Google announces global science fair with $50,000 top prize

Jan 16, 2011 by Dan Taylor    5 Comments    Posted under: Technology

Say good-bye to the diorama and baking soda and vinegar science fair, as Google has recently announced their own spin on the classic childhood practice. Based on the premise of “how many ideas are lost because people don’t have the right forum for their talents to be discovered?” the search engine giant is inviting budding Einstein’s from across the globe to impress us/them.

Launched in conjunction with CERN, The LEGO group, National Geographic and Scientific American, the Google Science Fair is the world’s first global online science competition. Any scientist between the ages of 13-18 with access to a computer, the internet and a web browser is eligible to share their projects to the world. Future Teslas and Curies are free to build and submit up to three individual projects, either as a solo effort or collaboratively in a team of 2 or 3.

Google is promoting the Science Fair as a true opportunity for youths from Canada to go head to head with brains from Cambodia; Irish scientists will be challenged by Israelis, etc. No longer are students bound to regional/national restrictions on just how far their idea can go. A nod from Google can’t hurt either.

And it’s not just a blue ribbon and a pat on the back that winners are competing for. Prizes range from a full trip to the Galapagos Islands accompanying the National Geographic Expeditions team (a visit to Dawin’s living laboratory included), to a 12 month subscription to Scientific American, and include a host of goodies along the way. Visits to CERN, Google, The Lego Group, and Scientific American are all on tap and up for grabs, as well as a $50,000 Google backed scholarship.

Students may enter and register online, and must use a Google Site to submit their project. All submissions must be received by April 4th, 2011, and a parent or guardian must provide consent in order to be eligible to compete. Semi-finalists will be announced in early May, and the public will have a chance to view and vote on their “people’s choice” award (a $10,000 scholarship provided by Google). 15 finalists will be invited to Google’s HQ in Mountain View, California on July 11th for the final judging. Amongst the finalist judges are Rolf-Dieter Heuer, Director General of CERN, Google’s Director of Research Peter Norvig, and Kary Mullis, a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.

So there you have it budding brains. Google’s offering a trip to the Galapagos, or a $50,000 head start on college bills, real-world work experience at CERN, and a plethora of other top prizes. The only downside I see to the Google Science Fair is that I’m far too old to enter. For us old folks, Google’s set up a range of social networking channels, Facebook, Twitter, Buzz, and Blogger so that you can follow the progress of events.