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Google Science Fair: Looking for the next generation of scientists and engineers to change the world

02/01/2013 Nativegrl77

Posted: 30 Jan 2013 07:21 AM PST

At age 16, Louis Braille invented an alphabet for the blind. When she was 13, Ada Lovelace became fascinated with math and went on to write the first computer program. And at 18, Alexander Graham Bell started experimenting with sound and went on to invent the telephone. Throughout history many great scientists developed their curiosity for science at an early age and went on to make groundbreaking discoveries that changed the way we live.Today, we’re launching the third annual Google Science Fair in partnership with CERN, the LEGO Group, National Geographic and Scientific American to find the next generation of scientists and engineers. We’re inviting students ages 13-18 to participate in the largest online science competition and submit their ideas to change the world.

For the past two years, thousands of students from more than 90 countries have submitted research projects that address some of the most challenging problems we face today. Previous winners tackled issues such as the early diagnosis of breast cancer, improving the experience of listening to music for people with hearing loss and cataloguing the ecosystem found in water. This year we hope to once again inspire scientific exploration among young people and receive even more entries for our third competition.

Here’s some key information for this year’s Science Fair:

Students can enter the Science Fair in 13 languages.
The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2013 at 11:59 pm PDT.
In June, we’ll recognize 90 regional finalists (30 from the Americas, 30 from Asia Pacific and 30 from Europe/Middle East/Africa).
Judges will then select the top 15 finalists, who will be flown to Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. for our live, final event on September 23, 2013.
At the finals, a panel of distinguished international judges consisting of renowned scientists and tech innovators will select top winners in each age category (13-14, 15-16, 17-18). One will be selected as the Grand Prize winner.

Prizes for the 2013 Science Fair include a $50,000 scholarship from Google, a trip to the Galapagos with National Geographic Expeditions, experiences at CERN, Google or the LEGO Group and digital access to the Scientific American archives for the winner’s school for a year. Scientific American will also award a $50,000 Science in Action prize to one project that makes a practical difference by addressing a social, environmental or health issue. We’re also introducing two new prizes for 2013:

In August, the public will have the opportunity to get to know our 15 finalists through a series of Google+ Hangouts on Air and will then vote for the Inspired Idea Award—an award selected by the public for the project with the greatest potential to change the world.
We also recognize that behind every great student there’s often a great teacher and a supportive school, so this year we’ll award a $10,000 cash grant from Google and an exclusive Google+ Hangout with CERN to the Grand Prize winner’s school.

Lastly, we’ll also be hosting a series of Google+ Hangouts on Air. Taking place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, these Hangouts will feature renowned scientists including inventor Dean Kamen and oceanographic explorer Fabien Cousteau, showcase exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of cutting-edge labs and science facilities, and provide access to judges and the Google Science Fair team. We hope these Google+ Hangouts will help inspire, mentor and support students throughout the competition and beyond.

Visit www.googlesciencefair.com to get started now—your idea might just change the world.

Posted by Sam Peter, Google Science Fair Team

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Another Chance … Emily J. Martin, National Women’s Law Center

02/01/2013 Nativegrl77


	Contact Your Senators Today



	Tell your Senators to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.

New congress, new opportunities…

The last Congress let the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) expire for the first time ever. Luckily, VAWA is getting another chance, and the Senate is expected to vote on it as early as next week!

Do your part: Take 2 minutes to urge your Senators to support the reauthorization of VAWA.

VAWA is moving quickly. And we want to be ready for when the vote comes to the floor, perhaps in just a few days. Your Senators need to hear from you — and soon! Together, let’s show the 113th Congress that we expect them to protect the safety of women across the country.

Act Now: Tell your Senators that women deserve swift reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act!

What exactly is VAWA?

First enacted in 1994 (and since reauthorized twice), VAWA provides federal resources to combat domestic violence and sexual assault. The bipartisan, VAWA reauthorization bill introduced in the Senate would streamline programs to improve effectiveness, increase accountability to ensure that all victims and survivors receive the help they need, strengthen protections against housing discrimination faced by those experiencing domestic violence and sexual assault, and provide critical improvements to respond to the unmet needs of communities across the country. In particular, the bill addresses the particular needs of those experiencing violence at the hands of a same-sex partner, as well as for Native American women.

Speak up! Tell your Senators how important the reauthorization of VAWA is to you and the women in your life.

