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Breakthrough Junior Challenge calls for global submissions of science video

Xinhua, September 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Breakthrough Prize Foundation announced on Thursday the launch of its second annual Breakthrough Junior Challenge and called for students from countries across the globe to create original videos that illustrate a concept or theory in the life sciences, physics or mathematics.

As Breakthrough Junior Challenge is designed to inspire creative thinking about fundamental concepts in the life sciences, physics or mathematics, submissions of the videos, up to five minutes in length, by students ages 13 to 18 will be judged on their ability to communicate complex scientific ideas in the most engaging, illuminating, and imaginative ways.

"The Breakthrough Junior Challenge encourages the next generation of scientists and leaders to help us all see scientific principles in new, fresh ways," said Breakthrough Prize co-founder Dr. Priscilla Chan, who is the wife of another co-founder, Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg.

"We hope students from around the world will take part in the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, and I'm looking forward to seeing their incredible work".

"As we learned last year, these students' unique perspectives and innovative thinking can teach us all about the importance of complex scientific principles in our daily lives," Chan noted.

Last year' s winning submission, out of more than 2,000 qualified applications from a total of 86 countries, was from 18-year-old Ryan Chester, of North Royalton High School, Ohio, in the United States. Ryan's video, titled "Some Cool Ways to Understand the Special Theory of Relativity and What It Means About Time," explored Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity and was noted by judges for its wit, clarity and creativity. The video had global appeal, and received close to four million online views.

"Winning the Breakthrough Junior Challenge changed my life," said Chester, who will enroll at Harvard University in September. "My advice to current participants would be to definitely do your research. Make sure you understand the topic better than you need to. And add any kind of humor."

While one winner will be recognized and awarded a 250,000 U.S. dollars scholarship, the science teacher who inspired the winning student will win 50,000 dollars, and the winner' s school will also receive a science lab valued at 100,000 dollars.

The deadline for submissions is Oct. 10, 2016, and students have to register online at www.breakthroughjuniorchallenge.org to participate.

This year's Breakthrough Junior Challenge winner will be recognized at the Breakthrough Prize awards ceremony in Silicon Valley, northern California.

Breakthrough Junior Challenge is funded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Yuri and Julia Milner, through the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, which was founded in 2012 honor outstanding achievements in life sciences, physics and mathematics. Endit