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Science Competitions: Everyone's a Winner

In March 2005, 17-year-old David Vigliarolo Bauer took home a $100,000 scholarship as winner of the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS). The Bronx, New York, high school senior's prize, which he won for developing a new method of detecting toxic agents in the nervous system using quantum dots, was part of $1.25 million in scholarships and awards granted to students and schools in connection with last year’s Intel STS competition.

Science, engineering and technology competitions are becoming increasingly popular – and increasingly lucrative – throughout the nation and the world, and they’re not just reserved for science superstars. There are competitions for students at every grade and ability level, and what participants take home goes far beyond the prizes.

Exploravision: Tomorrow’s Technology
Sponsored by Toshiba and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), Exploravision encourages students to explore their scientific horizons regardless of their ages, interests or abilities. Teams of students from kindergarten to grade twelve, competing in four age divisions, are asked to imagine and design a technology that could exist twenty years in the future. "They start out by identifying a problem or looking at an existing technology and imagining how it might be improved," says Linda Heller, Director of Corporate Programs for NSTA. "They need to research the existing technology and its history, then they have to design their technology. This is not science fiction," she adds. "It’s got to be grounded in real science." Participants also consider the consequences, both positive and negative, should their projects become reality.

Like most major science competitions, Exploravision begins with regional events throughout the United States and Canada. The 24 regional winners develop websites to present their projects. From that group, eight teams (first and second place in each of the four age divisions) are selected as national winners. Each student on a first place team receives a $10,000 savings bond and each student on a second place team receives a $5,000 savings bond, in addition to a trip to Washington, DC, and other prizes. But every student who submits a project, says Heller, is recognized with a certificate and a small gift. Participants also retain the patent rights to their designs.

Christopher Columbus Awards: Community Science
Another competition designed to be as inclusive as possible is the Christopher Columbus Awards, in which teams of middle school students identify problems in their communities and solves them using scientific method. "It’s our desire to show kids that science is in everything you do and that it can be fun," says Judith Shellenberger, Executive Director of the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation which sponsors the awards. "It’s not just in a textbook. Science is everything, and everybody can do this." The Christopher Columbus Awards has proven particularly appealing to girls, who make up about 60 percent of the participants. Shellenberger speculates that girls might be attracted to the competition because the focus is more service oriented than technical. "Then, when they get into it, they see they are doing the technical stuff," she adds, "but it’s fun."

Eight teams selected as finalists win a week-long trip to Walt Disney World, where they work with scientists and engineers on projects like designing a roller coaster. Of those teams, two receive gold medals and a $2,000 savings bond for each team member. One team, which may or may not be a gold medal team, receives a $25,000 grant to implement their project in their community.

Beyond the Prizes
Students who participate in science competitions often receive recognition beyond prizes, says Shellenberger. A team of four eighth-grade girls received the Christopher Columbus Awards $25,000 grant for their design of a straw and stucco house to address the housing shortage on their Crow Indian reservation in Montana. After receiving the grant, the team was invited to appear on Oprah, where the talk show host matched the $25,000.

A team of sixth graders also participating in the Christopher Columbus Awards competition – two boys and a girl from Pennsylvania – decided to tackle the problem of motorists speeding past school buses when they were supposed to stop. They designed a video camera system that could be attached to the buses in order to record the license plate numbers of offending vehicles. Not only were the team members invited to meet with their governor, they were successful in getting legislation introduced in their state to make the design standard on school buses. (The legislation passed the House unanimously but had not gone before the Senate at press time.)

Some of the more prestigious science competitions are seen as springboards for tomorrow’s science elite. Since 1942, for example, STS participants have gone on to hold more than 100 of the world’s top science and math honors, including six Nobel Prizes, three National Medals of Science, ten MacArthur Foundation Fellowships, and two Fields Medals. Since 1950, 267 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) finalists have obtained or are in the process of obtaining patents on their projects.

Some Are Winners, None Are Losers
Not only do the benefits of science competitions extend beyond the prizes winners receive, they extend beyond the winners. "Winning is wonderful and the winners will tell you that, they’ll never debate that with you," says Heller, "but we feel that the real benefit of participating in Exploravision is the process. For a student, whether they win or not, it’s the process of learning and doing science (that counts)." Participating in science competitions is a great way for students to see that science relates to every aspect of their lives, that it’s interesting, and most importantly, that it’s fun.

