Google has harbinger the 15 finalists for the 2014 Google Science Fair . If you ’re not familiar with the program , it is an on-line science fair for students aged 13 - 18 around the globe . This is n’t just a bunch of youngster making bake soda volcanos or dropping Mentos into Diet Coke : these new scientists are doing real research that can actually meliorate the earthly concern around them .
In addition to the prestigiousness of winning such a private-enterprise international science fair , thegrand prize winnerwill receive a $ 50,000 scholarship , spend 10 day in the Galapagos Islands from National Geographic Expeditions , a behind - the - scenery tour of Virgin Galactic Spaceport , a prize ring from LEGO , and one of three experience offered by LEGO , NatGeo , and Google . The winner ’s school will receive $ 10,000 for reckoner or lab equipment as well as one year access to Scientific American .
Even if a project does n’t take the grand prize , there are other award available as well .
The winner of each eld group will take in a $ 25,000 learning , a prize pack from LEGO , and one of three once - in - a - lifetime experiences extend by LEGO , NatGeo , and Google . Additionally , their school will receive one twelvemonth of access to Scientific American .
The Scientific American Science in Action Award is awarded to project offer a solution to an environmental , imagination , or wellness problem . The winner will find $ 50,000 in financial support and mentoring for a class to bring their estimation to animation .
The Google Science Fair Computer Science Award is given to someone demonstrating innovation in electronic computer science . The winner receive $ 25,000 in financial backing and mentoring for a year .
The Local Award is given to someone who develops a project to fix a trouble within their community . Winners receive $ 1,000 in backing .
The Voter ’s Choice Award is given by the public , base on the results of on-line ballot . The winner will receive $ 10,000 in funding . Polling for the Voter ’s Choice Award will begin on September 1 . Before voting begins , take some prison term and record about the incredible work being done by these amazing teenager :
13 - 14 Age Category
In an effort to slack the ever - increasing amount of cyber - intimidation among stripling , Trisha developed a “ Rethink ” program that would alert a user if an extroverted subject matter carry language that is potentially abusive and hurtful . Her project was inspired by research that has shown that the region of the genius that influence conclusion fashioning is not fully developed until age 25 . Her preliminary studies establish that stripling who tried the “ Rethink ” system were 93 % less likely to place abusive subject matter than those who were not discourage about the consequence of their actions .
Fruit fly are capable toevade getting swattedbecause of the power to maneuver like a belligerent jet . Mihir believed that replicate the visual system of the flies would leave poke to pilot obstacles more nimbly . This power to fudge potential threats could flourish the function of drones in search and rescue missions , potentially saving legion life-time . He developed a lightweight sensor reminiscent of the yield fly ocular organization that proved to be effective in avoiding obstacle .
This labor was a Computer scientific discipline honour nominee .
Galaxy cluster can turn away and amplify twinkle around them , which can magnify more distant objects like galaxies or quasars . This process is sleep together as gravitative lensing and studying quasars in this manner can provide entropy about gloomy energy and saturnine matter . The Sloan Digital Sky Survey ( SDSS ) relinquish data for over 300,000 quasars , which made a grandiloquent order of identifying which ones had been gravitationally lensed . Pranav developed an algorithm that would analyze the quasar ’s morphology to discover lensed quasars , expediting research .
Biology students often have to partake microscope , due to a lack of resource . This leads to a mountain of down time while they learn to adapt the visual options between users . Using LEGO Technik and Mindstorm EV3 outfit , Mark was able-bodied to develop a microscope that can be controlled via remote in guild to focalize the persona and transmit it via Bluetooth on the Android platform . What ’s more , the images obtained from the microscope can be colligate through Google Hangouts for purpose in schools or class that do not have admission to microscopes .
Chlorella vulgarisis a eccentric of algae that is used for developing biofuel . Conventional lipoid descent of the algae demand multiple steps , which adds to the price of the production and can leave in depleted yields . Studies have shown to to increase lipids in the prison cell naturally by eat up nitrogen . Gregory ameliorate upon this proficiency by developing a method acting that did not involve transferring the algae for nitrogen depletion , which resulted in higher take .
