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Science Buddies and the Motorola Foundation Collaborate to Empower Youth to Succeed in Science (July 30, 2010)

Science Buddies Receives $25,000 Grant from the Monsanto Fund (June 18, 2010)

Science Buddies Formalizes Name Change (April 22, 2010)

Science Buddies Awarded 2009 NAPPA Gold Award (November 4, 2009)

Science Buddies Fosters Student Interest in Geosciences with Help from Chevron (November 2, 2009)

Science Buddies and Axiope Announce a New Collaboration Using Axiope's Electronic Lab Notebook (July 8, 2009)

Science Buddies and the Motorola Foundation Partner to Inspire Tomorrow's Innovators (June 25, 2009)

Science Buddies Showcases Winning Essays from Bio-Rad 2009 Scholarship Competition (May 28, 2009)

Science Buddies Announces Past and Present Volunteers as Competition Semifinalists and Finalist (February 6, 2009)

Science Buddies Debuts Free Membership Program! (January 19, 2009)

Science Buddies and the Motorola Foundation Collaborate to Empower Youth to Succeed in Science

CARMEL, CA (July 30, 2010) School may be out for summer, but that doesn't mean scientific inquiry has to go on vacation until fall. Science Buddies is pleased to announce it has received $151,000 as part of the Innovation Generation grant program from the Motorola Foundation, the charitable arm of Motorola Inc. Through the grant, Science Buddies will launch a "Summer Science" resource on our website, www.sciencebuddies.org, which will educate students, parents and teachers about summer science camps.

Since 2005, the Motorola Foundation's signature Innovation Generation program seeks to boost American students' engagement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through funding, employee volunteers and intra-grantee collaboration. Building on President Barack Obama's "Educate to Innovate" campaign and federal initiatives like the Race to the Top Fund, the program provides $7.5 million to K-12 programs across the U.S., including Science Buddies, to support hands-on, innovative after-school programs, science and math clubs, teacher training and mentoring programs.

"Science Buddies is honored that Motorola has selected us for this grant," said Ken Hess, CEO of Science Buddies. "We are excited about the opportunity to add the 'Summer Science' resource to our website and to encourage students to engage in hands-on science projects even when school is out."

The "Summer Science" resource will illustrate the value of summer science camps, dispense information about selecting a camp, provide links to summer camp directories, and feature profiles of science camps throughout the U.S. as well as students who have achieved success while attending a science camp. We will also conduct a public service campaign across our website to promote the value of summer science learning opportunities.

"Engaging youth in STEM fields will be crucial to driving future innovation and keeping America competitive in a global economy," said Eileen Sweeney, director of the Motorola Foundation. "With the help of these grants, Science Buddies and Motorola can work together to ensure we are adequately building a diverse pipeline of critical thinkers and addressing the most pressing needs around education."

Innovation Generation is a part of Motorola's larger commitment to engaging youth in STEM education. More than just funding, Science Buddies will receive ongoing support from a Motorola employee through the company's "Innovators" employee volunteer program, which utilizes the expertise of Motorola's workforce to inspire the next generation of inventors. Science Buddies also now is part of the Innovation Generation network, where it can create vital connections with hundreds of other organizations with the common vision to make a greater impact on STEM education.

Since 2007, more than $20.5 million has been awarded to STEM programs nationwide through Innovation Generation funding. For more information on the grant program, please visit www.motorola.com/giving.

Science Buddies, a 501c3 public charity, is the leading award-winning non-profit science fair "how-to" resource for K-12 students, teachers, and parents. With scientist-authored educational content covering 30 fields of science and engineering and a website created and run by scientists and engineers, Science Buddies supports serious scientific inquiry by providing tools for project selection, as well as step-by-step instruction and support from scientists and experts on setting up, managing, and monitoring a project and recording the results. Science Buddies helps students learn more, get support, save time and get inspired.

