SCIENCE IN ACTION “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” —Benjamin Franklin, 1706–1790
Kids are born scientists. They ask great questions, and as Franklin—one of the original “scientific Americans”—pointed out, we should foster their efforts to learn the answers firsthand. One such opportunity is the Google Science Fair. The online competition, launched in 2011, drew more than 7,000 entries from 91 countries; the fair has three age categories for 13- to 18-year-olds. Last July I was a finalist judge and master of ceremonies for the amazing awards event at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. The grand prizewinner, Shree Bose, won $50,000 for her work in improving a cancer therapy [see “Her Summer Pastime? Cancer Research,” by John Matson; Advances, Scientific American, September 2011].
This year Scientific American is delighted to help expand the awards honors by sponsoring a $50,000 Science in Action award for a project that addresses a social, environmental or health issue to make a practical difference in the lives of a group or community. We will also bring that winner to the awards event in California in July and establish mentoring for a year. More information, along with an inspiring video of a Science in Action–style project by one of last year’s finalists, Harine Ravichandran of India, is at www.ScientificAmerican.com and at www.google.com/sciencefair.
Entries are due March 30. I can’t wait to see what questions the young scientists of tomorrow have been asking this time around.
