2014 Siemens Competitions in Math, Science & Technology Now Open for Registration

The Siemens Foundation, in partnership with Discovery Education, has opened registration for the 2014 Math, Science and Technology Competition for high school students. All submissions of original research projects are due by no later than 30 September 2014, and students may enter either individually or as a member of a team.  Regional winners selected will have their projects reviewed at universities around the nation, including Cal Tech in Pasadena, in November.  National finalists will present their projects in Washington, D.C.  in December.  Winners will receive scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $100,000.  For further information and to register, go to 2014 Siemens Competitions .

Busy STEM Weekend in the AV!

Saturday, 11 May 2013, saw several STEM-related events going simultaneously within the Antelope Valley.  Among them were the Tech Trek Awards held at the Palmdale School District Boardroom, where 35 seventh-grade young ladies received certificates acknowledging their scholarships to attend a one-week summer Tech Trek camp at either Whittier College, UC Irvine, or UC Santa Barbara sponsored by AAUW.  The keynote speaker for the morning was Taylor Lenton, QHHS grad and chemistry Ph.D. student at Cal Tech.

SOAR Prep student Elisa Washington receives Tech Trek scholarship certificate from Sylvia Weiss

 Also on Saturday, the AV Wind Turbine Challenge saw 10 teams from SOAR and 5 from Palmdale High Schools competing in this first annual event held at AV College.  The third place team (based on energy output tested in a wind tunnel, as well as innovation and other characteristics judged by Kriss Vanderhyde and Joel Beckmann) was the Hurricaneers, the second place team was named . . . First Place, and the first place team hailed from the FAST Academy at Palmdale High School;  winners received cash awards courtesy of TerraGen.

Hurricaneers -  3rd place

First Place -  2nd place

CCNC from FAST Academy - 1st place

Finally, the Agriculture and Environmental Science Academy at Littlerock High School hosted its annual "Ag and Environmental Science Expo" which featured events including soil testing, transplanting, recycling, and a petting zoo, among others.

LHS A&E Academy at Expo 2013

 

 

 

House Passes National STEM Competition Resolution

H. Res. 77 was passed on Tuesday, 26 February 2013, which will create an annual, national STEM competition in each congressional district.  http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c113:2:./temp/~c113n23aEI::

Local Robotics Teams Compete

Greater Antelope Valley robotics teams are in competition mode, with the following upcoming matches:

• FIRST Tech Challenge - March 2, in Monrovia, CA:  Lancaster HS GarageBots #72; Team PHI #452; Tehachapi Rick Rollers #4344; Quartz Hill HS Rebelutionary #5751; and Paraclete HS (Update 3/4 - #72 Garagebots from Lancaster and #5751 and #6354 from Quartz Hill were Alliance Finalists in Monrovia! Congrats, also, to #452 Team PHI who received the Compass and Connect Awards, and #5230 Million Minds from Victor Valley who received 3rd place in the Judge's Award! )

"Robotis" at the Monrovia FTC event

• FIRST Robotics Challenge:
• Lancaster High School FRC #399:  March 8-9,  San Diego, March 21-23, Sacramento, UC Davis, and Inland Empire, CSU San Bernardino March 28-30;
• Antelope Valley High FRC #2339:  March-8-9, San Diego, and April 4-6, Las Vegas;
• Another update 3/14:  Lancaster and AVHS made it to the semi-finals at the San Diego competition last weekend.
• Tehachapi High #585:  March 28-30, Inland Empire, CSU San Bernardino, and April 4-6, Las Vegas, NV
• Poppy Festival demonstrations - April 20-21, Lancaster City Park;
• World Championships, St. Louis, MO, April 24-27, Teams TBD

Other competitions in the greater LA/OC/Ventura area include:  FIRST Robotics Challenge on March 21 at Long Beach Arena, http://firstlaregional.com/ ;  FIRST LEGO League Expo on April 13 at Eagle Rock Plaza, http://fll.larobotics.org/JrFLLExpo2013Apr.html, FIRST LEGO League Senior Solutions Challenge on April 13 at OC Fairgrounds, and FIRST LEGO League Expo on April 20 at Las Colinas Gym, Camarillo.

