May 2008 — News/In Brief

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DISCOVERY, 3M WILL CROWN TOP STUDENT SCIENTIST

ONE OF THE country's leading national science competitions for students in grades 5 through 8 is now accepting entries for its 10th year of competition.

A joint venture of Discovery Education and 3M, the Young Scientist Challenge is an effort to reach out to middle school students during the years when research indicates their interest in science begins to fade.

Eligible students can submit one- to two-minute videos about one of five scientific concepts that fall under the challenge's 2008 "The Science of Space" theme. New to this year's event is the teacher competition, which calls on members of the Discovery Educator Network (DEN) to create videos of their own.

Videos will be evaluated on creativity, persuasiveness, classroom suitability, and content standards. Judges will select 10 students and five teachers for an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, for the event's final round in the fall, which will consist of a series of individual and team challenges based on communication and scientific problem-solving skills.

The winner of the student competition will be awarded a $50,000 savings bond. The winning teacher will be named DEN's Science Teacher of the Year.

All entries are due June 15. Visit here.

:: Industry News

ATOMIC LEARNING PARTNERS WITH CREATIVE LEARNING SYSTEMS. Atomic Learning, a provider of web-based software training and support, and Creative Learning Systems, a provider of 21st-century learning labs for schools, have announced a partnership. Creative Learning Systems will soon offer customers access to Atomic Learning's library of software training tutorials as an integrated resource in its SmartLab learning system, helping students and teachers get the most out of their use of the 21st-century learning labs.

VERNIER OFFERS SUMMER WORKSHOP. Educators nationwide have an opportunity to earn continuing education credits during the 2008 Vernier Summer Workshops. Running from June 11 through Aug. 11, the workshops will focus on using handheld data collection technology for science at elementary through advanced-placement levels. Each workshop will last about six hours and includes lab handouts and lunch. Visit here for prices, class descriptions, and availability in your area.