Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog » Events

Google Science Fair 2011 Projects

curiouscat — Wed, 11 May 2011 01:46:25 +0000

The Google Science Fair selected 60 semi-finalists in 3 groups (age 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18). The 60 global semi finalists will then be narrowed down by our judging panel to 15 global finalists who will be announced later in May.

The 15 global finalists will be flown to Google HQ in California, USA for our celebratory Science Fair event and finalist judging round will take place on 11 July 2011. These finalists will be expected to present their projects before a panel of acclaimed scientists including Nobel Laureates, tech visionaries and household names.

Sailboats using canting keels are among the world’s fastest ocean-going vessels; however, there are inherent problems. Canting sailboats require the addition of canards or dagger boards to replace the loss of the primary underwater lifting surface, adding significant complexity. The second and more important issue is that the cantilevered weight of the ballast bulb at the end of the keel generates tremendous loads on the vessel. The objective of this research was to test a concept to make sailboats even faster and safer than the current designs. To test the concept, this researcher built a remote control functional model fitted for both canting and hydrodynamic keels. The results showed that the hydrodynamic keel out performs the canting keel both upwind and downwind.

The Grand Prize winner 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 will visit Darwin’s living laboratory and experience up-close encounters with unique species such as flightless cormorants, marine iguanas, and domed giant tortoises. They also win 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.

The 2 age group winners that are not selected as the grand prize winner will win $25,000 scholarships.

You can vote on your favorite projects and help select the people’s choice winner that will receive a $10,000 scholarship.

Great 3D Printing Presentation

curiouscat — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 04:07:08 +0000

Very fun presentation by 10 year old on 3D printing and the open source Makerbot at Ignite Phoenix.

Intel Science and Engineering Fair 2009 Webcasts

curiouscat — Mon, 18 May 2009 02:02:07 +0000

Tara Adiseshan, 14, of Charlottesville, Virginia; Li Boynton, 17, of Houston; and Olivia Schwob, 16, of Boston were selected from 1,563 young scientists from 56 countries, regions and territories for their commitment to innovation and science. Each received a $50,000 scholarship from the Intel Foundation.

In the webcast, Tara Adiseshan, talks about her project studying the evolutionary ties between nematodes (parasites) and sweat bees. She identified and classified the evolutionary relationships between sweat bees and the nematodes (microscopic worms) that live inside them. Tara was able to prove that because the two have such ecologically intimate relationships, they also have an evolutionary relationship. That is to say, if one species evolves, the other will follow.

Li Boynton developed a biosensor from bioluminescent bacteria (a living organism that gives off light) to detect the presence of contaminants in public water. Li’s biosensor is cheaper and easier to use than current biosensors, and she hopes it can be used in developing countries to reduce water toxicity.

Olivia Schwob isolated a gene that can be used to improve the intelligence of a worm. The results could help us better understand how humans learn and even prevent, treat and cure mental disabilities in the future.

In addition to the three $50,000 top winners, more than 500 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair participants received scholarships and prizes for their groundbreaking work. Intel awards included 19 “Best of Category” winners who each received a $5,000 Intel scholarship and a new laptop. In total, nearly $4 million is scholarships and awards were provided.

Related: Intel ISEF 2009 Final Gala – Girls Sweep Top Honors at Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology – Intel International Science and Engineering Fair 2007 – Worldwide Science Wizkids at Intel ISEF – 2008 Intel Science Talent Search

YouTube has great value, in these videos and in many other ways. My belief is that Google is the company best positioned to make profit from these webcasts. There is a great value in webcasts. My belief is Google is smart enough to realize their is a great value today, and in the long term. And Google isn’t afraid to invest in the long term. My guess is they will succeed in making YouTube profitable.

Li Boynton on What’s Great About Science:

The future really looks bright when you see what high school students from around the world are able to do in science and engineering.

Over the past decade alone, the company has invested more than $1 billion, and its employees have donated more than 2.5 million hours toward improving education in 50 countries. Learn more about the Intel Education Initiative.

Lunacy – FIRST Robotics Challenge 2009

curiouscat — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:44:34 +0000

The For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotic Challenge is a great way to get high school students involved in engineering. Lunacy is the 2009 competition which mimics the low friction environment on the moon (using a slick surface and slick wheels on the robots). For more information see the competition manual and related documents.

Tinker School: Engineering Camp

curiouscat — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:44:37 +0000

NPR had a nice story on kids taking risks (a compliment our post from a couple days ago: Kids Need Adventurous Play) Camp Offers Kids A Chance To Play With Fire. Tinkering School gives kids a chance to make real things they use (boats, motorized bikes, bristle bots…). Their blog is awesome.

The Tinkering School offers an exploratory curriculum designed to help kids – ages 7 to 17 – learn how to build things. By providing a collaborative environment in which to explore basic and advanced building techniques and principles, we strive to create a school where we all learn by fooling around. All activities are hands-on, supervised, and at least partly improvisational.
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Parents/guardians will be expected to complete the big scary liability waiver.
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Tinkering School is taught primarily by me, Gever Tulley, aided of course by my indispensable wife Julie Spiegler and the inimitable Robyn Orr. By day, I am a Senior Computer Scientist at Adobe, writer, and practicing sculptor…

I started the Tinkering School because it’s the kind of thing I would like to have been able to go to myself.

I wish I could go. Related: National Underwater Robotics Challenge – Science Toys You Can Make With Your Kids – La Vida Robot – Technology and Fun in the Classroom

Students at Powhatan Engineering Camp

curiouscat — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:44:14 +0000

Students attend Powhatan’s first-ever engineering camp

The 28 students participating in the first-ever Powhatan County Schools engineering camp spent eight days doing hands-on activities like building model amusement park rides and suspension bridges, and taking field trips to see engineering in action. They visited the Richmond Times Dispatch’s production facility, where they observed robots shuttling stacks of paper back and forth, and the Watkins Center, where they observed engineers at work on a construction site.

The group even enjoyed a presentation from a NASA engineer, who spoke of his experience working on the Mars rover.

These engineering camps help kids enjoy their naturally inquisitive minds – which unfortunately they don’t get to do often enough.

Beloit College: Girls and Women in Science

curiouscat — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:03:56 +0000

Girls and Women in Science at Beloit College in Wisconsin:

sixth grade girls, along with their teachers and parents. This award winning conference encourages the exploration of science and mathematics by middle school girls through two days of experiments, activities, and interaction with science professionals. The girls, teachers, and parents will work with Beloit College faculty, students, and alumnae.

Girls getting into science

Eaton said the 24 girls participating will be able to take an active role in the laboratories. It’s critical the girls are encouraged and get the chance to increase their risk-taking abilities without boys.

The problem is, Eaton said, that sixth-grade girls’ interest in science starts dwindling and boys start becoming more dominant. “The boys take over the hands-on projects and the girls take notes,” Eaton said. “Boys will answer a question more authoritatively. Girls pose answers as a question. They are not as confident in their answers.”

To help foster activity among girls, the weekend conference also offers several workshops for parents and teachers. The workshops teach adults what they are doing to discourage girls and how they can learn to encourage them more.

RoboCup German Open 2008

curiouscat — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:18:19 +0000

Video of humanoid robot football (soccer) competition in German, April 2008. They are a bit slow but it sure looks like this is a fun area to watch the improvement of robot engineering.

Team America Rocketry Challenge

curiouscat — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:15:01 +0000

On May 17th, in The Plains, Virginia, the Team America Rocketry Challenge finals will be held. After a full day of launches, held at the Great Meadows facility, the winners will be crowned and $60,000 in scholarships will be divided up among the top finishers.