4 . For parents in the Pacific Northwest, one constant fear is how safe their children will be at school if an earthquake strikes. Now, children at one school in the Stanwood-Camano School District in Washington State will get a warning ahead of time to take cover before the most sharp shaking begins.

Stanwood Elementary School is the first in the state to be able to send warnings over the loudspeaker before a large earthquake. The school has connected to the ShakeAlert early warning system, which is a system that gathers data from seismometers (地震仪) that can detect the earliest seismic (地震的) waves of an earthquake, sending warnings before the more powerful shaking hits.

Bill Steele, director of communications and outreach for the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network at the University of Washington, said the amount of warning students will get depends on where the earthquake happens.

“If it’s an earthquake on the Southern Whidbey Island Fault, it may only be a couple of seconds’ warning,” Steele said. “But if it’s an earthquake, say, on the Seattle Fault or the Cascadia Subduction Zone, you could have warning o f20 or more seconds.”

Students across the state of Washington will practice earthquake safety this Thursday. Stanwood Elementary will explain how it uses the public-address system to tell students to “drop, cover and hold on” after it receives a ShakeAlert.

The main idea is to protect your head and get down so that you don’t get knocked over by the earthquake, and ride it through, Steele said. And then afterwards, teachers will decide whether they wish to make an orderly escape or not.”

At least eight other school districts are exploring connecting to the ShakeAlert system, Steele said. The earthquake warnings are not available to the general public yet. Steele says the aim is to have that ready by October next year.

5 . Science competitions your students can enter

The Clean Tech Competition research and design challenge asks students to find a problem with our natural world and resource use that they want to change, work out a solution and hand in a research paper to the judges.

Top of the Bench (TOTB)is a yearly practical chemistry competition and a great chance for students to put their teamwork and practical skills to the test. Regional heats will be held between October 2022 and January2023, with the wining team from each heat progressing to the national final held later in March.

Quantum on the Clock competition is open to all A-level students in the UK and Ireland. Students are asked to create a three-minute video about any aspect of quantum science (量子科学) or technology . Entries (参赛作品) can be individual or in teams of up to four students. Cash prizes are on offer for the winners and runners-up. The “best individual” and “best team” winners will receive an invitation to a prize-giving ceremony at the Photon 2022 conference dinner (会议晚宴).

The Big Bang Competition recognises young people’s achievements in STEM and builds their confidence in project-based work, focusing on investigation, discovery and use of scientific methods. Students can submit (提交) their project as a written or video report—on any topic in the field of STEM. Students can be in with the chance of winning a range of awards and prizes.

6 . Young Writers Awards

About the Contest

Bennington College has a unique literary tradition. We’ve had twelve Pulitzer Prize winners, three US poet laureates, four MacArthur Geniuses, and two of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people. In celebration of this, Bennington launched the Young Writers Awards to promote excellence in writing at the high school level. Students are invited to enter with the following work:

•Poetry: A group of three poems

•Fiction: A short story (1,500 words or fewer) or one-act play

•Nonfiction: A personal or academic essay (1,500 words or fewer)

A first-, second-, and third-place winner is selected in each category. We welcome participation of both US and international students.

Awards & Rules

First-place winners in each category are awarded a prize of $1,000; second-place winners receive $500; third-place winners receive $250.

•No charge for entrance. Fees for accidents caused by participants are required.

•All entries must be original work reviewed, approved and guided by a teacher. We will use your teacher as a contact for the competition should we have any questions. For homeschooled students, please contact one to assist in your writing even if you have experience in such competitions.

Young Writers Awards finalists and winners are also qualified for undergraduate scholarships at Bennington. Young Writers Awards finalists who apply and gain admission to Bennington will receive a $10,000 scholarship every year for four years, for a total of $40,000. Young Writers Awards winners reaching the standard will receive $15,000 every year, for a total of $60,000.