Make sure to root for your favorite team!

 

 

Coding Contests Applications Due

According to Tech Crunch, http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/24/code-in-contest-for-high-school-students/ , pre-university teens aged 13 to 17 are invited to participate in Google's third "Code-In" contest to develop open-source software.  The contest runs from 26 November 2012 to mid-January 2013, and entrants will be required to complete tasks in coding, documentation, outreach/research, quality assurance, and user interface categories.  Twenty grand prize winners and a parent will get a trip to Google's Mountain View campus and meet with Google employees; those who complete at least three tasks can win a t-shirt.  For further information, visit     http://www.google-melange.com/gci/homepage/google/gci2012

In a similar vein, Square is hosting its "Code Camp Contest" for US or Canadian university engineering students.  http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/02/square-launches-code-camp-contest-to-inspire-women-engineers/  Fifteen female winners will be selected from submitted resumes and letters to attend a three-day immersion program at the mobile payment company's San Francisco headquarters.  Applications are due by 2 November 2012 and the camp will take place in January 2013.  https://form.squareup.com/form/63915efedaf

2nd Annual AV Science Olympiad/Bohn-Meyer Math Science Odyssey Coaches' Info Meeting 9/19

A coaches' informational meeting for the Bohn-Meyer Math Science Odyssey/2nd annual AV Science Olympiad will be held on Wednesday, 19 September 2012, from 3:30 to 5:00pm, at Antelope Valley College Health Science 217.  The event, for local middle school teams, is scheduled to take place in mid-March 2013, and will involve competitions in a variety of STEM-related subjects.  For more information and to reserve a spot to attend the meeting, contact Jamie Jones at hsistemcoop@gmail.com or 661.722.6300 x 6024 by no later than Friday, 14 September 2012.  To see information from last year's event, visit www.avc.edu/academics/titlev/science.html .

Green Convergence "Going Green" Art Contest and Scholarship Deadline 9/14/12

A "Going Green" art contest is available to students in grades 4 through 12.  Entries using traditional media on 8.5 x 11-inch to 11 x 17-inch paper are due to Green Convergence at 28490 Westinghouse Place, #160, Valencia, CA 91355, by no later than 14 September 2012.  Three scholarships will be awarded to winners, one each in the 9-12th grade, 7-8th grade, and 4-6th grade categories; winners will also ride in a parade on 22 September 2012 in Acton-Agua Dulce.  For more information about the competition and eligibility requirements, visit http://greenconvergence.com/promos/students-enter-our-go-green-art-contest.

Siemens Math, Science & Technology Competition Entries Due 10/1/12

Team and individual registration for the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology opened 1 May 2012, and the deadline for entries is 1 October 2012.  High school students' entries are initially "blind read" by  panels of judges with experience in the field of the entry; up to 300 projects are chosen as semi-finalists, and up to 30 teams and 30 individual students are selected to go on to regional competitions, including one at Cal Tech in Pasadena (9-10 November 2012).  Regional competitors must do a presentation regarding their project and respond to judging panels' questions; each receives a bronze medal and a $1,000 scholarship.  Regional winners receive a $3,000 scholarship along with a silver medal and advance to the national finals in Washington, D.C.  For more information on the competition, eligibility requirements, and registration, visit Siemens Math Science & Technology Competition 2012 .

Real World Design Challenge Registration Open for 2012-2013

The Real World Design Challenge provides an opportunity for students in grades 9-12 to address a problem encountered by American industries; teams of 3-7 students use professional engineering software to design a solution and then present their proposals.  State-level challenges being announced on 12 September 2012 are open for registration, with national challenges being announced 8 February 2013.  For more information, visit http://www.realworlddesignchallenge.org/index.php.

