Earn $1,000 and an internship: develop an idea to conserve and protect wildlife!

Whether you live in a city, a rural area or a suburb, wildlife is all around you. In many of these places, wildlife is being threatened. Are you a high school student with a creative idea for conserving and protecting wildlife and its habitat in your community? Planet Connect is offering Youth Engagement Grants of $1,000 for high school students to implement their problem-solving projects and participate in a local internship that will be focused on wildlife conservation.

Wildlife and their habitats are not just located in the woods or forested areas — they are in the trees in your backyard, the shrubs around your school building and everywhere else. Ask yourself, what local wildlife habitats or natural resources are being threatened and by what? What problem is this creating in your community? What can you do to help?

Once you have focused in on a specific issue occurring in your community, think about specific goals for your project and the steps you will need to take in order to address the problem. Do you see any opportunities to protect or preserve wildlife habitat? Think about what kind of project could be developed to address the issue. Can you think of something that could get your whole community involved? What will the positive impacts be for the community?

In the application, you will be asked to create a timeline for implementing your project, as well as a detailed budget describing how you will tackle the problem, what tools you will use, who you will work with and what positive outcomes you foresee. If chosen as a winner, you will be provided $500 to turn your project into a reality. After completing your project in June, you will participate in an 80-hour wildlife conservation or natural resource internship in your local community during the summer of 2012. At the end of the internship you will be awarded a $500 stipend.

To apply for a Youth Engagement Grant, please visit https://www.grantinterface.com/Common/LogOn.aspx?eqs=OEpobC3UY-IJBz6shkZvJg2 and create an account. Applications are due February 1, 2012.

Eligible participants will:

Be 14-19 years old 

Be enrolled in a U.S. high school program (public, private, charter or home school)

Propose a project that is focused on wildlife conservation

Be a member of Planet Connect (please visit http://planetconnect.org/user/register/ to become a free member)

Be available during the summer of 2012 for participation in a wildlife conservation or natural resources internship

Have not received a Planet Connect Student Grant in the last two years.

For a list of ideas, please visit: http://planetconnect.org/2012wcgrants.

Win $2,000 for studying and suggesting improvements to the Earth's environment!

 

From the massive Gulf oil spill to the continued decline of Arctic sea ice, satellites and other observing instruments have proved to be essential when monitoring the many environmental changes – both natural and human-induced – occurring on global, regional and local scales.

The 2012 Thacher Environmental Research Contest, sponsored by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, challenges high school students  to conduct innovative research on our changing planet using the latest geospatial tools and data, which in recent years have become increasingly accessible to the public.

Eligible geospatial tools and data include satellite remote sensing, aerial photography, geographic information systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). The main focus of the project must be on the application of the geospatial tool(s) or data to study a problem related to Earth's environment.

Geospatial tools and data have numerous uses in science research, ranging from climate prediction to archaeology. They can be used to improve our understanding of Earth systems, including interactions within and among the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere and hydrosphere. They also can be used to improve the quality of our lives by supporting weather prediction, natural hazards monitoring, agriculture, land-use planning, coastal management, transportation, public health, emergency response and other fields.

Student Awards: Winning projects will receive cash awards in the amount of $2,000 for 1^st place, $1,000 for 2^nd place and $500 for 3^rd place. Entries can be submitted by individuals or teams. In the case of team entries, the cash award will be split equally among the winning team members. Winners also will be featured in an Encyclopedia of Earth article.

Entries must be received April 16, 2012 and the winning entries will be announced by May 23, 2012. Please visit http://www.strategies.org/education/index.aspx?sub=education&sub2=scholars&sub3=scholars2012 for more information about the contest and to download the entry form.

$150 Clean Air Poster Contest!

 

Clean Air Partners invites students in grades 4-8 to submit a creative poster that will focus on solutions to air pollution and climate change and inspire people to take actions to improve our region’s air quality. The deadline for submissions is March 16, 2012. Entries will be judged in two grade-level categories:

Category 1: Grades 4-6

Category 2: Grades 7-8

Here a are a few potential topics that students can consider for their posters:

The health effects of air pollution.

The Air Quality Index as an education tool.

Alternatives to fossil fuels to reduce air pollution.

Ways to reduce ground-level ozone and air pollutants.

Increasing energy efficiency to combat climate change.

Alternative transportation such as biking to work or teleworking.

How “Green Jobs” can impact air quality and climate change.

There will be a 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winner selected for each category. All winners will be notified by April 20, 2012. Prizes are:

1^st Place: $150 gift card. Teachers of 1^st place winners will also receive a $100 gift card.

2^nd Place: $50 gift card

3^rd Place: $25 gift card

Please note that each submission must also include a written statement (50 words or less) explaining your poster concept and how we can work together to help Clean Air Partners spread the word about reducing air pollution and the impacts of climate change.

All winning posters will be on display at the Clean Air Partners Annual Celebration in May 2012. Winning students, their teachers and parents will be invited to attend this event where they will be formally recognized by Clean Air Partners. Winning posters will also be featured on the Clean Air Partners web site, Facebook page and in local media outreach efforts.

