The first Google Science Fair is happening this year!

Designed to be an all-inclusive competition, Google Science Fair 2011 open to students ages 13-18, worldwide. Students are eligible to participate either as individuals or in teams of up to three.

Submissions will be accepted until April 4, 2011. In May, 60 semi-finalists will be announced, and their projects will be posted online for public viewing. The public will have the opportunity to vote for the "People's Choice" award.

Great Prizes Up for Grabs!

At the end of the competition, Google will name 3 finalist winners, one in each age bracket (13-14, 15-16, 17-18). One of these winners will then be named the Grand Prize winner. The grand prize winner will be awarded a National Geographic Expeditions' 10-day trip to the Galapagos Islands, a $50,000 scholarship from Google, and additional prizes, including a "once in a lifetime experience" prize from CERN, LEGO, Google, or Scientific American. Finalists also receive a scholarship, a "once in a lifetime experience" opportunity, and a range of other prizes from Google and the fair partners. There is also a $10,000 scholarship for the "People's Choice" winner. For more details, a full list of prizes, and complete contest rules and guidelines, visit the Google Science Fair website.

Great Goldberg

By the way, we at Science Buddies like the Rube Goldberg-styled apparatus the Google team created to highlight the Science Fair on the home page. It's a great example of Goldberg-style engineering—and a lot of fun! The Google team kicked off their launch of the 2011 Science Fair with a live Goldberg-styled display. You can watch it for yourself in the opening seconds of the kickoff video at YouTube!

[For more information about Rube Goldberg and the engineering of simple machines, check this past blog entry: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/blog/2009/10/everyday-tasks-simple-machines-and-engineering-projects-1.php]

Applications are being accepted for the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing until October 15, 2010. U.S. high school girls, grades 9-12, who are interested in computer science or technology are encouraged to apply! Sponsored by the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), the award recognizes high school women who have distinguished themselves in the area of computing and technology.

To find out more about NCWIT and the Aspirations in Computing award, visit the website: www.ncwit.org/award.

To explore fun and innovative computer science project ideas at Science Buddies, look at our Scratch and Storytelling Alice projects. Computer Science may not be the way you envision it!

Do you love science? Do you love taking photos and/or making home movies? Have you ever looked at science photos and thought, "Wow... that's so amazing!" Do you hear a soundtrack running in your head for the wonders and mysteries that science lets you explore?

The USA Science & Engineering Festival's Kavli Science Video Contest is a great opportunity for budding cinematographers and scientists to capture "science" on camera and answer the question: "Why is Science Cool?"

Your Movie, Your Story

What story might you tell? What kinds of images could you string together that might excite someone else about the possibilities of scientific research, discovery, and experimentation?

If you've got a video camera at your disposal, this is a great opportunity for summer fun. Work on your own, or team up with a friend, and create and submit your own movie for the USA Science & Engineering Festival's Kavli Science Video Contest.

Think Big!

The sponsors are looking for cutting-edge videos, so let your imagination loose and bring your creative senses to bear on your favorite area of science. According to the USASEF, "Videos might explore a scientific concept, show us the wonders of nature, give us a glimpse into the future, show us what scientific discovery has done for us in the past or will do for us in the future, introduce us to a great scientist or engineer, tell us why you think science is so cool or simply show us why we should care about science and/or engineering."

It's wide open!

Prizes

Winners will receive cash prizes for their school, software or electronics prizes, and a trip to the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo in Washington, DC, October 23 and 24, 2010.

Ready, Set, Record

The submission deadline is July 15, 2010. For more information on video requirements--or to upload your video--visit: http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2010festival/contests/kavli-science-video-contest. (Entering is a two-step process. You'll need to upload your video on the SciVee site as well as fill in the form on the USASEF site.)

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Science Buddies is proud to be a USA Science & Engineering Festival partner.