From left to right; RCPS students Alliyah Byrd, Chelse Steele, Anna Miller, Kim Estick, Aqib Momin, Stafford Ross, Quincy Blair, Ray Garner, Sheyenne Rowe, Sonam Brahmbhatt, Crystal Brockington, Aaron Barron and Michael Smith all participated in the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair in Athens from March 27 to 29. (Special photo)

CONYERS Four students from Rockdale County Public Schools impressed the judges at the 66th Georgia Science and Engineering Fair, each taking home the Best in Category award for their projects.

Held from March 27 to 29 at the Classic Center in Athens, the fair recognized student achievement on projects in various scientific categories, according to a press release from RCPS. Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology sophomore Molly Niemczyk received the title of Best Project in the behavioral science category with her project that studied the effect of dyslexia on eye movement.

Her fellow Magnet School student, junior Robert Raines, won best electrical and materials engineering project for his work on optimizing grapheme conductivity under variations of pressure. Samer Yassin, also a junior at the Magnet School, earned best plant sciences project with a project on the effect of biofilms on plant growth.

Memorial Middles Nicole Bourland won the junior divisions best computer science project by creating a video game for the visually impaired.

Students made it to the GSEF after competing in and winning regional fairs throughout the state. Thirty-nine RCPS students in total won honor awards eight of them receiving first honors. Honor awards point out a students relative ranking in the fair overall, while first honors are given to projects with total scores ranking at or above the top 90 percent based on overall scores, regardless of category.

We are certainly proud of how well all of our students defended their research at the state competition, said Amanda Baskett, co-director of the Rockdale Regional Science and Engineering Fair. Four students from our regional fair winning best in category awards highlights the high level of student research that students conduct in our schools.

Along with sponsoring organizations, the GSEF judges also gave away specialty awards to Rockdale students, including two Magnet School students. Shannon McNeely won the Surgeon Generals Award, while Anna Miller won the UGA Poultry Science Award.

Three projects from the Magnet School have been selected to advance to the International Science and Engineering Fair, taking them to Los Angeles in May. Aaron Barron and his partner Crystal Brockington will be presenting their solar energy project. Students Chelsea Steele, Larry Jacobs and Aqib Momin will be joining them on the trip to California. Steele and Jacobs partnered on a project on computational biology using mouse genetics. Momin studied a better way to read MRI scan images.

Continued here:
Rockdale students takes home awards at state science fair

Research in the social, behavioral and economic sciences could suffer a 22 percent cut in federal funding if recently proposed legislation is voted into law.

Earlier this month, a House of Representatives committee advanced legislation that if passed will keep the National Science Foundation funding approximately the same but cut deeply into the pool of funding for humanities- and-social-science research. The current $256 million funding level would be reduced to $200 million.

Tom Birkland, associate dean for research and engagement in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, said the proposed legislation would be a savage cut, and that CHASS researchers would only receive about 60 percent of the funding they received in 2000.

It really beats it up, Birkland said.

Currently, social, behavioral and economic research funding composes a small 3.5 percent of the NSFs $7.28 billion budget, and Birkland said the proposed changes would save the agency very little money.

The problem is that sometimes, Congress doesnt see the point in social-science research, Birkland said.

Last year, the NSF awarded a group of researchers to study how Native American communities used legal strategies to effect policy change, Birkland said.

Congress looks at that and thinks, What is the value? Birkland said. They think, Do we want to encourage that?

But some things are worth knowing simply for the sake of knowing them, Birkland said.

Astronomy has little practical benefit, Birkland said. Congress rejects certain research on the grounds of fiscal responsibility, or other ideological grounds. Thats a legitimate conversation to have in a democracy, but why cant we pursue the science of sociology as well as biology and astronomy?

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U.S. House bill threatens social- science funding

TSA Spends a Billion on Another Wasteful Program
Conclusions drawn by behavioral science experts have confirmed that the TSA has wasted close to $1 billion on training screeners to look for suspicious body ...

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TSA Spends a Billion on Another Wasteful Program - Video

CARLSBAD, Calif., March 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --With 67% of the population of the United States and nearly 1.5 billion adults worldwide either overweight or obese, simply eating less and moving more are not working to stem the tide of one of the largest, preventable causes of chronic, life-threatening illnesses.

Weight, as one dimension of optimal health, is the by-product of our behaviors, the choices we have, and the ones we make. These behaviorshow much we eat, exercise, sleep and socializeare based on the way we think about ourselves, others, and about our circumstances. Understanding the need to address this critical element of reaching ones optimal health, Southern California's premier weight loss resort, PFC Fitness Camp welcomes the internationally acclaimed, Dr. Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D. onboard as its Chief Behavior Science Consultant.

Dr. Mantell guides the way in wellness and fitness behavior science for many organizations around the country. He currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the International Council on Active Aging, is the Senior Fitness Consultant for Behavioral Science for the American Council on Exercise (ACE), and is at the forefront of promoting optimal health, writing for Huffington Post's "Healthy Living" and as a founding member of "Doctors for a PHIT America." Needless to say, Mantell's place on the current "100 Most Influential People in Health and Fitness" is a well-deserved title.

