Young Scientist Challenge for Middle Schoolers

I'm excited to participate in a Twitter chat sponsored by The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge which will take place this Thursday, March 5th from 9-10pm EST.

During that time, the Twitter chat organizers will moderate a conversation about how to inspire an interest in science to kids. We'll be using the hashtag #STEMchat so be sure to follow along and even pose your own questions to myself and the other #STEMchat panelists!

This particular #STEMchat was inspired by an incredible nationwide competition called the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge.  This competition is open to students in grades 5-8, one of whom will be awarded the title of "America's Top Young Scientist." Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Oh, and they will also be given a prize of $25,000! 

What do these middle school students need to do? Well, they just have to think of a problem in their everyday lives and come up with a science-based solution to that problem.  Sounds like a fun challenge to me! They will need to summarize this solution in a 1-2 minute video and submit it to www.YoungScientistChallenge.com by April 21st.  (Tip: They guy who one it last year, Sahil Doshi, said to make your video equal parts informative and entertaining - so tell the students to get creative!)

After submissions are received, 10 top finalists will be selected and paired with a 3M scientist mentor. These mentors will help the students create their idea that will then be submitted to a panel of judges at the final competition in October at the 3M Innovation Center.

This is such a great opportunity for any middle school student. Make sure to spread the word to educators in your area. The deadline for the video submissions is April 21st. 

Learn more about their competition on Twitter (@DE3MYSC) and Facebook.

This blog is sponsored by the #STEMchat series.