"Many of our participants say they would not have thought they were good at science and would not have considered entering an academic competition," says Linda Topoleski, a spokesperson for the Christopher Columbus Awards. "Our program shows them that we can all be scientists by identifying everyday issues in our community and using the scientific process to solve them." Heller agrees, saying that Exploravision "encourages students to see that they can have an impact in the future, in their future, by looking at science and looking at the world 20 years from now. For many students it really sparks an interest in science that they may not have had."

Because many science and technology competitions are team based – mirroring the way scientists work together in the real world – learning to work collaboratively is a huge part of participating. "They’re working in situations that are very similar to the way real scientists work," says Heller. "They work in teams. They make their decisions in teams. It's a real-world experience and something that can ultimately prepare them for the future workforce."

Perseverence is another important skill science competition participants cultivate, says Shellenberger. "If they have a project and they start working on it, they might find out it doesn’t always work the way they think it’s going to," she says. "They have to start all over and they absolutely do that." Topoleski agrees, adding, "The whole process of entering a competition brings out the best in many students. It shows them the value of hard work and staying with something even through the most challenging times."

Most science and technology competitions require that students work with adult mentors, often professional scientists and engineers, in order to complete their projects. Others encourage students to seek out the advice of working scientists in order to research their projects and determine whether or not their ideas are feasible. "They mature," says Shellenberger, noting that after working with scientists and engineers on their competition projects, most students "know how to talk to adults. They’re not shy anymore. There’s real growth in just a few short months." Because Christopher Columbus Awards participants work on real problems in their community, she adds, they often meet prominent local figures in the process. "Most of these teams eventually meet with their governors," she says, "and they take them seriously. …Knowing adults will listen to you if you have a good idea, no matter how old you are, that’s tremendous. It’s something you just can’t buy."

What Are You Waiting For?
Even the winners of the most prestigious science competitions start small, and they usually start early. Most begin at local science competitions and school science fairs. Intel STS organizers encourage students to "participate in local science and engineering fairs before competing in the Intel STS during their senior year."

"We are losing all of our scientists in this country," says Shellenberger, emphasizing the need to engage children in scientific exploration and discovery. "Ninety-five percent of scientists and innovators are going to be from out of the country by 2010 - that’s a statistic I just read - so we are trying to show kids at a young age that you can do whatever you want to do." Heller adds, "At the National Science Teachers Association we feel very strongly that science is for all students. We’d love to see that interest sparked as young as possible." She notes that very young students, even at the kindergarten level, often come up with remarkably innovative designs. "Generally speaking," she says, "the younger students have the most creative ideas. Their imaginations are just running wild and it shows in the kinds of projects they present."

At discoverthis.com science kits, we know that science can be fun! We believe every student should cultivate and pursue his or her passions by participating in a science competition, whether it’s a prestigious national contest or a school science fair. From designing robots to addressing community issues, from imagining technology’s future to showcasing your knowledge of neuroscience, there’s a science or technology competition for everyone.

Check out the listings below - which include only a small sampling of the contests open to students in the United States and abroad - to find a competition that’s right for you.

The Christopher Columbus Awards: This competition challenges teams of middle school students to identify a problem in their community and solve it using the scientific method. Eight finalist teams receive a trip to Walt Disney World to work with scientists and engineers. Each member of the two gold medal teams receives a $2,000 savings bond, and one team receives a $25,000 grant to see their project become a reality in their community. www.christophercolumbusawards.com

Exploravision: A collaborative effort of Toshiba Corporation and the National Science Teachers Association, Exploravision is open to teams of U.S. and Canadian students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The competition challenges participants in four age divisions to research and design a technology that could exist twenty years from now. Each student on the four first place teams (one in each age division) receives a $10,000 savings bond, and each student on the four second place teams receives a $5,000 savings bond, in addition to a trip to Washington, DC, and other prizes. www.exploravision.org

Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS): Established in 1942, STS is billed as "America’s oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition." High school seniors compete for scholarships from $5,000 to $100,000. All of the 300 semi-finalists are guaranteed at least $1,000, as are their schools. www.intel.com/education or www.sciserv.org/sts/

TIPS: Organizers suggest you begin practicing for this prestigious competition as soon as possible, by entering local science fairs and contests for younger students. Discover This has lots of resources to get you started on the path to science fair success!

