New York Times Student Podcast Challenge

Imagine yourself — or, perhaps, you and your friends — as hosts of your own podcast. What would you talk about?

Maybe you’d tell a story, perhaps about a childhood memory, an experience that changed your life, or a bad romance. Or maybe you’d rather interview guests about a topic you’re exploring, whether a news-related issue or a hobby, passion, or concern of your own? Or, maybe you’d just like to have a conversation — about pop culture, sports, food, fashion, technology, politics, or, if you’re stuck, any of these 1,000-plus topics we’ve rounded up to inspire you.

In Our Third Annual Podcast Challenge, we invite teenagers to submit original work, of five minutes or less. Our favorites will then be featured on The Learning Network.

Contest Dates: April 9, 2020 - May 19, 2020

Please note: We will update this page with more detailed rules and a submission form on or before April 9, 2020, the date when this contest officially opens.

Until then, here are useful resources so teachers and students can begin planning for this contest:

• Our 2019 and 2018 winners, runners-up and honorable mentions (a 2019 winning podcast is featured above)
• Our lesson plan “Project Audio: Teaching Students How to Produce Their Own Podcasts”
• A link to add this contest to your Google calendar
• Our contest rubric

If you have any questions about this contest, please contact us at LNFeedback@nytimes.com.

For more information, click HERE. 

AVID College Readiness Symposium 2/1/2020

Engineered for Learning Writing Contest for Girls (deadline 2/1/20)

Tell a story about a person learning to live on a new world while traveling through space.

Learning…A lifelong journey. These are stories from the spaceship Vestigo. Its 20-year journey will take a large group of people from Earth to a new home outside our solar system…

The passengers are from 2- to 50-years-old and will have little contact with Earth. They will have access to books and other resources onboard the ship. Many are experts in different fields.

Vestigo is equipped with artificial gravity and large areas for growing food. Living quarters are like compact apartments.

Everyone onboard will need education and training. They will need to maintain the ship and to prepare for life on a new planet. Most people will need to be skilled in more than one area.

To Enter the contest:

Each grade category has different submission requirements, but everyone must submit a story that shows a person onboard the Vestigo learning something new.

Below is a table summarizing what contestants in each age category should submit. Be sure to check the complete rules and regulations for full details.

Be sure to read the full Rules & Requirements

Read Online  | Download PDF

Essay must be submitted via the
Online Submission Form
by February 1, 2020 at 11:59pm EST.

To go to the contest website, click HERE. 

Rubberband Contest for Young Inventors

CALLING STUDENTS IN GRADES 5-8!

Over $5,000 in prizes to give away!

Are you ready to learn about the exciting world of polymers, and stretch your imagination? Are you prepared to get hands-on with a polymer that has some truly unique and amazing properties?

Awesome, because it’s time for the 12th annual Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors, hosted by the Akron Global Polymer Academy — an outreach division of the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering at The University of Akron!

Join the fun and get ready to learn about the rubber band – one of the many amazing inventions created from a unique class of materials known as polymers! This educational contest was designed to give students a new opportunity to have fun learning about Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. Each year students from across the nation come up with new ways of using rubber band(s) to create amazing inventions, games, artworks, and more!

Remember the deadline to enter the 12th annual contest is March 13, 2020. Your entry must be post-marked by then!

THE CHALLENGE:

• To design and create a working invention/artwork that incorporates at least one (1) rubber band.

OVER $5000 IN PRIZES:

• The first place winner in each division will receive $600.
• The runner-up in each division will receive $300.
• The four remaining finalists in each division (who are not a first place winner or runner-up) will receive $150.
• Schools can earn cash donations too! The top 8 schools with the most entries will each receive a $200 check donation.

For more information, please visit: https://rubberbandcontest.org/

Texas Wildlife Day - 01/25/2020

Free admission to the Texas Memorial Museum at UT-Austin on 01/25/2020 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. family-friendly activities hosted by UT Austin scientists, TMM science educators, and members of the Capital Area, Good Water, and Lost Pines chapters of Texas Master Naturalists. More information at https://tmm.utexas.edu/events/5

The Gault Archaeological Site - Visit, Tour, & Learn

Tours of the Gault site can be arranged for groups or schools (Monday - Saturday). Tours must be arranged as the Gault site is private property. Length, activities and program are somewhat different depending on the nature of the group but are generally about 3 hours long and cover about 11/2 miles. At the end of the tour there is a small picnic area.

