STEM Video Game Challenge Names Winners
Twelve students have won the National STEM Video Game Challenge, according to Education Week. They include a team of students who developed a game called, “You Make Me Sick!” to teach about bacteria and viruses. Inspired by the Educate to Innovate Campaign, President Obama’s initiative to promote a renewed focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, the contest aims to motivate interest in STEM learning among America’s youth by tapping into students’ natural passions for playing and making video games.
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Tags: Competition, Competitions for Students, Computer Engineering, Computer Programming, Computer Science, Contest, Contests, Science Contest, Software, Videos
In his State of the Union address, President Obama urged Americans to “teach our kids that it’s not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair.” Last week, the sports-fan-in-chief made good on that vow by welcoming 40 high school STEM superstars — finalists in this year’s Intel Science Talent Search — to the White House.
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The Akron Global Polymer Academy of The University of Akron is hosting the third annual Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors to encourage students in grades 5-8 to demonstrate their creativity and ingenuity by creating an invention that incorporates the use of rubber bands. Deadline for Entries: Wednesday, February 16, 2011.
The 2011 ThinkQuest International Competition challenges students to apply their critical thinking, communication, and technology skills to a real-world problem. Teams research, develop, and test their solution before presenting it to a global audience. Students and their coaches put their ideas and skills to the test in one of three events.
The No Boundaries National Competition gives students the chance to learn about opportunities at NASA, explore careers in STEM, and win prizes that are out of this world. After completing the project and presenting their work to peers, student groups are encouraged to enter their project in the competition.
Making sure students “get their hands dirty,” and build things, instead of just working through hypothetical problems, helps them better understand how engineering design and processes work, says this former middle school teacher, now a doctoral candidate. 
Students in grades 5-8 are invited to participate in Spaced Out Sports, a national design challenge that applies Newton’s Laws of Motion in the design of a game for astronauts of the International Space Station to play in space. The goal is for students to learn the “science behind the game” on Earth and in microgravity. Deadline: February 1, 2011.
The Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, CA, is seeking delectable gingerbread creativity from children, adults, businesses, and organizations. Try your hand at creating a delicious masterpiece out of gingerbread, icing, and other edibles in this year’s competition. Submissions accepted Nov. 20-29, 2010 and on display November 26, 2010 – January 2, 2011. 
