Oh, is that all?

Cameron is not a scientist, but a proponent of science, as he described at a press conference yesterday. (And scientists need more people like him on their side!) In this role, he hopes to bring science into the popular dialogue and provide tools to scientists—whether that’s funding (through different sources including his Blue Planet Marine Research foundation) or engineering (such as his Deepsea Challenger submersible).

This past March, Cameron and a team of scientists headed to the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. Using his submersible as well as two unmanned landers, Cameron gradually dove deeper and deeper into the Mariana Trench, collecting samples and video for scientists.

At the AGU meeting, researchers described their findings at these depths and locations. Kevin Hand, an astrobiologist with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, spoke of microbial mats and the serpentinization that he witnessed. Doug Bartlett, a microbiologist from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, discussed not only the many novel microbes discovered, but also the larger organisms found at some of these depths, including crustaceans, worms, corals and anemones. Patricia Fryer, a geologist from the University of Hawaii, described the tectonic plates, subduction zone and topography at that location.

Together, the findings describe a rich and unique ecosystem. With no other resources to feed the microbes, the researchers propose that the serpentinization on the overriding subduction plate is the energy source for microbes and microbial mats at those depths. Those microbes in turn feed the larger animals seen in the area.

Cameron and the scientists go a step further, suggesting that the serpentinization’s match of geochemistry and biochemistry could be how life began on this planet. And what’s more, this could be how life works in other water bodies in our Solar System and beyond. Cameron named the moons Enceladus, Europa and Callisto as potentially harboring these processes.

We have much to learn about this unusual spot on our planet, 35,630 feet below sea level, and Cameron’s quest is a boon for marine science. Even though the proposed theories about the origin of life seem a bit premature, just focusing on the “unexplored frontiers right here on Earth,” in Cameron’s words, is enough. Isn’t it?

Image: Kmusser/Wikipedia using NOAA data

]]> http://www.calacademy.org/sciencetoday/diving-deep-for-science/559483/feed/ 0 http://www.calacademy.org/sciencetoday/our-young-future/558289/ http://www.calacademy.org/sciencetoday/our-young-future/558289/#comments Fri, 27 Jul 2012 19:14:54 +0000 molly http://www.calacademy.org/sciencetoday/?p=8289 By Nan Sincero

I’m happy to report, the future isn’t what it used to be.

“This is where the cool stuff’s happening. Where else are you going to find a field where you don’t just predict the future, you can come up with the test ideas that might just BE the future.”  – Catherine Wong, age 16, 2012 Google Science Fair finalist

“[Science] lets me know that my age doesn’t inhibit my abilities and I too can be useful to the community.” — Sakhiwe Shongwe, age 14, co-winner of the Science in Action Prize, 2012 Google Science Fair

“We’re the future doctors, the future programmers, the future engineers, the future environmentalists, and we’re going to be the people on the frontier solving tomorrow’s problems.” — Brittany Wenger, age 17, Grand Prize winner, 2012 Google Science Fair

These are just some of the impassioned words spoken in a vintage airplane hanger in Palo Alto, California on July 23 when 21 finalists of the 2nd Annual International Google Science Fair gathered with their families, science celebrities, California Academy of Sciences youth, and many others, at a gala to celebrate ground-breaking achievements by young scientists from around the globe.

Google’s science fair is a partnership between Google, CERN, National Geographic, Scientific American and Lego. The 2012 fair received more than 5000 entrants in 14 languages from over 100 countries. In just a few months, the fair’s judges (including oceanographer and Academy fellow, Sylvia Earle, CERN’s Director of Accelerators, Steve Myers, and father of the internet, Vint Cerf), whittled the number down to 21 finalists, including three top awards in age groups 13-14, 15-16, and 17-18, plus a grand prize winner.  This year, another award was added, the Science in Action Prize given by Scientific American for a project that addresses a social, environmental, ethical, health or welfare issue to make a practical difference to the lives of a group or community.

The top 3 winners were:

Jonah Kohn, age 14 from San Diego, California – his project: Good Vibrations: Improving the Music Experience for people with hearing loss using multi-frequency tactile sound.

Iván Hervías Rodríguez, 17; Marcos Ochoa, 16; Sergio Pascual, 15, all from Logroño, Spain – their project: The Hidden Life of Water, studying microscopic organisms and their activity and presence in fresh water.

Brittany Wenger, age 17, Lakewood, Florida, Grand Prize winner – her project: Global Neural Network Cloud Service for Breast Cancer, successfully detecting 99.11% of malignant breast tumors.

