up this first morning of NextFest in NYC.

While I haven’t made it past the GE booths at the show and not too much farther than my Aviation booth, the show has made quite an impression on me.

Today’s student and media day. So I’ve talked with kids from the fourth grade through tenth. The kids love to play the interactive games we have developed. My Aviation game and the Healthcare games have seen crowds of kids around them all morning.

The students are asking a lot of questions about the engines and our composite fan blades from the GE90. And many of them are already very knowledgeable about engines. A teacher here said some of students participated in a special summer class — so our future engineers in New York may already be in the making.

I also did a video segment for the Discovery Channel who was taking a dozen students from a technology school in New Jersey for a walk through the exhibit. The students had a great handle on our composite technology and the benefits that the lightweight, durable material have for our customers.

Sir Richard Branson had a formal speech this morning before the show opened to the public as he touted his new Virgin ventures into space. Then he toured some booths, including the Energy’s Wind booth. Nothing like seeing a “rock star” at the show — who has an interested in innovation.