View a video from NDEP Lab-TV about a previous competition here:

http://www.ndep.us/Real-World-Design-Challenge

Intermediate Space Challenge Held in Mojave

On Thursday, 31 May 2012, elementary and middle school students from around the greater Antelope Valley, including those from Amargosa Creek and Joe Walker, gathered at the Mojave Air and Spaceport to participate in the annual Intermediate Space Challenge founded by Marie Walker of Fiberset.  Students had their rocket designs launched, with trajectories measured by volunteers from Edwards Air Force Base.  Winners received a trophy, and all of the students enjoyed a hot dog lunch prepared and served by volunteers on the warm, nearly windless day.

NASA Youth Art Competition Entries Due 10/21/12

NASA is among the sponsors for the Humans in Space Youth Art Competition.  Students aged 10-18 years are encouraged to submit entries in visual, literary, musical or video categories about how humans in the future will use STEM skills to explore space.  An international panel of judges will determine the winners, whose work will be featured in various media globally.  The theme for the competition is "Be Inspired, Creative and Heard."  Entries are due by 21 October 2012. For more information about the competition, visit http://www.lpi.usra.edu/humansinspaceart/.

NASA Seeking Hosts for Interactive ISS Education Events

NASA has announced that it is seeking hosts for 20-30 minute interactive student discussions with International Space Station astronauts Sunita Williams, Kevin Ford, and Thomas Marshburn sometime between September 2012 and March 2013 (date and time flexibility is required).  Discussions will be broadcast live on NASA TV and streamed on the NASA website; there is no cost to participate.  Proposals must be received before 1 June 2012.

To participate in informational webinars about the program and to receive proposal guidelines, send an e-mail to JSC-Teaching-From-Space@mail.nasa.gov or call 281-244-7608.  For more information about the In-Flight Education initiative, visit http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/students/downlinks.html.

Making Math Merrier

Many apparently feel that math is taking a back seat to "sexier" science in the STEM revolution, as it is considered more boring.  As a result, there is an effort to make math more fun through the use of games, competitions, and otherwise broadening its appeal.  Examples include MIT's "Lure of the Labyrinth" competition, "DU the Math" from DimensionU, the NY Museum of Math opening this fall, and actress/author (and summa cum laude math grad from UCLA) Danica McKellar's soon-to-be-released fourth math book "Girls Get Curves."  The hope is that by making math less imposing, as well as using the more problem-solving approach of the Common Core State Standards, more Americans will reduce their math anxiety.  http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-usa-educationmath-feature-pixl2e8fa9pu-20120411,0,3919532,full.story

Madera South HS Hosted Robotics Regional Competition

As reported in the Fresno Bee recently, Madera South High School hosted a FIRST Robotics regional competition from 5-7 April 2012.  Approximately 2,000 students from 50 high schools were expected; Madera was chosen to hold the event due to its success (as well as the success of local schools Buchanan and Clovis North) in regional and national robotics competitions.  The regional competition, which costs approximately $75,000 to put on, was expected to bring money to the central valley from competitors attending; additionally, the benefit to participating students beyond the "co-opertition" itself can extend to educational and scholarship opportunities.  http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/04/01/2784476/major-robotics-event-an-economic.html

MEEC Essay Contest Showcases Earth Day - Submissions Due 4/30/12

MEEC and Lockheed Martin are sponsoring a student essay contest on the subject of "What Earth Day Means to Me."  Students of all ages are invited to answer in 250 words or less the above question, including five environmental actions s/he can do to make a difference where s/he lives.  There are cash awards in each of five age categories, ranging from Kindergarten (pictures with 2-3 sentences), grades 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12.  Submissions are due to Christie Robinson at MEEC by no later than 30 April 2012 at 14306 Park Ave, Victorville, CA 92392.  Winners will receive their awards at a ceremony to be held at the Antelope Valley AQMD on 8 May.

For more information, contact Christie Robinson at christier@mdaqmd.ca.gov or (760) 245-1661 x 6101.