The Science in Action Prize was awarded to Sakhiwe Shongwe, age 14 from Siteki, Swaziland and Bonkhe Mahlalela, also 14 from Simunye, Swaziland – their project:  Unique Simplified Hydroponic Methods, investigates which systems can be used to generate food to feed poor families and generate income.

The day after the gala, the celebration continued when the 21 finalists and their families toured several San Francisco landmarks, including the California Academy of Sciences. They were toured at the Academy by three researchers and six Careers in Science Interns – young scientists in a program that provides San Francisco youth from communities traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, with opportunities to immerse themselves in the natural world, develop life and job skills, receive college and career mentorship, and learn science and sustainability concepts in an authentic, paid work environment.

Luckily for the future of the planet, the days of baking soda experiments are over.

Nan Sincero is a naturalist and docent coordinator at the Academy.

What do ovarian cancer, asthma, and grilled chicken have in common? All three were the subject of the winning projects in the first ever Google Science Fair. The fair, created in partnership with CERN, LEGO, Scientific American, and National Geographic, received over 10,000 online entries from 91 different countries.  On July 11, 2011, fifteen global finalists flew to the Google headquarters to present their projects to a panel of renowned scientists.  From this pool of budding young scientists, three winners emerged—all girls!

Although the awards took place in July, the three winners had the opportunity to visit the White House a few weeks ago and present their projects to President Obama. Shree Bose, winner in the 17 -18-year-old category and the grand prize winner, investigated ways to counteract cancer cell resistance to a common chemotherapy drug, cisplatin—a drug used to treat ovarian cancer. The winner in the 15-16-year-old category, Naomi Shah, studied the effects of air quality on lungs, particularly for people with asthma. Lauren Hodge won in the 13-14-year-old category for her project that examined ways to decrease the production of carcinogenic compounds when grilling meats—she discovered that certain marinades (like brown sugar and lemon juice) worked the best. The girls found that the President genuinely showed an interest in learning more about their projects and reiterated his commitment to providing opportunities to increase the participation of all young people, particularly girls, in scientific pursuits.

The fact that all three winners are girls is impressive given the reality of the dearth of women in many science and technology fields. A 2010 report published by the American Association of University Women, Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, found that the stereotype that boys are inherently better at math and science persists today. This is just one of the societal and environmental barriers outlined in the report that have limited women’s participation in the science, engineering, and math fields. According to the report, on average, girls take more science credits than boys in high school and tend to have higher grade point averages in the sciences. Once they get to college, however, many tend not to major in science, engineering, or math. Both male and female students change their minds in college—a recent New York Times article describes overall attrition from science and engineering majors across the board—but women show a much greater propensity to drop out of science- and technology-oriented majors. In 2006, women earned only about 20% of all of the bachelor’s degrees in physics and engineering conferred in the US.

Turning the tide on this trend is a priority here at the California Academy of Sciences, demonstrated by our participation in the GirlsRISE (Raising Interest in Science and Engineering) Museum Network (GirlsRISEnet).  The Academy, along with science centers across the country, serves as a regional training hub to promote professional development for informal educators and museum professionals to engage middle- and high-school girls in science and engineering—and to encourage them in pursuing these fields as a career.  The Academy held a workshop this past summer for informal educators from Bay Area museums and aquaria where we shared current research on women and minorities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), explored hands-on activities for promoting STEM with girls and used an exhibit evaluation tool to assess how girl-friendly our exhibits are. We will be holding another workshop in 2012.

The results of the Google Science Fair and the Academy’s involvement in GirlsRISEnet remind us that our work on promoting science is not done. As Michelle Obama recently stated at an event related to women in science:

It’s about showing every child that a scientist isn’t just something you hear about in biology class, that a doctor isn’t someone you visit when you’re sick.  Instead, young people—particularly our girls—need to understand that doctors and scientists are something that anyone can become, no matter how much money your family has, no matter where you come from or whether you’re a man or a woman.  And that message is more important than ever in today’s world.

As my husband has said again and again, in order to meet the challenges of the next century, we have got to strengthen our role as the world’s engine of scientific discovery and technological advancement.  We need to educate the scientists who will make the next big discoveries that will fuel our economy.  We need the highly skilled leaders who can teach in our classrooms, run our laboratories, and power our industries for decades to come.

And if we’re going to out-innovate and out-educate the rest of the world, then we have to open doors to everyone.  We can’t afford to leave anyone out.  We need all hands on deck.  And that means clearing hurdles for women and girls as they navigate careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Eileen Harrington is the Academy’s Naturalist Center manager and reference librarian.