USA Science and Engineering Festival � Nationwide Contests

The 2nd Festival is currently underway with several nationwide contests including a science song contest, science and engineering video contest, Who Wants To Be a Mathematician Contest and many others. All of these contests are accessible on the website: http://www.usasciencefestival.org/. Read on to find out how you can get involved NOW!

Festival Songwriting Contest

Write a song about science that gets kids moving, and excited about science and engineering careers! Winners receive cash prizes!

http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2012festival/contests/song-contest

Deadline Nov. 30, 2011

"Save the World Through Science & Engineering" 2012 Kavli Foundation Science Video Contest

Make a video that dazzles and wows us with the POWER of science! Show us how science and engineering can help save our planet and improve our lives. Winners will be honored in a special festival Awards Show and receive cash prizes! http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2012festival/contests/kavli-video-contest

Contest opens Oct 1,2011 and closes Mar. 1, 2012

You Can Do the Rubik's Cube Contest

DC, MD and VA K-12 teams will be competing for the fastest time to collectively solve 25 Rubik's Cubes. There is a K-8 and 9-12 competition. Team sign-ups will be announced Fall 2011, and will compete in a semi-finals contest. The top six finalists will then compete for the championship at the USA Science & Engineering Festival during the Expo weekend 4/28/2012. Free workshop for teachers and cash prizes will be awarded to winning schools.

http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2012festival/contests/you-can-do-the-rubiks-cube-contest

The Grand Challenges 60 Second Pitch Contest (Sponsored by Engineering.com)

Tell us in 100 words or less how you would solve one of these challenges: economically harness solar power, provide access to clean water, or restore the urban infrastructure. The top submissions will be invited to record their pitch at the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo in April 2012, and will be eligible for cash prizes!

http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2012festival/contests/grand-challenges-contest

Contest opens Sept. 20, 2011 and closes Mar 30, 2012

iGen Fall 2011 Student LED Challenge (Sponsored by EE Times and iGen)

Register a team to receive a free materials kit to build an LED design project. The theme is "Community or School Pride". Winners receive STEM education grants for their schools!

http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2012festival/contests/igen-student-led-challenge

Registration Deadline is July 31, 2011 Project Submission Due Dec 15,2011

"World's Biggest Cheer for Science" (Sponsored by Science Cheerleader, Science for Citizens, and Discover Magazine)

Send us a video of your best science cheer and be eligible to win cash prizes! Thousands of people will join in the BIG CHEER FOR SCIENCE on April 27, 2012 at the festival in Washington, D.C.

http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2012festival/contests/worlds-biggest-cheer-for-science

STATE FAIR � Human Science Reminders:

State 4-H Fashion Show �Lacie Ashby and Shante Stokes are busy working on the 2011 Show � if you haven�t had your local Fashion Show � we will still accept your 4-Hers � just please send let Lacie (lashby@umd.edu ) know when you can get the forms to her. Remind your 4-H Families to come to see our 2011 4-H Fashion Show on Monday, September 6^th at 4 p.m. on stage in the 4-H Building. (IF YOU HAVE YOUTH WHO WOULD LIKE TO SERVE AS NARRATORS � please contact Shante (sstokes1@umd.edu )

4-H Presents � Take advantage of the Stage time in the 4-H Building �Nia Fields, 4-H Presents Superintendent is making a schedule and we certainly want to have the 4-H timeslots filled.

Purchase Power � provides a Judging Experience for 4-Hers focusing on wise consumer decision making. Check it out on Saturday, August 27^th at 2 p.m. in the 4-H Building.

4-H Egg Preparation Demonstration � This is an opportunity for a senior 4-H member to participate in a National Event. The winner of the State Contest will travel to Louisville, KY with the State 4-H Poultry Judging Team. The contest will be held on Sunday, August 28^th at 5 p.m. in the 4-H Building.

National 4-H Congress:

Orientation Meeting: On Thursday evening, August 25^th the 2011 4-H Delegation will meet in the 4-H Building at the Maryland State Fair for their mandatory Congress Orientation Meeting. Youth delegates and their parents will gather in front of the stage at 6:30 p.m. following the Livestock Meeting.