The Motorola Foundation is the charitable and philanthropic arm of Motorola. With employees located around the globe, Motorola seeks to benefit the communities where it operates. The company achieves this by making strategic grants, forging strong community partnerships, fostering innovation and engaging stakeholders. Motorola Foundation focuses its funding on education, especially science, technology, engineering and math programming. For more information, on Motorola Corporate and Foundation giving, visit www.motorola.com/giving.

Science Buddies Receives $25,000 Grant from the Monsanto Fund

CARMEL, CA (June 18, 2010) Science Buddies announced today that it has received a $25,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund, a private foundation and the philanthropic arm of Monsanto Company. The grant will help Science Buddies develop content related to food science and agriculture, engaging students' interest in food while encouraging them to get involved in hands-on science experiments. Monsanto's donation will also support a regional outreach campaign to build awareness of Science Buddies' resources among teachers and students in Monsanto communities.

"We are grateful for Monsanto's support and excited to work with them," said Ken Hess, Science Buddies founder and president. "Topics like sustainable agriculture, plant genetics, and food production present real-world challenges that need creative solutions. We look forward to encouraging interest in these issues in the next generation of scientists."

Research shows that the best way to develop science literacy is through hands-on research projects. Our food and plant science projects are among the most popular on our website. These projects are fun and a great way to teach important concepts related to chemistry, biology, genetics, and other fields of science. Science Buddies also offers hundreds of other scientist-authored Project Ideas in numerous fields of science, as well as a wealth of resources for parents and teachers who are interested in implementing inquiry-based learning at school and at home.

"Science Buddies helps teachers improve their pedagogical skills and foster curiosity in students, a winning combination for growing interest in the sciences," said Deborah Patterson, president of Monsanto Fund.

Over the next year, Science Buddies will develop and update resources related to food science, plant biology, and agriculture.

About Monsanto Fund

The Monsanto Fund is the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company. Incorporated in 1964, the Fund's primary objective is to improve the lives of people by bridging the gap between their needs and their resources. The Monsanto Fund is focused on grant-making in three main areas: nutritional well-being through agriculture; science education, primarily on professional development for teachers; and improving the quality of life in communities where Monsanto employees live and work. Visit the Monsanto Fund at http://www.monsantofund.org/asp/welcome.asp.

About Science Buddies

Science Buddies, a 501c3 public charity, is the leading, award-winning nonprofit science fair "how-to" resource for K-12 students, teachers, and parents. With scientist-authored educational content covering 30 fields of science, Science Buddies supports serious scientific inquiry by providing tools for project selection, step-by-step instruction for conducting experiments, and guidance from professional scientists and engineers. Science Buddies helps students learn more, save time, and get inspired.

Science Buddies Formalizes Name Change

CARMEL, CA (April 22, 2010) Science Buddies' parent organization, the Kenneth Lafferty Hess Family Charitable Foundation, has formally changed its name to "Science Buddies" to better reflect the organization's business and status as a public charity. Science Buddies began in 2001 as an extension of the Kenneth Lafferty Hess Family Charitable Foundation, a 501c3 private foundation, founded in 1994. Soon after its inception, Science Buddies became the sole operating program for the foundation, and in 2007 the organization changed its status to a 501c3 public charity. This month's official name change completes the process of establishing Science Buddies as the legal name of the organization.

The change does not impact Science Buddies' K-12 science education offerings and resources. The change will, however, help reduce confusion for donors, friends, and volunteers who will now see the Science Buddies name on all official receipts and documents. Similarly, the change will simplify legal contracts and grant applications.

Legal assistance was generously provided by the Menlo Park law offices of Shearman & Sterling LLP. In the coming months, Science Buddies will begin making the name change on all official documents, on the website, and in charity databases, such as Guidestar.

About Science Buddies
About Science Buddies: Science Buddies is a 501c3 public charity based in Carmel, California. The award-winning Science Buddies website empowers K-12 students, parents, and teachers to quickly and easily find free project ideas and help in all areas of science, from physics and food science to music and microbiology. Whether your goal is to find a fun science activity for your kids or win the international science fair, sciencebuddies.org puts comprehensive, scientist-authored tools, tips, and techniques at your fingertips. Science Buddies will serve a diverse audience of more than 10 million K-12 students and teachers in 2010. Major funding for the Science Buddies website is provided by presenting sponsor Seagate Technology, as well as Abbott Fund, Symantec Foundation, and Noyce Foundation. In 2010, additional funding is provided by Chevron Corporation and by the foundations of AMD, Medtronic, Northrop Grumman, and other donors. For more information, see www.sciencebuddies.org.

