FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
CONTACT:
Amy Briskin
Press Representative, Kids' Science Challenge
212-794-6644
abriskin@aol.com
www.kidsciencechallenge.com
The Kids' Science Challenge
National Science and Engineering Competition for third to six graders
funded by the National Science Foundation, launches October 1.
Created by the award winning radio producer of Pulse of the Planet to encourage elementary school students to discover that Science is cool! (Accord, NY, September, 2008) How do you get a ten year old turned on to science? By empowering them to create designs for a new skateboard, join SETI astronomers in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, explore new ways to improve the quality of our drinking water, or invent a new candy flavor. Using an innovative range of new and traditional mediapodcasts, virtual communities, after-school activities, online games, and a nationwide competition, in addition to prizes like trips to visit scientists, skateboards, telescopes, encyclopedias, science toys and activity kits-- the Kids' Science Challenge will inspire third to sixth graders to discover a well-kept secret: science is cool! The project involves a nationwide competition, the Kids' Science Challenge, which encourages third to sixth graders to submit experiments and problems for a group of scientists and engineers to solve. "We feel like pioneers, crafting a hybrid media 'home' for the project. With the help of some wonderful partners, we'll be connecting an extraordinary group of scientists and engineers with a diverse group of kids nationwide. The feedback we've been getting from all parties has been totally supportive. We can't wait to find out what the collaboration will inspire," says Pulse of the Planet producer Jim Metzner. "This project offers an innovative model that lets children pose research questions and suggest experiments to be conducted by real scientists and engineers," said Sandra Welch, program director in the Informal Science Education program at NSF. "Integrating traditional and new media -- including science radio broadcasts, podcasts, and blogs -- to engage kids in science challenges will help guide other educational efforts in the future."
Learning skateboard science
with the activity kit The National Science Foundation has awarded a four-year grant to award-winning radio producer Jim Metzner (Pulse of the Planet, Sounds of Science) to produce the Kids' Science Challenge. It's Metzner's fifth NSF grant Participating scientists and engineers in the first year of the competition include: Michael Bream, founder, Gravity Skateboards and Paul Schmitt, founder, CreateAskate.org, who are engineering safe, new skateboard designs; Adina Paytan, Associate Research Scientist, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, who tracks pollution through a worldwide network of oceans, rivers, and underground waterways; Joan Harvey, Flavor Development Manager at Cadbury, who is creating new flavors for candy; Jill Tarter, Doug Vakoch, Nathalie Cabrol and Seth Shostak, members of the SETI team, who are involved in the challenges of searching for extra-terrestrial life in the universe.
Adina Paytan and Students
Information on how to enter the competition and track its progress is provided at www.kidsciencechallenge.com. The website includes a rich variety of resources, such as Kids' Science Challenge videos, helping kids to understand and appreciate the basic principals of science. Third to sixth graders will be able to participate in the competition as individuals or in collaborative groups in the classroom and after school. Participating organizations include 4-H, the Girl Scouts of the USA, the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at Stevens Institute of Technology, the Coalition for Science After School, Dragonfly TV, the Carnegie Museum of Science, and the Boston Museum of Science. Participation will also be encouraged through imbee.com and Whyville.net, online social community networks for kids. Educational materials were developed in collaboration with WVIZ/PBS ideastream®. The Kids' Science Challenge competition launches on October 1, 2008. The first 1000 entries will receive free science activity kits. Downloadable entry forms are available online at kidsciencechallenge.com and Whyville.net, and online entries may be completed on imbee.com Incentives will be provided to encourage kids to join the competition, and to participate in each stage of the experiments. Prizes include trips to visit the scientists in their laboratories or in the field, a Celestron NexStar SE computerized telescope, SkyScout® Personal Planetarium® and digital microscopes, a visit from pro skateboarders, a week at Camp Woodward locations throughout the US, Gravity skateboards and CreateAskate kits, a Sea Eagle kayak and World Book science libraries and reference books. The progress and results of the Kids' Science Challenge will be featured on Pulse of the Planet's broadcasts, podcasts and web site: pulseplanet.com. Pulse of the Planet is a daily radio series, broadcast over 320 public and commercial stations around the world, plus Voice of America and the Armed Forces Radio Network, reaching one million listeners daily. Pulse of the Planet's Kids Science Challenge is made possible by the National Science Foundation, with additional support provided by Camp Woodward, Celestron, CreateAskate.org, Element Skateboards, Gravity Skateboards, Jakk's Pacific Toys, Silver Lake Research Corporation Drinking Water Tests, Thames & Kosmos, Think Button, Wham-O, and World Book Encyclopedias. For further information about the Kids' Science Challenge, including participating scientists' bios and photos, screen shots of the website, photos of kids using the Free KSC Activity Kit, a complete list of prizes, and the KSC brochure, please go to: http://www.kidsciencechallenge.com/press or contact:
Amy Briskin
Press Representative, Kids' Science Challenge
212-794-6644
abriskin@aol.com
www.kidsciencechallenge.com 
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