Posters must be postmarked by March 16, 2012. Send poster and completed Submission Form to:

Clean Air Partners c/o

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

777 North Capitol St., NE

Suite 300

Washington, DC 20002

To read the Full announcement and judging rubric, please visit: http://www.cleanairpartners.net/uploadimages/2012_poster_contest.pdf.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Rebecca Davis

(703) 340-6875

Community Service Hours available!

 

Groundwork Anacostia River DC (GWARDC) invites students to participate in the 6^th Annual Pope Branch Park Clean-up Event in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of National Service. The clean-up event will be held on January 16, 2012 from 10:00am to 1:00pm (on site registration begins at 9:30am).

To participate in this community service activity, you can meet the group at Fairlawn Avenue & M Place, SE.

A shuttle service will be meeting volunteers at the Potomac Metro station (Orange & Blue lines) from 9:30am to 10:30am and transporting them to Pope Branch. Volunteers will be shuttled back at the end of the event. 

SEED Public Charter School is partners with GWARDC and several SEED students will be assisting in the clean-up efforts as part of this partnership. To participate in the community service activity with GWARDC, please contact:

Vaughn Perry, Program Director

Groundwork Anacostia River DC

3938 Benning Rd., NE

Washington, DC 20019

(202) 441-7159 cell

(202) 506-3867 phone 

For additional information, please contact:

Irv Sheffey

Sierra Club/Pope Branch Park Restoration Alliance

(202) 299-6503  

http://popebranch.blogspot.com/

Sidwell's summer ExploreStar program for middle school students!

 Sidwell’s ExploreStar Programs are for students in grades 6-8. Participants will be actively engaged in the arts, academics and sports and they will experience hands-on, enriching workshops, meet new friends and explore new topics – all while still being a ‘camper’.

The ExplorerStar Camp will be held from June 18– August 3, 2012 at Sidwell’s DC Campus. The camp hours are 9am – 3pm and the cost is $375/session (full day). To apply for the ExploreStar Camp, please complete the online application (please note: you will need to create an account).

Sidwell offers a Summer Sponsorship Fund which has helped to bring enriching, fun summer activities to families that might not otherwise be able to participate due to the cost. If you are interested in applying for sponsorship, please complete the online sponsorhip application (please note: you will have to create an account). Full completion of the application is necessary for a request to be processed. To be considered in the first round of sponsorship, please complete the application by February 15^th. To be considered in the second round of sponsorships, please complete the application by April 15^th. Applications submitted after April 15^th will not be considered.

$1,000 college scholarships are available: Apply to the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference!

The annual Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference awards $1,000 college scholarships to rising high school seniors who are interested in pursuing a career in journalism. 

Students will come to Washington, DC from July 14-19, 2012 to receive their awards and participate in an all-expenses-paid journalism conference at the Newseum. This program is funded by the Freedom Forum to honor Al Neuharth, the founder of USA TODAY, the Newseum and the Freedom Forum. 

Fifty-one (51) students, representing each of the 50 states and Washington, DC will be accepted to attend the conference.

The deadline to submit the online application is February 15, 2012. Applicants are strongly advised to print and read the reference guide prior to starting the application process.

Scholarships will be awarded to students who successfully complete the program and will be paid to the students' colleges and universities of choice in the fall of 2013.

Applications are now available for Cornell University's Summer College Program!

 

Cornell University's prestigious Summer College Program offers three and six-week academic programs for talented sophomores, juniors and seniors from around the world. 

By spending a summer at Cornell, you will:

Experience the excitement of college life at a great Ivy League university

Take fascinating college courses with Cornell's world-renowned faculty

Get a head start on college by earning three to six (3-6) college credits

Explore careers and academic majors from architecture to veterinary medicine

Enhance your college applications and attend admissions workshops

Live, study and play on one of the nation's most beautiful campuses

Make friends from around the world and much, much more!

Available summer programs include:

Architecture, Art and Design, Business, College Success, Engineering, Environmental Studies, History and Politics, Hotel Management, Humanities, Law and Government, Medicine, Psychology, Research and Science and Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science.

As a Summer College student, you will enroll in one or more of Cornell's fast-paced and rigorous undergraduate courses and enjoy the rare opportunity to work closely with some of Cornell's most outstanding professors.

The grades and credits you earn will be recorded on an official Cornell University transcript and usually, these credits can be applied toward an undergraduate degree at Cornell or another school.

Summer College programs run for three or six weeks between June 23 and August 7 on Cornell’s campus in Ithaca, New York.

To be eligible for Summer College, you must have completed your sophomore, junior or senior year of high school by June 2012.

Cornell receives between 1,200 and 1,450 applications for all summer programs and more than 900 students attend Summer College each year.

Limited financial aid is available and the financial aid form must be submitted along with your application.

Apply now for Cornell’s 2012 Summer College. Please note that you will need to create an account in order to complete the online application. The application deadline for most programs is May 4, 2012. For the best chance at getting into your first-choice program, students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

If you have any questions about the Summer College program or the application process, please contact Cornell at (607) 255-6203.