Do you have a Junior Green Scientist in your household?

Posted on 07 March 2011. Tags: , , , , , ,

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Welcome to the Google Science Fair! Google is looking for the brightest young scientists from around the world to submit interesting, creative projects that are relevant to the world today!

My Green Australia is encouraging our younger readers to promote green innovation in science and have a go at entering in this amazing Science Fair.

Without a doubt there are so many talented and curious children in Australia today. Encouraging your young ones to be involved in science and environmental issues will help their generation when they come of age. They are the ones who will be living on the planet and cleaning up and preparing for the next generation to come.

Help! Where do I start?

Start with the topic that most interests you or is most relevant to your life. If you’re excited about your idea, it will be much easier to enthuse the judges about your investigation. Read as much as you can about your chosen topic area. What research has already been carried out? What are the latest findings? What is yet to be investigated?
Bowl us over!

 

Each entry can only be submitted once, so while your overall submission is important, a good strategy is to try to stand out among the many other submissions in the first round. First round judging will only review your introductory film or presentation, and your summaries. So however impressive your supporting documentation is, it’s important to make your introduction and summaries really sing to grab the judges’ attention and get you to the next round. You need a strong idea, of course, but you also need to consider how to make it stand out among the other entries the judges will see.
Be clear

 

It’s important that your explanation is clear and doesn’t get lost in technical jargon. The best scientists are great communicators, and you need to make your explanation easy for anyone to understand – not just a judge!
Help is at hand

 

You need to keep adult help to a minimum – this is your entry, after all – but don’t be afraid to ask your teachers if you’re not sure about something or to help you stay safe. You won’t be penalized as long as you acknowledge the help you’ve had in the Works Cited section.
Passion makes perfect

 

You’re entering the science fair, so you’re obviously passionate about your scientific work. Let your enthusiasm shine through in what you write. Think of your entry as a thrilling story that you’re just bursting to share! The judges want to see that you’re excited about your discoveries and how they might be useful.
Never give up!

 

Don’t lose heart with your project, even when things don’t go as planned. You might have to modify it as you go along – that’s part of the process! Remember, results that fail to support a hypothesis can be just as relevant and interesting to the scientific community as those that do. Don’t despair; just explain what happened in your conclusion, and what this might mean. Have your findings opened up any potential new areas for future investigations?
Your science; everyone’s future

 

Some of the most inspiring ideas are ones that have the potential to bring about positive change to the world we live in. Whether your idea has a practical application or simply increases our knowledge about something, make sure your project is rooted in a sound scientific method. Remember that you are the scientists of the future and we want to be sure that our world will be in safe hands!

To sweeten the pot so to speak, the prizes for this are OUT OF THIS WORLD. If only I could enter!

A National Geographic Expedition

The Grand Prize winner(s) plus one parent or guardian per winner will win an amazing 10 day trip to the Galapagos Islands with National Geographic Expeditions. Traveling aboard the National Geographic Endeavour the winner(s) will visit Darwin’s living laboratory and experience up-close encounters with unique species such as flightless cormorants, marine iguanas, and domed giant tortoises.

A Scholarship from Google

A $50,000 scholarship, split equally between team members should a team win this prize. This scholarship is intended to be used towards the finalists’ further education.

A Once in a Lifetime Experience

The Grand Prize winner will have first choice of an experience at one of the following partner organizations:
CERN, Google, the LEGO Group, or Scientific American.

A Personalised LEGO Prize

* A personal LEGO color mosaic (one for each team member, to build her/himself) and 1 personal, exclusive LEGO box – specially made for the occasion

A package from Scientific American

* Digital Access to Scientific American Archives for your school
* Digital access for the finalists’ schools for a year. This prize is valid up to 12 months from winning the prize on 11 July 2011.

MORE DETAILS HERE:
Google Science Fair
The competition is open to students aged 13 to 18 from around the world working on their own or in a team of two or three.

This article was sponsored by Unruly Media
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This post was written by:

- who has written 485 posts on My Green Australia.

Rebecca is our webmaster and fellow writer who loves all things green – especially architecture and scuba diving! Protecting Australia's precious coral reefs is a passion of hers!

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