Local Robotics Awards

Congratulations to Lancaster High School Eagle Robotics Team 399 for earning the Quality Award by Motorola and the Website Award at the Utah Regional FIRST Robotics Competition held 15-17 March in Salt Lake City.  Team 399 also finished first in the standings with a record of 10-1-0.  http://www2.usfirst.org/2012comp/Events/UT/rankings.html

Eagle Robotics also won the Quality Award by Motorola at the San Diego Regional FIRST Competition 2-4 March, as well as being Regional Finalist #2 (5-4-0); Antelope Valley High's Robolopes Team 2339 were the Regional Finalist #3 at the San Diego Regional competition (4-6-0).  http://www2.usfirst.org/2012comp/events/SDC/rankings.html

The Cyberpenguins of Tehachapi High School will be competing at upcoming regionals.

SoCal Youth Places in Intel Science Talent Search

According to a report from Voice of America, Jack Li from El Segundo placed in the recent Intel Science Talent Search awarded in Washington, DC; Li developed an encapsulated enzyme delivery system for phenylketonuria with the assistance of mentors from UCLA.  A drug company has expressed interest in moving towards a commercial application of the system.

Nithin Tumma from Ft. Gratiot, Michigan won the annual competition with research on targeted, less debilitating breast cancer treatments.  He garnered a $100,000 prize after defending his entry to a panel of judges.  Another finalist, Marian Bechtel from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, engineered a seismo-acoustic detection system for buried landmines.  The finalists were also honored with a special visit to the White House and meeting with the President.  http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Science-Competition-Honors-Young-Innovators-142920515.html

NASA Student Flight Mission Challenge NOI Letters Due by 4/16/12

NASA DFRC and JPL are providing an opportunity to educators of grades 7-9 to submit a proposal for student teams regarding improved earthquake monitoring through airborne science research platforms.  "Through this challenge, students will have the opportunity to investigate, evaluate, design and present a solution to a real-world problem that will expand our understanding of earthquakes at the global level. Students will form small mission teams to create multimedia presentations that suggest a site for a new earthquake science investigation."  Proposals will be reviewed by NASA teams, and winners will be invited to participate in the AREES 2012 Summer Academy.

Notice of Intent letters are due by 16 April 2012 and student team proposals are due by no later than 21 May 2012.

For more information, visit http://aeroi.org/node/58.

Clean Air Poster Contest Entries Due by 5/18/12

The 16th Annual Mojave Desert AQMD Clean Air Poster Contest is seeking entries from students aged 4 through 18.  The theme is "Clean Cars Drive Down Air Pollution."  Twelve winning posters (ages 4-7, 8-11, 12-18 categories) will be selected, with prizes ranging from a $100 savings bond for first place, $75 savings bond for second place, and $50 savings bond for third and fourth places.  Each entry will also be eligible for a drawing to win one of two bicycles.  Submissions must be received by 18 May 2012 at the MDAQMD in Victorville.

For more information, visit http://www.mdaqmd.ca.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=3203 or call (760) 245-1661 ext 6104.

"Wouldn't It Be Cool If . . . " Contest Submissions Due by 3/28/12

Aimed at youngsters between the ages of 10 and 15, TimeWarner's Connect a Million Minds and i.am FIRST are sponsoring a contest for young inventors/innovators called "Wouldn't It Be Cool If . . .."  Kids in age categories of 10-12 and 13-15 (individually or in teams of 2-3) can submit an idea of how a cool invention would better their community/world, and how math and science would make it work.  Expert panelists will select two finalists from each age group, who will then be invited to "pitch" their idea to Dean Kamen, will.i.am, and other guest judges at the FIRST championships in St. Louis, Missouri.  Voters can support a particular idea by clicking on the "awesome" button on its page (votes are one of four judging criteria).

Submissions are due by no later than 28 March 2012.

For more details, visit http://www.wouldntitbecoolif.com/about