Topics covered include:

• hypotheses regarding the peopling of the Americas
• the geology and history of this area of Central Texas
• cultural history of central Texas
• primitive technologies
• important finds from the Gault site
• archaeological excavation

Tours for school groups are free. Please visit our Schools page for more information.

For other groups there is a $10/person fee for tours (children 10 years of age and younger are free).

Tours are arranged on a first-come basis and must have at least 10 people. If you are interested in touring the site but are not part of a group or classroom then the Bell County Museum in Belton and the Williamson County Museum in Georgetown both offer regularly scheduled tours that individuals can register for (tour schedules). To arrange for a tour of the Gault site contact the Executive Director, Clark Wernecke at: cwernecke@gaultschool.org.

Tours at the Gault Site (PDF)

For more information, please visit: https://www.gaultschool.org/tours 

Princeton University Ten-Minute Play Contest

The 2019-2020 contest will run from January 1st, 2020 through March 31, 2020. Online submissions are due by March 31st at 12 midnight.

Eligibility for this annual play-writing contest is limited to students in the eleventh grade in the U.S. (or international equivalent of the eleventh grade). Each year the jury consists of members of the Princeton University Program in Theater faculty.

Applicants may submit only one play – 10 pages maximum/1 page equals 1 minute. Please note that we cannot provide critical feedback on submissions. Due to the volume of entries, only the winners will be notified.

The 2019-20 contest will be judged by recent Hodder Fellow and acclaimed playwright Jiehae Park, made possible with funding from the Charles John Morris Gwinn and Alfred Hodder Memorial Fund.

To receive email updates about submission deadlines for the contest each year, please subscribe to our list.

Prizes: First Prize – $500, Second Prize – $250, Third Prize – $100

For more information, please click HERE. 

Public Viewing on UT Campus Telescopes

 

Wednesday Night Public ViewingFall 2019 semester schedule

September 4 to October 30
8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

November 6 to December 4
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

** There will be no viewing on November 27 due to the Thanksgiving Holiday **

Friday and Saturday Public Viewing
Fall 2019 

September 6 to November 2
8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

November 8 to December 7
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

No viewing November 29 & 30 due to the Thanksgiving Holiday

** There will be no viewing on Saturdays when UT has a night home football game.
Check the current schedule at texassports.com **

Every Wednesday night while UT is in session the astronomy department sponsors free public star parties on the top roof of Physics, Math, and Astronomy Building (Robert Lee Moore Hall), which is located at the southeast corner of Dean Keeton (formerly 26th street) and Speedway. Once you reach RLM, take the elevators to the 17th floor and then follow the signs to the stairs up to the telescope. Click here for map to RLM and nearby parking garages. (Garage rate information is available here.) Please review the rules for accessing the RLM roof and telescope dome before your visit.

Every Friday and Saturday while UT is in session the Department of Astronomy hosts free viewing on the Painter Hall Telescope. Both Friday and Saturday nights are open to the general public. Painter Hall is located at the corner of 24th street and Inner Campus Drive, just to the north of the UT Tower. Click here for map to Painter Hall and nearby parking garages. (Garage rate information is available here.)

To get to the telescope, take the elevator to the 5th floor and exit to the left. Follow the 5th floor hallway to the end and take the staircase through the double doors on the left. Once you reach the 6th floor, go to your right and follow the signs up to the telescope.

All ages are welcome, but we ask that younger children be under adult supervision at all times. Viewing times change throughout the year so please check this page for current times before planning your visit. Please call 512-232-4265 for weather cancellation information. This line is updated approximately 30-45 minutes before the scheduled start time. (If you get an old message from an earlier date, that means the line has not been updated for the current date yet.)

If you are interested in bringing a small group of 15 or fewer, you may come to a public viewing night without prior arrangements or reservations. If you plan on bringing a group of more than 15, please notify Lara Eakins at least two weeks in advance to avoid having too many groups show up on the same evening. Please note: we do not do private events for groups or individuals.

Public viewing nights occur throughout the year while the unversity is in session. Typically spring semester viewing runs from late January to early May, summer sessions viewing runs from early-to-mid June to mid-August, and fall semester viewing runs from early September to early December.The other telescope on campus is located at Painter Hall and is open on Fridays and Saturdays.

Locations and parking map

For more information, please visit: https://outreach.as.utexas.edu/public/viewing.html 

30-Day Lego Challenge

Here's a challenge to kick start the new year! Try the 30-day Lego Challenge!