image: This is a screenshot of the Science Buddies home page. view more
Credit: Science Buddies
April 28, 2011, Carmel, CA – A high school student explores fuels of the future by using mud to build a microbial fuel cell. A 12-year-old using tools for sequencing DNA discovers a plant genome that hasn't yet been documented. Could these be the scientists of tomorrow? That's the hope of non-profit ScienceBuddies.org, an organization that is actively engaging students in hands-on science.
Because of its success at drawing students into deeper scientific interest and exploration, the site was just awarded the Science Prize for Online Resources in Education by Science Magazine. Bruce Alberts, Editor-in-Chief, said, "Science Buddies builds a remarkable bridge between inquisitive students who want access to current research and scientists who want to conduct outreach for their own projects. Scientists hope to inspire these students to become future colleagues."
Science Buddies attracted 9.8 million unique visitors in 2010, including students and teachers from across the country whose enthusiasm for science was nurtured through online access to hands-on projects, guidance from volunteer scientists, and classroom tools for a variety of disciplines. Kenneth Hess, Founder and President of Science Buddies, said, "We've developed personalized learning tools to help students select a topic and give them a framework for projects; the brain power to succeed comes from the kids."
Science Buddies features 1,000+ project ideas ranging from everyday topics such as food science to advanced projects in genetics, engineering, and medicine. Its Topic Selection Wizard questions students about their everyday interests and directs them to topics they enjoy, so their passion for learning is ignited.
Science Buddies also partners with well-known academic institutions to make cutting-edge research accessible to K-12 students. "A few years ago, I began researching renewable energy technology at MIT," said Dr. Elizabeth Young. "This high-level work requires equipment and materials costing tens of thousands of dollars. Now through Science Buddies, we've created a similar experiment that students can perform in their own kitchens. These 'kids' are exploring catalysts for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, at the same time becoming passionate about developing alternative fuels for their generation."
Science Buddies mission is to help students build literacy in science and technology so they can become productive and engaged citizens in the 21st century.
Journal
Science