Media Contact
Courtney Corda, Science Buddies
+1-925-736-2696
courtney@sciencebuddies.org

Science Buddies Awarded 2009 NAPPA Gold Award

CARMEL, CA (November 4, 2009) — Science Buddies, the premier online provider of science project resources for K-12 students, teachers, and parents, has been honored with a prestigious 2009 Gold Award in the National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Children's Products competition.

Science Buddies provides a "one-stop shop" of high-quality and innovative services free of charge to millions of students, teachers, and parents across the U.S. and around the world. Our resources include more than 900 project ideas covering 30 areas of science, the Topic Selection Wizard tool that recommends project ideas to students, the Ask an Expert online advice forum, materials for teachers, and much more. Our mission is boost students' science literacy by making hands-on research projects fun and accessible.

"We are pleased and grateful to receive the NAPPA Gold Award," said Ken Hess, CEO and founder of Science Buddies. "Science Buddies has worked hard to develop unique and much-needed resources, and this award is a wonderful recognition of both our efforts and the quality of our material."

For the past 20 years, NAPPA has helped parents and professionals make smart choices for their kids. Evaluating products using strict criteria, NAPPA's top-notch team of judges, parents, and even kids themselves select the most fun, safe, and educational products as NAPPA Gold and Honors winners. NAPPA award winners stand out as the cream of the crop of children's material.

About Science Buddies

Science Buddies, a 501c3 public charity based in Carmel, California, was founded in 2001. In 2009, Science Buddies will serve a diverse audience of 10 million K-12 student and teacher visitors. Its programs are recommended by many partners and advocates, including the American Library Association, the SciLinks program of the National Science Teachers Association, and several PBS educational programs. Its presenting sponsor is Seagate Technology. For more information on Science Buddies, visit www.sciencebuddies.org.

Science Buddies Fosters Student Interest in Geosciences with Help from Chevron

CARMEL, CA (November 2, 2009) Science Buddies announced today that it has received a $50,000 grant from Chevron in conjunction with its California Partnership initiative to invest in education and economic development in its home state. In an era of increasing energy needs, the world needs more talented geoscientists, alternative energy experts, and climatologists. Chevron Corporation is teaming up with Science Buddies, the premier online provider of science project resources for students in grades K-12, to inspire and support California students, particularly those with an interest in earth science fields.

Chevron's grant will underwrite outreach efforts and program services to students in underserved communities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties as well as underwriting the operation, maintenance, and improvement of its Geology Interest Area. Chevron's grant will help Science Buddies serve 250,000 California students and teachers over the next 12 months.

"We appreciate Chevron's commitment to science education, especially in California, and their willingness to provide not only financial support but also volunteer support," said Ken Hess, founder and president of Science Buddies. "It is becoming increasingly important to find cleaner, smarter ways to power the world, and there has never been a better time to encourage student interest in helping meet that challenge."

The California Partnership is Chevron's recently-announced initiative to invest in education and economic development in California by expanding the company's partnerships with nonprofits, including relationships with 18 new nonprofit partners providing programs for education, entrepreneurs and job training. The California Partnership represents a $7 million enhancement to Chevron's community engagement investments in the state, bringing Chevron's total investments in California in 2009 to approximately $28 million.

Many educators believe that a hands-on research project is one of the best ways to teach scientific concepts. Science Buddies provides step-by-step resources to make hands-on science projects easy, fun, and inspiring. The website, www.sciencebuddies.org, features hundreds of scientist-authored project ideas in a wide array of science, engineering, math and technology fields, guides for teachers who want to organize a science fair or include science projects in their curriculum, and the "Ask an Expert" advice forum, which links students with science and engineering professionals to answer questions and provide support.

