young scientists how real are they

danotroy

i cam across this today and a question i have often asked but never thought to investigate popped into my head. Are the vast majority of these young scientists just products of their parents/teachers who do the bulk of the work and use their kids/students as a vessel to market/sensationalise their findings/products. When i was in school out science teacher wanted to enter us in the young scientist of the year competition but he never got enough people willing in my class. So are all these young scientists a misguided attempt of credibility by parents/teachers?

GodlikeRed

Op, the emotion you're feeling is jealousy.

TheFOB

Her project sucked. Thermoelectric devices are nothing new they just don't work well very well. Sterling engines are the best thermoenergy devices:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebu6Vcds_40

endacl

Friend of mine won back in the 80's. Very successful engineer now. His company, which he started in his living room, is zipping along nicely, designing and building medical devices. Smart people do smart things. Can't imagine him ever having been pushed into anything just to feed a parent or teacher's ego. Being very smart seems more like a hobby. Lucky sod...

endacl

GodlikeRed wrote: »

Op, the emotion you're feeling is jealousy.

Its envy actually. But I get what you mean...

Ruudi_Mentari

Well I think X goes into Z

this is when I lose my erection go into a deep, comatose sleep of course.

zenno

danotroy wrote: »

i cam across this today and a question i have often asked but never thought to investigate popped into my head. Are the vast majority of these young scientists just products of their parents/teachers who do the bulk of the work and use their kids/students as a vessel to market/sensationalise their findings/products. When i was in school out science teacher wanted to enter us in the young scientist of the year competition but he never got enough people willing in my class. So are all these young scientists a misguided attempt of credibility by parents/teachers?

Of course not... These young scientists are just more intelligent than the average kid, and as such, end up where they are, which is in... young scientist as they have a gift.

danotroy

zenno wrote: »

Of course not... These young scientists are just more intelligent than the average kid, and as such, end up where they are, which is in... young scientist as they have a gift.

Granted there are many talented and highly intelligent kids out there but this girl doesn't convince me.

zenno

Well, it's not the best.

I wonder what this guys output would do to that hollow flash-light.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YVFUaU7zcI

just_be_nice

Canadian girls are amazing!

Ruudi_Mentari

just_be_nice wrote: »

Canadian girls are amazing!

Awesome; for sure!

..brother they are fubar.

evolving_doors

Know what you mean op...previous winners stated they happened to ' notice' something in the garden and the mother who was in the botany (or some related area) field 'suggested' it would be a good idea for a young scientist project...now I don't doubt that they worked hard and all that but from reading the article at the time it sounded a bit of a team effort... I would presume the judges can discern how much of the work is their own though

zenno

just_be_nice wrote: »

Canadian girls are amazing!

They are indeed, but i just wish they wouldn't hold their nose so much when they are talking.

username26!

It depends on the project and teachers. Contacts sure help, but at the end of the day, no-one is going to write you a 60 page proposal and do your interviews for you. The people that get far generally know their stuff. (from experience). Its very dependant on the amount of support available in schools also.

FloatingVoter

Its mainly a scam. The bulk of the numbers are made up of kids who have proven yet again that you can power a battery using a spud. The top tier are the read deal. And their achievements in later life are undisputed.
I'd be more interested in a Young Artists or Young Writers competition. I'm aware both exist in various forms but none get the same hype as the young "Lets Prove The World Is Round" shower.

username26!

Maybe they don't get the same amount of publicity? From being a "top tier" I can see where you're coming from, but someone had to prove the world was round! It's not a scam either, lots of projects are actually useful, and can make a difference. The Texaco art competition is widely known!

TheChizler

Ah zombie thread!

The same schools keep cropping up again and again, for sure these school must have excellent teachers and actively encourage participation, obviously the teacher is going to provide a certain amount of steering but the students have to put in the bulk of the effort.

FloatingVoter

username26! wrote: »

Maybe they don't get the same amount of publicity? From being a "top tier" I can see where you're coming from, but someone had to prove the world was round! It's not a scam either, lots of projects are actually useful, and can make a difference. The Texaco art competition is widely known!

Yup, and competition and arts don't exactly mix. But in terms of publicity the Young Scientists is widely inflated. We are producing generation after generation of unemployed computer repair people. There are only so many job vacancies at Google. Has a website designer recently offered to clean your gutters ?
We do not teach a kid the clarinet with the promise that you too will be the next U2. We teach kids Science, Science, Science because that's "where the jobs are". Some kids aren't suited for the new religion. And lets hope the lights don't go out. We'll be snowed under with database administrators before we can find a carpenter or a plumber.

paleoperson

FloatingVoter wrote: »

Its mainly a scam.

This. I had assumed it was common knowledge. Don't tell me you were taking it all for real. :rolleyes:

Even in the adult scientific world, the real truth is a lot more murky over who actually did what and what work was most important etc. It always builds on something else. For example Watson and Crick's discovery of the double helix was revolutionary right? But it was only possible because of the x-ray that had just recently been invented. It was only that they happened to be the ones doing that type of work. I'm not saying they weren't very bright individuals, just that it's not always as exceptional as it's made out to be.

FloatingVoter

paleoperson wrote: »

This. I had assumed it was common knowledge. Don't tell me you were taking it all for real. :rolleyes:

Even in the adult scientific world, the real truth is a lot more murky over who actually did what and what work was most important etc. It always builds on something else. For example Watson and Crick's discovery of the double helix was revolutionary right? But it was only possible because of the x-ray that had just recently been invented. It was only that they happened to be the ones doing that type of work. I'm not saying they weren't very bright individuals, just that it's not always as exceptional as it's made out to be.

Read my post. It's unscientific to be selective. The "top tier" will always be standing on the shoulders of giants.......the rest will be constantly untying and retying their shoelaces.

shruikan2553

I think someone is upset their potato battery didn't win.

FloatingVoter

shruikan2553 wrote: »

I think someone is upset their potato battery didn't win.

It's because my hen-fart powered rocket launcher was disqualified on cruelty grounds.

paleoperson

FloatingVoter wrote: »

Read my post. It's unscientific to be selective. The "top tier" will always be standing on the shoulders of giants.......the rest will be constantly untying and retying their shoelaces.

yeah... I'm going to have to disagree with your silly imagery then.

username26!

Not forgetting that there is a social science category!

FloatingVoter

username26! wrote: »

Not forgetting that there is a social science category!

"The Study Of Human Society"

....I would have aced that one at school. Sit in a pub all day and watch peoples' moods change the more they drink. Watch the headmaster cheating on his wife while hiding under the pool table. Social science - screw that, I'll knock out a soap opera.
I need my nerd hat.

AndonHandon

First comment under that YouTube video;

"7/10 would bang. Call me in 3 years".

Ah, the internet!

username26!

Didn't even see the video. I was referring to a previous post saying that social science and the arts were underrepresented and that science was getting too much publicity. My comment was in no way related to any videos on before.