Thank you for your action at this critical time.

Sincerely,

Emily J. Martin
Vice President and General Counsel
National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Be loud and proud in your support of VAWA: show your friends and family how important VAWA is to you by sharing this graphic on Facebook.

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Police killed our roommate

02/01/2013 Nativegrl77

Our new roommate Paulie accidentally walked into the wrong house, and a police officer recklessly killed him. Help us take the officer who shot him off the streets.

Sign Our Petition

When our roommate and close friend Paulie was killed by Officer Heimsness, he was just trying to come home. Paulie had moved in only a few days before, and in the dark he mistook the nearly identical house two doors down for ours. Our neighbor recognized him and tried to make sure he made it home safely. His wife, unsure of what was going on, decided to call the police as a precaution. Paulie never made it home.

Officer Heimsness shot Paulie even though he was unarmed and, according to eyewitness accounts, backing away with his hands up.

We’re devastated that Paulie is dead. Then we found out that Officer Heimsness has a dangerous pattern of taking violent force too far. We don’t feel safe with Heimsness or other officers with records like his on the streets, so we started a petition demanding that the Madison Police Chief take Officer Heimsness off the streets and review the department’s policy on use of force.

Click here to sign our petition.

Paulie was one of our best friends. When he decided to move back to Madison after 8 years in New York, we were thrilled. Paulie was your go-to guy for lending a helping hand or repairing broken stuff: your car, your computer, your heart. He played music with our daughter and read to her.

Officer Heimsness ran onto the scene without identifying himself as a police officer, with his gun already drawn. Despite years of training in non-lethal tactics, he shot Paulie three times in the chest. His backup officer, by contrast, had just arrived with her Taser — not a gun — drawn.

Heimsness’ record of allegedly using excessive force stretches back to 2001. He’s apparently even gone so far as to beat one man into a bloody pulp. We don’t trust someone with this record of poor judgment to patrol the streets of Madison.

Police most effectively keep neighborhoods safe when they have the trust of those they protect. Thanks to Heimsness’ reckless actions, that trust has been seriously eroded. Megan O’Malley, our neighbor who called the police that night, told one reporter, “I feel terrible I called the police. I wouldn’t call them again.”

Please join us in calling on the Madison Police Chief to do everything in their power to take Officer Stephen Heimsness off the streets and to review the Madison Police Department’s use of force policy so no more people needlessly die at one of their officers’ hands.

Thanks for your help,

Nathan and Amelia Royko Maurer

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Repeal renewable energy?

02/01/2013 Nativegrl77

Union of Concerned Scientists

Stop Special Interests from Repealing Renewable Energy in Washington

Currently, Washington is one of 29 states leading the transition to a clean energy economy by requiring utilities to obtain a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources, such as the sun and wind. But these highly effective clean energy policies, known as renewable electricity standards, are now threatened by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a Washington, DC-based special interest group funded by big polluters, including ExxonMobil and the Koch brothers.

Take action today to let politicians in your state know that you support renewable energy, not the agenda of out-of-state fossil fuel interests.

More than 20 comprehensive studies over the past decade have found that renewable electricity standards are an effective and affordable way to downsize our reliance on coal-burning power plants, the top source of carbon emissions that are the primary cause of global warming.

For years, ALEC has misled politicians by denying the role carbon emitted by human activities plays in warming our planet. Now, the legislation ALEC is pushing to repeal renewable electricity standards has been exposed as the handy work of the Heartland Institute, the same group behind last year’s offensive billboard campaign comparing those who accept the scientific consensus on global warming to “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski.

The good news is that ALEC’s war on science is backfiring. Dozens of corporations, including Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart, have stopped funding this special interest group in response to the concerns of thousands of informed citizens like you.

As politicians gear up for the 2013 legislative season, do your part to defend renewable energy today.

Together, we can make sure Washington remains a clean energy leader and send ALEC packing.

Sincerely,

David Anderson
Outreach Coordinator
Climate & Energy Program
Union of Concerned Scientists
Twitter: @UCSMidwest

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Something fishy is going on!

02/01/2013 Nativegrl77

The FDA is close to approving genetically engineered salmon. Yet thorough environmental impact and safety studies haven’t been done. And this salmon won’t be labeled so you won’t know what you’re buying. Tell the FDA what you think of this potentially bad decision before it’s a done deal.