Chaperones Needed: If you are interested in serving as a chaperone for the 2011 National 4-H Congress trip in November � please contact Sandy (corridon@umd.edu ). We would like to start get into our 2 year rotation � someone comes in this year and chaperones for the next two years � and then next year someone else starts their two year term � so we have one coming in and one rotating out. Where you a member of the Maryland Congress Delegation when you were in 4-H?? Is your spouse a 4-H volunteer? Consider the 2011 Trip to National 4-H Congress with our outstanding Maryland 4-H Youth.

Participation in 4-H begins for many at the young age of 8 years old. Often these individuals have lofty goals and through hours and years of hard work, they often have the opportunity to achieve those goals. This story can be told by countless individuals across the nation. Today, I�d like to focus on four Maryland 4-Hers, namely Kaitlyn Corbett, Hannah Hood, Jessica Sentelle and Jason Zimmerman. These four youth were members of the 2010 Maryland 4-H Dairy Judging Team that won the National Championship at World Dairy Expo in October 2010.

Countless hours are logged in the preparation of judging classes to perfecting oral reasons techniques. Winning the contest in October provided another opportunity and yet another challenge to these young people. The opportunity was to travel internationally to judge dairy cattle, but the challenge was to fundraise $30,000 in order to do so. This was daunting task to say the least. This group, along with their families and coaches Jeff Semler and Kiera Finucane, came up with a plan and like the rest of their 4-H careers taught them, put that plan into action. �Fundraising was a stressful experience, but it also taught us that we must work together and work for what we want,� said Jessica Sentelle of Frederick County.

At the end of May, the fundraising goal was reached, with the generous help of the organizations that came forward with opportunities for fundraising, farmers who provided AND purchased donation items to auctions, and companies have donated supplies and products for the team to package and sell at various events. This was truly the effort of an entire state to reach this goal. �Thank you for helping us achieve this goal and for giving us the opportunity to make this trip possible,� said Jason Zimmerman. The coaches, parents and volunteers associated with this program truly are the reason the youth continue to succeed well beyond the 4-H realm.

The team departed from Dulles Airport on June 22^nd to begin this two week, five country excursion. The team was able to visit the Royal Highland Show in Scotland and the Luxembourg Dairy Show where they experienced a judging contest, showmanship competition and cattle sale. Two team members, Corbett and Sentelle placed second at the judging contest in Scotland while Zimmerman was reserve showman at the Luxembourg competition. �The dairy judging program overseas is quite different from the one in the U.S.,� says Hood. �We basically look for all of the same qualities in a cow, but they put more emphasis on head and nostril size. Instead of standing on the outside of the ring looking in at the cows, we were positioned in the middle of the ring looking out as the cattle circled around us.� Sentelle further explains, �Instead of having the usual 12 to 15 minutes to place each class, we were given only four minutes to make a decision and take notes for reasons. It was very fast paced.� The rest of the trip included stops at a dairy farm in England, two days in London, one quick day in Paris, host farm stays in Luxembourg and two days touring Germany. �We enjoyed seeing London from the London Eye,� states Corbett referring to a large Ferris-wheel in the middle of the city. �Each city had its own differences and we were able to see all of the sights.�

The highlight of the trip for all of the team members was the host family stay. �My favorite part of the trip was staying with my host family,� explains Hood. �I was paired with another girl on a different judging team and went to stay at a young woman�s home. She was a nutritionist who lived in Germany and was representing her company at the fair in Luxembourg. This was a lot of fun and we were able to see how she lived.�

Starting in the dairy judging program as a 4-H Junior is clearly not a guarantee of International success in dairy cattle evaluation, but perseverance in the program will teach life skills that will benefit the individual for years to come. �I would like to thank my family, friends, coaches and everyone else who has supported me in reaching this goal. This is a huge milestone in my judging career and an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I have met a lot of amazing people who have contributed in many different ways to making this trip become a reality,� says Kaitlyn Corbett of Washington County. This quote sums up the feeling of all of us that were fortunate enough to share in this experience. This program develops strong, confident individuals capable of making a rational decision and eloquently defending the reasons used in making that choice. Even better, three of the four individuals on this team are already back home helping coach the next generation of 4-H Dairy Cattle judges! Should you be interested in finding out more details, please see the blog that the team members wrote throughout the trip: http://marylanddairyjudging2008.blogspot.com/ or contact Kiera Finucane at (301)405-1392.