About Chevron

Chevron Corporation is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The company's success is driven by the ingenuity and commitment of approximately 62,000 employees who operate across the energy spectrum. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and other energy products; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels and other renewables. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.

About Science Buddies

Science Buddies, a 501c3 public charity based in Carmel, California, was founded in 2001. It quickly became the premier online source of K-12 science project information. Science Buddies serves a diverse audience of 10 million K-12 student and teacher visitors annually. All content on the Science Buddies website is offered free of charge and the site does not take commercial advertising. Its programs are recommended by many partners and advocates, including the American Library Association, the SciLinks program of the National Science Teachers Association, and several PBS educational programs. Its presenting sponsor is Seagate Technology. For more information on Science Buddies, visit www.sciencebuddies.org.

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Media Contact
Courtney Corda, Science Buddies
+1-925-736-2696
courtney@sciencebuddies.org

Science Buddies and Axiope Announce a New Collaboration Using Axiope's Electronic Lab Notebook

CARMEL, CA AND EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND (July 8, 2009) - Science Buddies (www.sciencebuddies.org), the premier online provider of science project resources for students in grades K-12, and Axiope (www.axiope.com), developers of online applications for lab scientists, are pleased to announce an exciting new collaboration. Through Science Buddies, participants in advanced science competitions will now be able to use Axiope's eCAT, an innovative, easy-to-use online electronic lab notebook (ELN), to document their experiments.

By using eCAT, science competition participants will reap the benefits that scientists in industry and non-commercial settings already enjoy from ELNs:

• READY-MADE EXPERIMENT TEMPLATE: eCAT comes with a ready-made experiment template so you don't have to create your own.
• SINGLE, INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENT: Because eCAT allows you to upload and link to files, you can keep all the information relating to your experiment (e.g. Word documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, and images) in a single, integrated environment.
• CONVENIENT SHARING: With an online ELN like eCAT, its easy to share your experiment record with others.
• POWERFUL SEARCH CAPABILITY: Using eCAT's search capability, it is easy to locate data, information, and attached files when you don't remember exactly where they are.
• AVOIDING DUPLICATED EFFORT: Your experiment data will be in electronic form, and the experiment record can be turned into a PDF, so when you're done you won't need to rewrite and re-present what was in the paper lab notebook.
• BETTER ORGANIZATION: eCAT won't get lost! And entries are always legible to you, and to others who need to see the record of your experiment.

To learn more about eCAT for science competition participants, please visit our guide on Documenting an Experiment with an Electronic Lab Notebook.

About Science Buddies
Science Buddies, based in Carmel, California, was founded in 2001. It quickly became the premier online source of K-12 science project information. Science Buddies will serve a diverse audience of 8 million K-12 students and teachers in 2008. Its programs are recommended by many partners and advocates, including the National Science Teachers Association, AOL, and the PBS series DragonflyTV. Its research partners include UC Berkeley, Stanford, and NOAA, and its corporate sponsors include AMD, Motorola, Northrop Grumman, and Seagate. For more information, visit www.sciencebuddies.org.

Contact:
Tina Lanese, Science Buddies
+1-415-383-4878
tina@sciencebuddies.org

About Axiope
Axiope, based in Edinburgh, Scotland, develops online applications for lab scientists. eCAT, the first online electronic lab notebook for lab scientists, was developed in close collaboration with lab scientists in universities and government research institutions in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Contact:
Rory Macneil, Axiope
+44- 31 516 2963
rmacneil@axiope.com

Science Buddies and the Motorola Foundation Partner to Inspire Tomorrow's Innovators

CARMEL, CA (June 25, 2009) Today's science students are tomorrow's cancer researchers, technological entrepreneurs, and climate change experts. Science Buddies is pleased to announce it has received a $51,000 Innovation Generation grant from the Motorola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Motorola, to support our mission of helping kids build the science confidence and skills they need to succeed in school and on into college and the workforce.

