Science is an engine of human innovation. And Science in Action, a $50,000 award funded this year by Scientific American a new addition to the Google Science Fair for 2012, is a way to honor a project that shows the power of what science can do: the winning entry addresses a social, environmental or health issue to make a practical difference in the lives of a group or community. The winners got to travel to Google’s California campus for the awards event. Volunteer mentors (see names below) will help further their work for a year.
This year’s winning project is the Unique Simplified Hydroponic Method, developed by two 14-year-old boys, Sakhiwe Shongwe and Bonkhe Malalela of Swaziland, in southern Africa. You can watch a video about their work and home above. (You can also learn about the science teacher who inspired them, Titus Mandala Sithole.) There were 13 finalists for Science in Action; to me, they are all amazing.
The Google Science Fair has three age categories, for teens from 13 to 18. Sakhiwe and Bonkhe competed in the 13-14-year-old category as finalists as well. I was a finalist judge and master of ceremonies for the amazing awards event in July 2011 and also a judge this year. It was an inspiring night for all.
— Mariette DiChristina, Editor in Chief, Scientific American
Scientific American announced the winners of its inaugural Science in Action award, part of the Google Science Fair.
Winner Brittany Wenger wrote a computer program to help doctors diagnose breast cancer less invasively
Educator Titus Mandla Sithole reflects on bringing the Google Science Fair into his classroom
Guest post by T.H. Culhane, a science educator and Google Science Fair judge
Mark Liang, Anjan Venkatesh and Menna Abdel Gawad
Carlos Vega Garcia, Catherine Wong and Andrew Chen
Katherine Zimmerman, Ricardo Enrique Alba Torres and Sumit Singh
Grace Brosofsky and Geoffrey Tanudjaja
Sabera Tulukder and Sakhiwe Shongwe
Parents and students can start here for tips on designing an original, creative, and technically correct science fair project.
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Co-founder of Solar CITIES e.V.
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Chief Technical Specialist for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, World Bank Group
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Associate Director, Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, Co-Director of the Clean Energy Incubator, Austin Technology Incubator, and Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
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