(OEP) Essay Contest - Science and Society

The Science and Society Essay Contest aims to challenge high school students to question and deliberate the purposes and social implications of scientific research.

Important Dates

Registration Closes:
Monday, April 22, 2013, at 5:00 p.m.

Invitations to the award ceremony will be mailed:
Tuesday, May 07, 2013, at 5:00 p.m.

Prize-winning students will be invited to an award ceremony:
Friday, May 17, 2013, at 4:00 p.m.

Contact Information

For more information about this program, contact:

Menzel Smith-Jones
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Bldg.400 – P.O. Box 5000
Upton, NY 11973-5000
631-344-4495 (phone)
631-344-7098 (fax)
mjones@bnl.gov

Question:

Brookhaven’s current light source — the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) — is one of the world’s most widely used scientific facilities. Each year, 2,200 researchers from 400 universities, government laboratories, and companies use its bright beams of x-rays, ultraviolet light, and infrared light for research in such fields as biology, medicine, chemistry, environmental sciences, geosciences, physics, materials science, and energy science.

Though the current NSLS has been continually updated since its commissioning in 1982, today the practical limits of machine performance have been reached. In order to meet the critical scientific challenges of our energy future, BNL was given the mission to begin construction of an upgraded new light source called NSLS II. The new facility will begin operating in 2015.

How are the NSLS and NSLS II similar? How will the upgraded NSLS II be different from the original NSLS? What is the role of the Department of Energy and the Office of Science in the development and operation of synchrotrons such as NSLS and NSLS II? How might the upgraded NSLS II benefit scientific research in the fields listed above? How might new discoveries in these fields affect society?

Audience for This Contest

High School Students

Awards

Prizes will be awarded as follows:

Grand Prize Winner: $500.00

Second Prize: $300.00

Third Prize: $200.00

Honorable Mentions (up to 10 awards): $50.00 each

All students who submit essays will receive a Certificate of Participation.

Rules & Eligibility Criteria

All high school students (9th-12th grade) who attend school in Suffolk or Nassau County are eligible.

For a complete listing of the Rules click here

Application Process

Essays are expected to contain substantive, well-reasoned arguments (rather than simply opinions) that indicate a depth of understanding of scientific and societal issues.

New essay submission procedure will be open in February