The Motorola Foundation's Innovation Generation grants support programs that engage students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). In 2009, the Motorola Foundation is providing $5 million in grants to support out-of-school programming, teacher training, curriculum development and other programs that spark students' interest in STEM.

"We are honored that Motorola has selected us for this prestigious grant," said Ken Hess, CEO of Science Buddies. "Given the troubled status of the economy, we are grateful that Motorola continues to generously support organizations like ours that are committed to improving STEM education."

Motorola's Innovation Generation grant will help Science Buddies add to our library of cool Project Ideas in dozens of "hot" and socially relevant fields, including Environmental Engineering, Energy and Power, and Genetics and Genomics. Science Buddies will also use funding from Motorola to conduct targeted outreach campaigns in North Texas and South Florida, building awareness of our resources among educators and students in those communities.

By making science projects and science fair participation fun and doable for teachers and students from all walks of life, Science Buddies is working with the Motorola Foundation to increase access to STEM education and equip students for successful futures. Introducing students to the real-world application of concepts they learn in the classroom strengthens problem-solving skills, increases knowledge retention, and opens their eyes to the possibilities associated with pursuing careers in those fields.

"Innovation Generation programs make science and math both real and fun for today's students, bringing to life what they hear from their teachers every day," said Eileen Sweeney, director of the Motorola Foundation. "The work Science Buddies is doing to engage students in these subjects will help our next generation to succeed in a global, knowledge-based economy where critical thinking is no longer just a benefit, but a necessity."

In July, Motorola will convene its grantees at the first annual Innovation Generation Conference. Science Buddies will join dozens of other grantees to share best practices and cultivate the collaborative learning environment necessary to harness students' curiosity about STEM.

Media Contact
Courtney Corda, Science Buddies
+1-925-736-2696
courtney@sciencebuddies.org

Science Buddies Showcases Winning Essays from Bio-Rad 2009 Scholarship Competition

CARMEL, CA (May 28, 2009) - Would you ever guess that feeding dog food to your family as a kid might help you earn a scholarship? That's exactly what happened to Lauren Croda, one of the recent recipients of a Bio-Rad scholarship! Bio-Rad is a manufacturer and distributor of products for life science research and clinical diagnostics. They are renowned worldwide among hospitals, universities, research institutions, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Bio-Rad's scholarship program was open to students local to the Bio-Rad headquarters in Hercules, California. The scholarship provides financial assistance to students who have a passion for science and have decided to seek higher education to pursue their science career goals. The winners received either a $2,500 or a $1,000 scholarship. Science Buddies was there to hear and speak with some of the winners, and selected the following three students' essays to feature at www.sciencebuddies.org.

Lauren Croda will soon graduate from De Anza High School in El Sobrante, California and will focus on studying pediatrics in college. Lauren's science passion began at a very early age, when she would often perform her own "experiments" on her family members, like having them taste-test different animal food! She recounts cool science class demonstrations, like "completing a circuit using wires attached to a student's capped front teeth." Lauren sees immense value in science projects, writing "Hands-on learning experiences are vital to gaining interest in science, showing students that what they learn on paper operates not only in books, but in everyday life." Check out Lauren's complete essay to read more about from where she got her inspiration and why she thinks it's so important to continue inspiring students.

Sanjit Rai, also a past recipient of two Science Buddies awards, will study biomedical engineering at UC Davis upon graduating from John Swett High School in Rodeo, California. Her essay focuses on the importance of applying science in order to help protect our planet from the growing environmental impacts. Sanjit stresses the importance of applying scientific principles to help advance our world and to care for our planet: "Alternative energy resources are our future...Science is intertwined with so many subjects that it is something that everyone needs to be educated in; it exists in everything." Read Sanjit's full essay to learn more about her ideas.

