STEM Stuff

The Fidelity FutureStage program for high school students:

The Fidelity FutureStage program for high school students:

Imagine your students performing on stage at a Boston Pops concert at Symphony Hall. Through Fidelity FutureStage- an arts education program created by Fidelity Investments - it could happen! Boston and Cambridge public high school musicians/vocalists can compete for a chance to perform on stage at a Boston Pops concert at Symphony Hall on May 26, 2010.

The Boston Pops and Fidelity FutureStage are working with First Night to find talented high school musicians and vocalists to take part in the second annual Fidelity FutureStage Music Competition 2010. Up to four instrumental and/or vocal acts will be selected to perform live on stage with the Boston Pops and conductor Keith Lockhart. Please visit www.futurestage.com for more information.

Contact: Tom Formicola, 617-542-1399, tformicola@firstnight.org

Application Deadline: Friday, March 26, 2010

Labels: contests, events, high

Power of an IdeaR Scholarship Contest DEADLINE EXTENDED

The first deadline for applications for the $15,000 Power of an Idea® Scholarship Contest has been extended to January 14, 2010!!!! If you haven't already handed in your application, you still have time!! Below is a list of what is needed to hand in:

Application form with invention idea and signed by parent/guardian if you are under 18 (Download the PDF)
Short statement of interest - statement about why you're entering the contest and why you'd be a good ambassador if you win.
Teacher recommendation - letter of recommendation from a teacher whose class you have taken in the past 2 academic years.

Applications, statements of interest and teacher recommendations can be sent directly to me at the address below. They must be postmarked by January 14, 2010 for you to be eligible.

Please contact Dave Gomes (dgomes AT burnslev.com) or Yakov Korkhin (ykorkhin AT burnslev.com) with any questions.

Happy New Year!

Labels: contests, design, engineering, scholarships, students

ISTE’s "Six Sounds in Search of an Author" Contest!

The International Society for Technology in Education invites you to create a one-minute audio story that includes 6 sound effects.

For this contest you need to create a one-minute audio story that includes 6 sound effects – a striking match, an engine roar, a beating heart, cricket chirps, a ringing phone, and a splash. It’s a challenge and opportunity to get creative within specific boundaries and rules (your story, our sounds, one minute).

Versions of this activity have been used for professional development for teachers as well as technology, ESL, language arts, foreign language, drama, and creative writing courses.

The idea is based on trends in remix and mashups as well as best practices in professional development and the teaching of writing. This simple activity embeds many 21st century skills—appropriation, remix, creativity. It’s also fun to do and fun to listen to what other people did.

If you are a newbie to audio editing, this contest comes with a customized tutorial for the free audio editing software Audacity. It covers everything from downloading to mixing to exporting as an mp3.

It’s rewarding and entertaining to do this activity as a part of community and see how different people tell different stories with the same material and rules. It’s also an excellent activity for students who benefit from having some initial framework to scaffold their creativity.

So, what characters, worlds, and plots can you create that need these six sounds? Is it comedy, tragedy, adventure, horror, romance? The winners will each receive a $10 iTunes gift card.

Labels: contests, media, students

ED announces student video contest

To get students invested in their education, President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have announced a new video contest, asking students to "inspire" them with their stories. Advocates for educational technology say the contest is a great way to reach the digital generation and help students develop key 21st-century skills.

The contest, called "I Am What I Learn," is accepting entries from middle school, high school, and college students ages 13 and older. Students can submit videos up to two minutes long, and entries must be received by Nov. 2.

Here are the contest rules:

- Each video must be submitted by an active student, age 13 or older.
Contestants chosen as finalists will be contacted through their YouTube account and must respond within seven business days to confirm eligibility.
Finalists under the age of 18 must submit a parental consent form.
Videos must be two minutes or less in length.
The contest's page on the U.S. Department of Education (ED) web site (www.ed.gov/IAmWhatILearn) must be featured in the video.
The video content must be original.
The video must convey the importance of education, as well as the student's individual academic goals.

From Nov. 2-9, video submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges, including Duncan. Judges will choose 10 finalists to promote on ED's official YouTube channel. From Nov. 9-24, the public can view the finalists' videos and vote on their favorites.

Aside from these requirements, there are no restriction on the style of the video, and students are "encouraged to be creative," ED says. Winning videos will be chosen based on their creativity, strength and originality of content, and ability to inspire.

The top three finalists with the most votes each will win a $1,000 prize issued by ED. Winners will be announced the week of Dec. 1.

