Are you interested in what the future holds? Consider Explora Vision’s STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics) competition. Working in teams of two to four, students will research a particular technology and assess the ways in which it may impact lives moving forward. Participants are required to write a paper and draw web pages communicating their vision.

Grades: 7th-9th and 10th-12th

Competition Type: Regional and national

You can participate in this competition without leaving the house. eCyberMission is a web-based con test in which participants — working in teams of two to four students — use science, math and technology to solve problems facing their communities. First-place winners receive $1,000.

Grades:9th

Competition Type: Regional, state and national

Held annually, TEAMS invites students to use their engineering talent to contribute to the community. Working in groups of two to four students, participants complete real-life engineering challenges. The competition includes multiple-choice questions, an essay and a design-build component.

Grades: 9th-12th

Competition Type: State and national

In this challenge, participants work in teams of two to five students to develop products or services in response to key issues facing people around the world. The Conrad Challenge empowers students to take control of their learning and apply it to real-life situations. Winners are eligible (有资格的) for scholarships, patent assistance and aid in creating companies.

Grades: 9th-12th

Competition Type: International

2 . Humor can help you connect with other people and make unpleasant situations more bearable. There are things you can do to make yourself and others laugh.

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Get your hands on everything that is funny.     1    . Hopefully, reading good jokes might inspire you to start making up your own jokes. When reading them, try to analyse the elements that make them good jokes.

Be observant

While knowing a lot can increase your ability for humor, there’s no substitute for seeing a lot. Look for the humor in everyday situations.     2    .

Learn from funny people

Whether they’re professional comedians, your parents or your friends, learning from funny people in your life is a key step to being funny yourself.     3    . Keep a note of some of the funny things they say or do. This will help you develop a toolbox of techniques you can use to be funny.

    4    

Different things make different people laugh. When you’re in a group of people you don’t know, listen to what subjects they’re talking about and what’s making them laugh. The better you know them, the easier it will be to make them laugh.

Trust in your inner sense of humor

Being funny doesn’t come in a “one-size-fits-all” package. What makes you funny is unique to you and the way you observe the world. Trust that you do have a funny bone.     5     — you just need to bring it out.

5 . With the ocean covering more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said scientists and researchers had depended on sonar (声呐) technologies to understand and map the sea floor which had charted only about 10% of the world’s ocean. For the ocean and coastal waters in the US, the number is just around 35%.

We know less about our planet’s ocean than what we know about the far side of the moon or the surface of Mars. Part of the reason for the lack of observation is the challenge of powering an underwater camera. Researchers have used ships to recharge cameras or observed with a camera tied to a ship to solve the issue, which is expensive and unsuitable for long-term observations.

Recently, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have taken a major step to iron out this problem by developing a battery-free, wireless underwater camera that could harvest energy underwater on its own for long periods.

To keep power consumption as low as possible, the researchers used off-the-shelf, ultra-low-power imaging sensors. The device takes color photos, even in dark underwater environments, and sends image data wirelessly through the water.

The camera is powered by sound. It changes mechanical energy from sound waves traveling through water into electrical energy that powers its imaging and communications equipment. After getting and encoding image data, the camera also uses sound waves to send the data to a receiver that reconstructs the image. Those sound waves could come from any source, like a passing ship or marine life. As it doesn’t need a power source, the camera could run for weeks on end before getting it back, enabling scientists to search remote parts of the ocean for new species.

Now that researchers have demonstrated a working prototype (原型), they plan to enhance the device so it is practical in real-world settings. For future application, these cameras may be used to take images of ocean pollution and create more accurate models to monitor climate change to better understand how climate change impacts the underwater world, and advance various undersea scientific fields.

6 . “I spilled soup all over the table, but it wasn’t my fault”. “I got into trouble at school, but it wasn’t my fault.” Such statements are often heard. “It’s not my fault” is actually a common response for so many people and especially teenagers. Parents complain that they’re tired of the “excuses”.

The reason why variations of “it’s not my fault” are so popular is that they get us out of guilt, blame and anger. Those emotions may come from others’ reactions or our own self-talks. In the case of adolescents, they are often trying to escape responsibility and punishment for mistakes.

Some teens would benefit from decreasing their self-blame. Those who blame themselves for things that they can’t control tend to be highly self-critical and are more likely to be anxious.

Many teens overly rely on “it’s not my fault”. However, overuse of the phrase can result in feelings of helplessness to control their own lives. Besides, “it’s not my fault” focuses a teen’s attention on what is done as opposed to what needs to be done. In trying to get them to assume responsibility, many parents attempt to convince their children that something is their fault, but the approach tends to be ineffective. A more effective approach is to face up to drawbacks to find solutions to the drawbacks actively.

People may not have caused all their problems, but they have to solve them anyway. Getting stuck in sharing blame often keeps people from moving forward effectively. What does one do if he is pushed into a deep lake? One could certainly stay in water, yelling, “It’s not my fault.” However, that is not going to get him out of water. At some point, he needs to swim to shore, regardless of the fault.

Like most things in life, freeing ourselves from blame has its advantages and disadvantages. The question isn’t what is “right”, but what is most effective in moving forward.

7 . Though it’s common that new scientists get international experience as part of their postdoctoral work, acquiring international exposure during one’s PhD study is less common. But it can be rewarding.

I’m in the final year of my PhD course in experimental physics. The PhD program is based at Loughborough University, the UK, but a big part of my experimental work is at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. Coming from England just after my bachelor’s degree in physics was a big step and somewhat risky. I wasn’t sure if it would help my career or suit my personal style. I was faced with a number of questions.

My supervisors (导师), one in England and one in Germany, gave me great freedom to pick research topics and carry out my research at another institute.

I was excited about going to the Max Planck Institute. Once the long road of the PhD is complete, I hope to have the confidence to compete in an increasingly multinational field in order to secure postdoctoral positions. Although moving abroad means reduced contact with my home university and research community, attending conferences in Britain has helped me network and develop a sense of community.

It took some time to settle down, find an apartment, and get used to the local life, surroundings and a different language. In the lab, a simple task was complicated by the language barrier. Still, with persistence, it was an enriching experience both personally and professionally. The Max Planck Institute provided not only an exciting environment, but enough funding that helped expand the output of my research considerably. I had access to equipment and resources hard to find at many institutions.

Thus far, I have no regrets. Doing a PhD abroad has improved my knowledge of physics and clarified my career aspirations (抱负).