Do Science Fair Projects On Solar Storms

I. What do science fair projects and summer have in common?
Well... if you are thinking about your science fair project over the summertime you will have a head start over all the other kids.

Some kids write a different hypothesis and cover the same subject they did last year. Maybe you have a new idea and want to begin your initial background research.

Or are you interested in attending a summer camp for a couple of weeks or a month? If you do a search on Google, science camps and then the area in which you live, you will be suprised at all the choices and fun things to do. I was surprised to see that there are Summer Science Camps all over the world!

How about contacting your local newspaper and tell them about the science fair project you did last semester? They are always interested in local news, especially about kids succeeding in school.

If you live in New Zealand or thereabouts, you are not in your winter. So you can remember these tips for your summer months.

II. Special Fact File.

Sea sponges are used in drugs for treating asthma and cancer.

At birth a panda is smaller than a mouse and weighs about four ounces.

Of the million-plus species of insects on earth, 3,000 of them are mosquitoes. More than 165 of those live in the United States.

III. From NASA
Space Blasts May Have Caused Ancient Extinction
A nearby gamma-ray burst could have doomed many ancient life forms in 10 seconds.

 FULL STORY at
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/starsgalaxies/gammaray_extinction.html

IV. Solar Storms

Researchers Closer To Learning The Underlying Logic Of The Olfactory System.
January 2005 was a stormy month - in space. With little warning, a giant spot materialized on the sun and started exploding. Between January 15th and 19th, sunspot 720 produced four powerful solar flares. When it exploded a fifth time on January 20th, onlookers were not surprised.

They should have been. Researchers realize now that the January 20th blast was something special. It has shaken the foundations of space weather theory and, possibly, changed the way astronauts are going to operate when they return to the Moon.

V. Science Fairs In the News
All the award winning projects reported in the news came from students who asked a question that peaked their curiosity. What do you wonder about?

Local young scientist does well at Intel International Science & Engineering Fair
The Amherstburg Echo
Amherstburg Echo — When a matrix met breast cancer, it meant a list of prestigious awards for a local youth. Chet Gervais, 17, captured one of the first prizes in the Medicine and Health category at the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair in Phoenix last month.

Practical Applications Wins Patent.
Newsweek
For the young contestants in this prestigious science fair, winning a patent is almost as important as earning top prize. Here's a look at some top-scoring medical projects with real-world benefits.

Teenager captures science honors.
Sun-Sentinel
Melissa Selinger, 18, of Wellington, said she knew teens used party drugs and wondered what it was doing to their brains. Her curiosity turned into a science project and earned her a second-place grand award in behavioral and social sciences at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

Anti-BB gun project deemed too dangerous.
KVOA Tucson
(This made headlines all over the world) Two eighth-graders who spent months working on a science project to prove how dangerous BB guns can be were disqualified from the state middle school science fair. The reason for the dismissal: BB guns are too dangerous.

Students capture awards at science fair.
Union Democrat
How does beta carotene — an antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables - help the body?

Stinky Science: Student takes smelly project to international science, engineering fair
The Daily Times
What was that smell coming from the basement of Andrew Hix's home? Several people had that question recently as the Maryville High School junior was cooking up his latest science project.

VI. Science Fair Project Book of the Month

Exploring Our Solar System Did you know that Five billion years ago a starship passing through our region of space would not have slowed down for a second look? why? Because there was nothing to see. No Earth, no sun, no solar system. Nothing but a huge tenuous cloud of gas.

Now, as the result of billions of years of evolution, and centuries of scientific research, we can chart our way through the solar system . . . with Sally Ride as our navigator. Starting from the sun and working outward, Sally Ride and Tam O’Shaughnessy take readers on a tour of the nine planets and explain the formation, current conditions, and possibility of life on each.

Filled with crisp, full-color photographs and lucid prose, this comprehensive volume untangles the complexities of space and allows readers to feel like masters of the universe.