"It is an genuine privilege to be associated with an esteemed professional group that's as passionate about promoting optimal health as is the PFC Team," states Dr. Mantell. "In the service of advancing the full wheel of wellness for clients, I'm ready to insure that our behavior transformation curriculum is evidenced-based, up-to-the-minute, and has long-term applicability for our clients after they leave our on-site program. Our program is fully about lifestyle habit change, 'THINK-EAT-MOVE', for life."

In collaboration with newcomer, Katie Erreca, Ph.D., who will serve as a member of the behavior science team as a Psychological Consultant and Behavioral Coach, this powerhouse of minds will deliver an unrivaled and unsurpassed weekly workshop dedicated to help clients build mental resiliency and endure behavioral change to secure and maintain optimal health.

The addition of Dr. Mantell and Dr. Erreca to the existing A-team at PFC Fitness Camp, positions the live-in weight loss and optimal health retreat to provide hyper personalized, high-touch, and unmatched learning experiences for individuals preparing to make a positive and lasting shift in their daily lifestyle habits.

About PFC Fitness Camp A world-class weight loss resort nestled in the coastal foothills of Carlsbad, California at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa, PFC Fitness Camp boasts a team of the nation's top experts in the health and wellness industry. Dedicated to providing an unprecedented experience, PFC Fitness Camp offers a comprehensive approach to Behavioral Science, Nutrition and Fitness, for a full wheel of wellness that has resulted in thousands of sustainable, life-transformations for individuals around the world.

For more information please visit us at http://www.premierfitnesscamp.com

Media Inquiries, please contact: Joni Parmer / 858.344.3777 / jonipremierfitnesscamp.com

SOURCE PFC Fitness Camp

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Losing Weight is Exactly What You Think

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (PRWEB) March 28, 2014

Behavioral health expert Ben Brafman served as moderator for the March 4, 2014 roundtable discussion, Limited Resources, Unlimited Hope: Addressing the Dual Diagnosis of Mental Illness and Substance Abuse. Held at Park Shore in Hallandale Beach, Florida, the healthcare roundtable discussion brought together experts from various addiction and mental health backgrounds for a lively discussion on the state of mental health and substance abuse treatment and what the future may hold.

Panelists included behavioral health expert Alton Smith, VP Business Development at Destination Hope, Robert Cole, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Registered Dietician at The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center, Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger, MD, FAAFP, FASAM, a board-certified family physician and Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and Paul Gionfriddo, a member of the National Advisory Council to the SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services.

Panelists covered a variety of the most pressing addiction and mental health issues of the day including medical marijuana, the increasing number of mass shootings and violent episodes across the country, the pharmaceutical industry, the lack of available mental health treatment and the changes in addiction therapy and coordination in the last 20 years.

The field of behavioral health is intertwined with virtually almost every current event of the day, said Brafman. This is an exciting time to be in the field and a terrific time to be discussing its past, present and future. I appreciate the opportunity to have such a lively and in-depth discussion with such distinguished behavioral health experts.

Preceding the panel, journalist and author Brian Bandell spoke about his new book, a science fiction thriller titled, Mute.

Area professionals attended the roundtable event, hoping to get insight from addiction specialists and behavioral health experts. Following the panel, the panelists and moderator took audience questions, leading to a lively debate on what can and should be done in the industry. Participants came from variety of professional industries including: insurance, medicine, real estate, marketing and law.

Anytime we can have a public discussion on mental health or addiction we help break the stigma and hopefully help people bring the discussion to their own homes, said Brafman. That is what is going to move this industry forward.

Brafman, founder and CEO of Destination Hope, Destination Hope: The Womens Program and the Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center is a 20 year veteran of the behavioral health field. He speaks across the country at addiction and mental health conferences as well as to private industry groups on addiction, mental health and behavioral health. His next speech will be at the Foundations in Recovery event in San Diego in April. As a behavioral health expert, Brafman also writes articles on the subject for a variety of health publications. More information on Ben Brafman can be found at http://www.benbrafman.com. Information on Destination Hope and its sister programs can be found at http://www.drugrehabfl.net.

FHI Communications produces frequent roundtable discussions on the most pressing health topics facing our community.

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Behavioral Health Expert Ben Brafman Moderates Discussion on Dual Diagnosis

Children of all ages enjoyed looking at science experiments and presentations, with their parents, at Fort Belvoir Elementary Schools fourth annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Science Fair March 19.

Students from all of the schools grade levels were eligible to participate in the fair on a voluntary basis, according to Nancy Rowland, FBES STEM coordinator. Sixth graders were judged on multiple categories and the winners can compete in an April 5 science fair at George Mason University. The rest of the students were not judged for their projects. About 400 students participated in the fair.

