Google launches global science fair

Google on Wednesday launched a global science fair by inviting students around the world to present ideas that could change the world and perhaps become the next Ada Lovelace. Lovelace was a teenager in the early 1800s when she became fascinated with math and went on to write what is considered to be the first computer program. “Many great scientists developed their curiosity for science at an early age and went on to make groundbreaking discoveries that changed the way we live,” Sam Peter of Google’s science fair team said in a blog post. Examples included Louis Braille inventing an alphabet for the blind at age 16 and telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell experimenting with sound while he was still in his teens. Partners in the third annual Google Science Fair include European research organization CERN and toy maker LEGO Group. The Internet powerhouse known for investing in unusual projects such as self-driving cars and glasses linked to the Web said that students ages 13 to 18 can vie for top prize in the science contest. Challenges tackled by prior fair winners included early diagnosis of breast cancer, cataloguing the ecosystem found in water, and enabling people with hearing loss to better listen to music, according to Peter. Science fair prizes include a $50,000 scholarship and a trip to the Galapagos with National Geographic Expeditions. The deadline for submissions is April 30 and top finalists will be brought to Google’s campus in Mountain View, California, where winners will be announced during an event on September 23. More details were available online at googlesciencefair.com. (AFP) / 30 January 2013