Kiana Ward is currently a senior at El Cerrito High School in El Cerrito, California. She plans to attend Brown University, where she will study international relations and the sciences, and she aspires to obtain a career in the International Agency for Atomic Energy. Kiana emphasizes the importance of teaching young children how fascinating and fun science is. To stress that entertainment and science can mix, she states, "Kids are interested in superheroes and movie stars. Big Science (BS) needs big stars and a science superhero who uses his huge brain to outwit the villains." View Kiana's complete essay to read more of her ideas and who she thinks should be getting more superstar attention.

Congratulations go out to all of the Bio-Rad scholarship program winners!

• Nicole Bibel - Benicia High School
• Tiffany Chin - Hercules High School
• Lauren Croda - DeAnza High School
• Colleen Delaney - Benicia High School
• Alisha Manandhar - El Cerrito High School
• Gerard Markham - John F. Kennedy High School
• Lindsey Martien - El Cerrito High School
• Jordan Moshe - Miramonte High School
• Kevin Tuan Phung - Miramonte High School
• Marques Pitcher - El Cerrito High School
• Sanjit Rai - John Swett High school
• Stephanie Saechao - Richmond High School
• Muong Saeteurn - John F. Kennedy High School
• Aisha Shakeel - De Anza High School
• Sahiv Shrestha - Richmond High School
• Kiana Ward - El Cerrito High School
• Veronica White - El Cerrito High School

Science Buddies Announces Past and Present Volunteers as Competition Semifinalists and Finalist (February 6, 2009)

CARMEL, CA (February 6, 2009) – Both the Intel Science Talent Search and Siemens Competition in Math, Science, & Technology recently announced semifinalists and finalists. Science Buddies is pleased to congratulate four of these talented students, in particular—past and present Science Buddies volunteers! Congratulations to the following:

Andrew Brickman
Andrew attends Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School in Plainview, New York. He was an Intel Science Talent Search semifinalist for his project titled "Fractionation of Actinomycete Extracts and Biological Assays in Regards to M. tuberculosis Inhibition." Andrew was also a semifinalist in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, & Technology.

Samantha McKenna
Samantha attends Plainview-Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School in Plainview, New York. She was a semifinalist in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, & Technology.

Amy Tai
Amy, from Oklahoma School of Science & Mathematics in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search. The title of Amy's project is "Computational Development of a Comprehensive Database of Drug-Drug Interactions." The idea for her science fair project actually came from working with a Science Buddies Expert in her field of interest (genetics). Throughout high school, Amy's curiosity evolved into a heavy interest in bioinformatics, which culminated into this science fair project. Amy states, "I think much of scientific research comes from fiddling around and exploring at an early stage, so that when you actually want to settle down and pursue a specific topic (such as for a competition, etc.), you'll know what that topic is and how you're going to go about researching it."

Nilesh Tripuraneni
Nilesh attends Clovis West High School in Fresno, California. He placed as a finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search. Nilesh's project is entitled "A Relativistic Generalization of the Navier-Stokes Equations to Quark-Gluon Plasmas." Nilesh expressed that he has always thought that physics is the most fundamental of all the sciences. He states, "The fact that the Navier-Stokes equations—which can describe anything, from the waves that meander behind a boat, to the turbulent air currents that support a Boeing 747, and in fact nearly all fluid or gas flow—are unsolvable has fascinated me." Nilesh was able to combine his interest in fluid mechanics and quantum mechanics to try and explain some counterintuitive phenomena seen in quark-gluon plasma, the super-hot matter that filled the universe right after the Big Bang.

You can find out more about the Intel Science Talent Search at www.societyforscience.org/sts, and the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, & Technology at www.siemens-foundation.org/en/competition.htm.

Science Buddies Debuts Free Membership Program!

CARMEL, CA (January 19, 2009) – In addition to its free online resources for all visitors, Science Buddies is excited to announce its free membership program! Signing up takes only a couple of minutes. Members will receive a periodic newsletter full of valuable information, including premiere notification about new fresh and exciting Project Ideas, the latest news about upcoming science events and deadlines, and valuable science fair tips. Your email address will not be given away or shared with any other organization. Please take a minute to join Science Buddies now!

Media Contact
Courtney Corda, Science Buddies
+1-925-736-2696
courtney@sciencebuddies.org