High School Essay Contest

Brookhaven National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy are please to announce the winners of the 2008 Science and Society Essay Contest.

The Science and Society Essay Contest aims to challenge students to question and deliberate the purposes and social implications of scientific research. Essays are expected to contain substantive, well-reasoned arguments (rather than simply opinions) that indicate a depth of understanding of scientific and societal issues. All high school students (9th-12th grade) who attend school in Suffolk or Nassau County are eligible.

2008  Topic: Many school districts on Long island are participating in the Open Space Stewardship Program, a school, community, and government partnership sponsored by Brookhaven national Laboratory's Office of Educational Programs.  In many places, including Long Island, there is an on-going tension between those who want to preserve open space and the need to develop housing and the schools, gas stations, and the rest of the infrastructure that communities require.  What are your thoughts on how these two positions can co-exist?  Can you protect the environment and open space, and still be able to buy a house when you become an adult?  How does science play a role in deciding how land is used?

Some areas of thought you may want (but are not required) to consider:
- BNL's work in the environmental sciences
- Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's plan to buy open space
- the proposed Nassau Coliseum "Lighthouse" development
- NOAA's Land Cover Analysis
- the Open Space Stewardship Program

• Contest Registration
• Rules
• Key Dates - Essays and registration forms are due on March 18, 2008.  Prize-winning students will be invited to an award ceremony to be held Thursday, April 17.  Invitations to the award ceremony will be mailed before April 7.
• PLEASE NOTE: Photos will be taken and may be used in publications and on the web.

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

Grand Prize Winner: $500.00
Second Prize: $300.00
Third Prize: $200.00
Honorable Mentions (up to 10 awards): $50.00 each
All students who submit essays will receive a Certificate of Participation.

Previous Winners

• Contest Winners
• 2007 Essay Contest Winners
• 2006 Essay Contest Winners
• 2005 Essay Contest Winners
• 2004 Essay Contest Winners
• 2003 Essay Contest Winners

Essay Contest contact at Brookhaven:

Ken White
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Bldg. 438, P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
(631)344-7171
(631)344-5832 fax

Last Modified: June 5, 2008
Please forward all questions about this site to: Sarah Maine

One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE’s Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.

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