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF): In this Intel-sponsored competition, inventors in grades nine through twelve compete for more than $3 million in awards and scholarships. More than 800 individual and team awards are presented, including $50,000 college scholarships for three finalists. www.intel.com/education or www.sciserv.org/sts/

TIPS: In addition to discovering how to create a winning science fair project, you’ll want to explore mechanical and electrical engineering to vie for the big prizes in this competition.

BEST Robotics, Inc.: Open to teams of students in middle school through high school, including homeschool groups who fall within the age range, BEST features two parallel competitions: a robotics game and an optional BEST Award competition. In the robotics game, team-designed and -built robots try to outperform their competitors in a series of events based on an annual theme. Winning teams from local competitions advance to one of three regional championships. The BEST Award is presented to the team that best embodies the concept of Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology. www.bestinc.org

FIRST Robotics Competitions: FIRST LEGO League for students ages nine to fourteen and FIRST Robotics for high school students are designed to give kids hands-on experience solving real-world problems. Teams work with corporate and community sponsors to brainstorm, design, build, test and compete with their robots. www.usfirst.org

TIPS: To hone your skills with robotics, check out our full line of robot kits at Discover This.

The International Brain Bee (IBB): A question and answer competition sponsored by the Society for Neuroscience in which high school students compete to determine who is the "best brain" on such neuroscience topics as intelligence, memory, emotions, sensations, movement, stress, aging, sleep, addiction, Alzheimer's, and stroke. Local competitions are held throughout North America and abroad. Local winners are invited to the championship at the University of Maryland during Brain Awareness Week in March. The IBB champion receives $3000, a trip for two to Washington, DC, to attend the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, a fellowship to work in the laboratory of a neuroscientist during the summer, and more. web.sfn.org/baw/bee.cfm

National Engineering Design Challenge (NEDC): Sponsored by the Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS), NEDC is open to teams of students in grades nine through twelve. Teams explore, research, design, and build a working product to help individuals with disabilities enter and succeed in the work force. National finalists win a trip to Washington, DC, to compete for more prizes. www.jets.org/programs/nedc.cfm

TIPS: Learn more about the basics of mechanical and electrical engineering and human anatomy at Discover This.

Odyssey of the Mind: In this international creative problem solving program, teams of up to seven students from kindergarten through college work together to solve one of five long-term problems. Subject areas range from science and math to literature, art, music and performance. Scores are based on how teams solve their problem and present their solution. Emphasis is placed on risk-taking and creativity. www.odysseyofthemind.com

Test of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics, and Science (TEAMS): Another JETS-sponsored competition, TEAMS is a one-day event in which teams of students in grades nine through twelve are challenged to think critically. The questions posed represent college freshman-level engineering coursework. Team members should have knowledge of math, chemistry, physics, biology, and computer applications, but being an "expert" is not required. www.jets.org/programs/teams-home.htm

TIPS: Sharpen your skills with chemistry, biology and physics at Discover This.

ThinkQuest International: A program of the Oracle Education Foundation, ThinkQuest is an international competition in which teams of three to six students between the ages of nine and nineteen are challenged to create the most innovative and educational websites. The winning teams are awarded prizes and a trip to an international celebration. Entries are published in the popular ThinkQuest Library, a free resource used by millions worldwide. www.thinkquest.org

The US Department of Energy’s National Science Bowl: Open to teams of students in grades nine through twelve, participants compete in an oral question and answer competition covering astronomy, biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, Earth sciences, and general science. www.scied.science.doe.gov

TIPS: At Discover This, we offer loads of science kits to help you bone up on astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics, Earth sciences, and more.

Young Naturalist Awards: A research-based essay contest for students in grades seven through twelve intended to promote participation and communication in science. Students plan and conduct a scientific expedition providing questions, data, observations, and conclusions on a topic in the field of biology, Earth sciences, or astronomy. They present their experiences in a narrative essay. www.amnh.org/youngnaturalistawards

TIPS: We’ve got plenty of science kits to help young naturalists learn about biology, Earth sciences, and astronomy at Discover This.

Best of luck in your next science competition.

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