15 - 16 Age Category
Over 1 percent of the world suffers from disablement that inhibit their ability of speech due to palsy , include masses like Stephen Hawking who suffer from ALS . There are Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices ( AAC ) usable to help them communicate , but each unit of measurement can be one thousand of dollars and have sure drawback . Arsh develop a system that allows the exploiter to exhale through the nozzle as Morse Code . It is able-bodied to speak and give command in English using one of 9 different voices .
This project was a Scientific American science in action prize nominee and Computer science award nominee .
An estimated 65 per centum of the the 5.2 million Americans with Alzheimer ’s wander , which can direct to injury or decease . Kenneth became acutely cognizant of this problem while like for his grandad . In Holy Order to keep these people safe , Kenneth developed a equipment that would sense when the roamer stood up and put pressure sensation on their foot . The machine can send an alert to the PCP ’s smartphone via Bluetooth . After six months of use , the twist caught all instances of his grandfather getting out of bed at Nox without any fictitious positives .
This labor was the Scientific American Science in Action Award succeeder .
In an effort to diminish the amount of strain befoulment , some buildings have implemented Titanium Dioxide facades , which can be very expensive and are n’t incredibly efficient . Samuel was able-bodied to ameliorate upon the technology by adding graphene , which suppressed the Titanium Dioxide ’s electron - golf hole recombination . Graphene ca n’t be tally to paint because it is n’t water system soluble , so Samuel used Graphene Oxide , which reduced down to graphene after diligence after exposure to light .
This project was a Local loot winner .
While receiving medical treatment , many people are attached to respiratory monitoring machine which regard several wire . This can be especially intrusive for patients let in the older , infant , burning victim , and those undergo sleep study . Eswar developed a heterodyning oscillator which can effectively monitor respiration without any direct contact with the patient . While traditional monitoring unit can cost thousands of clam , Eswar ’s organisation course about $ 50 .
Due to an increase global universe and crop damage from defilement and mood change , we are heading for a potential food for thought crisis . The girls found that Diazotroph bacteria add to the sprouting of cereal grass crops including barley and oat . They mark that the bacteria contribute to 50 pct shortsighted germination time at variable temperatures and crop output increased by 30 - 70 percent .
17 - 18 Age Category
Over 780 million the great unwashed around the globe lack memory access to clean weewee and 1.2 billion do not have electricity . Cynthia develop a room to shoot down two boo with one stone by creating H2PRO , which simultaneously purify piss and give electrical energy using only sunlight . Photocatalytic reactions decay 90 percent of organic pollutants in only two hours , though modifications need to be made to increase electricity production .
This labor was a Scientific American science in action prize nominee .
Slow sand filter purify corrupt aerofoil water into something neat and potable . Hayley sought to apply the physical process to tailing ponds created to defend the toxic by-product from processing oil sands . These tailing ponds are dominant with Naphthenic dose , which pose an incredible risk since they are n’t pronto biodegradable . Hayley ’s slow sand filter setup was able to slenderize Naphthenic acids by over 90 % . This could sublimate all oil color guts dock pond in the public in about 20 old age ; 14 times faster than the purification proficiency currently in use .
Triple Negative Breast Cancer ( TNBC ) gets its name because the Cancer the Crab miss receptor for estrogen , Lipo-Lutin , and human epidermic growth factor receptor 2 . Because TNBC ca n’t be aim with hormone treatment , it is especially fast-growing with few noninvasive discussion options . Daniela and Sadhika developed a mathematical fashion model using existing imaging techniques to augur how a patient role will reply to treatment . This could reduce down on unnecessary surgical operation and biopsy .
Most people swear on alarm alfileria with loud strait to help get them out of bed in the morning . However , substitute result are needed for those with earreach imparments . Guillaume devised an warning signal clock that use the sentiency of smell in Holy Order to wake people up . At the designated alarm metre , a buff pulls in ambient atmosphere in the room and directs the breeze stream toward the sleep person , rousing them with the scent of red gum . Guillaume ’s testing shew that it takes 30 - 120 seconds to wake someone up with this method .
Sometimes things are accomplished in the lab , but are never film to the next step . When Anastasia ’s teacher demonstrated how to spray water supply with ultrasound wafture , she began to wonder why this had n’t been adapt into popular habit and so many machine still relied on less efficient pneumatic or hydraulic injectors . She develop an effective gas nozzle using ultrasonic injector which could be used well longer than traditional schnoz , saving considerable meter , money , and energy .
[ All images viaGoogle Science Fair ]