Labels: contests, high, media, middle, students

Learning Games Network Video Contest

The Learning Games Network and AMD announced a contest which challenges students, ages 13 and up, to create 2-to-3-minute long videos on either of these two topics to tell their stories and share their ideas on how education can and will change with digital games.

(I) My “Aha” Moment

(II) My Dream Assignment

They need gamers who want to convince the world that digital games are not only cool, but that you can actually learn while playing them!

For full details and rules, please visit http://www.aha-moment.org. Videos must be between two (2) and three (3) minutes long and be entrants’ original work. For each of the two categories, judging will be organized across three (3) age groups: Middle School, High School (grades 9-12), and Post-Secondary.

Enter by May 31, 2009 at 11:59PM Eastern Standard Time (“EST”). “People’s Choice” voting will begin June 1, 2009 at 12:01AM EST and conclude June 7, 2009 at 11:59PM EST. All winners will be announced at the Games+Learning+Society Conference 5.0 in Madison, Wisconsin, 10-12 June 2009.

Labels: contests, students

Imagine Cup 2009 Student Competition

The 2009 Theme: Solve the World's Toughest Problems

In 2009, the Imagine Cup challenges the world's most talented students to "Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today." More than 100,000 students from 100 countries entered the competition in 2007. 213 competitors from 112 teams representing 56 countries attended the worldwide finals in Seoul, South Korea.

Labels: contests

"What is Change?" Online Video Contest

The "What is Change?" Contest is an online video contest providing a $500+ cash prize to the person with the best strategy for change in their community. Project: Think Different wants to empower you to be a change agent! You decide what matters in your community, you know what it takes to fix it and we want to set you up for success. It is up to the people of our community to cast their votes and decide who wins.

Video must be no longer than 5 minutes and created for the purposes of this competition
Competition closes on March 25, 2008 at midnight

Our Media Watch team will select the top 10 videos based on the Evaluation criteria. The top 10 contestants will be featured on our site and the final Winner will be determined through online voting.

Check the Submission Guidelines for eligibility and deadlines.

Labels: contests

Boston University College of Engineering Design Competition

Dear Teachers and Students:

The Boston University College of Engineering is proud to announce that the eighteenth annual Design Competition for high school students will be held at Boston University on Sunday, June 1, 2008. Within this website you will find all the information you need to participate in the competition.

The Design Competition involves teams of two students, both of whom must be high school freshmen, sophomores, or juniors at the time of the competition. Each team will design and build a vehicle that will, under its own power, perform a series of tasks while either descending or ascending a sloped ramp. See the "2008 Rules of the Road" for specific details.

Each student interested in participating in the competition may register on-line beginning February 1st. In addition to completing the registration form, each student must mail a $25 registration fee and signed waiver form to Boston University no later than Friday, May 2, 2008. Students cannot register on-site at the event unless a parent is present to sign the required waiver form. Confirmation information will be e-mailed to officially registered students as well as sponsoring teachers/mentors by Friday, May 23, 2008, and will include directions and other important event information.

The following prizes will be awarded to the top performing teams:

• Both members of the first-place team will be awarded tuition scholarships to Boston University of $5,000 per year for four years.

• Both members of the second-place team will be awarded tuition scholarships to Boston University of $2,500 per year for four years.

• Both members of the third-place team will receive a $100 gift certificate redeemable at Barnes and Noble at Boston University.

• All finalists (top 16 teams) will receive a trophy recognizing their performance.

• Additional trophies will be given for Best Overall Design, Best Sportsman-Like Conduct and Best Performing Rookie Team.

All tuition awards are contingent upon application and admission to, and enrollment in, one of Boston University’s eleven undergraduate Schools and Colleges. Awards are available to high school freshman, sophomores, and juniors at the time of competition only.

Check back here often for updates and answers to your questions as you build your vehicles (the FAQ page will expand as your questions come in). Also feel free to view the photos from the past years of competition for ideas. However, be advised that each year we incorporate a new "twist" on a familiar task to level the playing field between new and seasoned participants.

Not sure how or where to begin? Feel free to call Karen Shaffer, the event coordinator, at 617-353-6447 or 1-800-578-1223 or e-mail us at engineering@bu.edu.

Good luck! We look forward to welcoming all of you to Boston University on Sunday, June 1st.

Sincerely,

Solomon R. Eisenberg, Sc.D.
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs

College of Engineering

Mike Ruane

Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering

College of Engineering

Labels: contests