Their projects were displayed on multiple levels of the school.

It is nice to see this kind of energy, Rowland said during the fair. We are excited.

Theresa Carhart, FBES principal, said the science fair provided an opportunity for students and Families to see science in action.

FBES has been sponsoring STEM programs for more than four years, according to Rowland. The programs have been funded by two Operation Patriotic STEM grants from the Department of Defense Education

Authority worth more than $3 million.

The four categories that sixth graders were judged on during the fair include chemistry, biology, social behavioral and physics, according to Rowland. Some sixth graders earned first, second, third place recognition and there were some honorable mentions.

The students learned about hypothetical thinking when doing their projects. They would come up with an experiment and then they would hypothesize, or think, about what they expected the outcome of the experiment to be.

Kara Fahy, FBES STEM resource teacher, said the students loved doing the experiments. A lot of them were surprised when the results of their experiments did not match their hypotheses. Fahy liked that the students were taking risks.

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STEM Science Fair intrigues students, parents

Exclusive: Photos from Inside Anthony Sowell's Home Inside Look: Exclusives Photos Paint Disturbing Scene Inside Home of Anthony Sowell

Updated: Saturday, May 1 2010 11:19 AM EDT2010-05-01 16:19:26 GMT

GRAPHIC PICTURES: CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) - It was one of the most gruesome sights in Cleveland crime history.

Updated: Tuesday, March 25 2014 5:29 PM EDT2014-03-25 21:29:47 GMT

Sunnie Kahle is 8 years old. She has short hair and a huge heart, and as far as her grandparents are concerned, she is a completely normal little girl.

Sunnie Kahle is 8 years old. She has short hair and a huge heart, and as far as her grandparents are concerned, she is a completely normal little girl.

The Missouri Highway Patrol says two drivers were killed in a head-on crash when one of them drove north in the southbound lanes of a highway south of St. Louis.

The Missouri Highway Patrol says two drivers were killed in a head-on crash when one of them drove north in the southbound lanes of a highway south of St. Louis.

Updated: Tuesday, March 25 2014 4:16 PM EDT2014-03-25 20:16:11 GMT

A Phoenix couple faces child abuse charges for neglecting to feed their 9-month-old baby who weighed 7 pounds when he was seen by medical staff, police said. Ryan Morris, 32, told police the baby had

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Hundreds of students participate in science fair at SIU

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Regional Top of Category winners for the Central New Mexico Science and Engineering Research Challenge held at the University of New Mexico, March 20-22.

Regional representatives to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair: Julie Giannini, St. Pius X High School, first place; Jarek Kwiecinski, Albuquerque Institute of Math & Science, first place; Matthew Miller, Rio Grande Enrichment Studies, first place; Valerie Perea, St. Pius X High School, first place.

Regional 8th Grade Student Observer to ISEF: Lauren Soherr, Jefferson Middle School, first place; Kristin Strosnider, St. Thomas Aquinas School, first place.

Regional Research Challenge Top Junior Division Award: Rusty Ludwigsen, Desert Willow Family School, first place; Kristin Strosnider, St. Thomas Aquinas School, first place.

Junior Division Cellular & Molecular Biology Category: Lien Tang, Eisenhower Middle School, first place.

Junior Division Animal Sciences Category: Natalie Gannon, Jefferson Middle School, first place.

Junior Division Behavioral and Social Sciences Category: Katie Schall, Annunciation Middle School, first place.

Junior Division Chemistry Category: Shannon Killian, Holy Ghost Middle School, first place.

Junior Division Computer & Mathematical Science Category: Kara Tsikteris, Cleveland Middle School, first place.

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Congratulations to all the Top of Category winners!

Behavioral Science Introduction

By: Amity Openlearning

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Behavioral Science Introduction - Video

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By Mike Dougherty

CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) More than 250 students in grades 6 to 12 from Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties Saturday competed in a science fair sponsored by the Coriell Institute for medical research.

Coriell CEO Michael Christman describes it as the next generation of leaders.

Christman says competitions like this bring out the best in a young mind.

Its very impressive, and its really inspiring to see because they really get into it. Theyre very creative.

There are a dozen categories ranging from biochemistry to zoology. Delran high school student Thomas ODonnell took first place in the behavioral and social sciences category for his findings on distracted driving:

Drivers who are texting and driving, they take 60-percent longer to react to a red light, he explains.

This is a problem that has affected him personally.

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Brilliant Young Minds Compete In NJ Science Fair

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

19-Mar-2014

Contact: Bobbie Mixon bmixon@nsf.gov 703-292-8485 National Science Foundation

Industry-sponsored, academic research leads to innovative patents and licenses, says a new analysis led by Brian Wright, University of California, Berkeley professor of agricultural and resource economics.

The finding calls into question assumptions that corporate support skews science toward inventions that are less accessible and less useful to others than those funded by the government or non-profit organizations.

The analysis, based on a study of two decades of records from the University of California system, is in today's science journal Nature.

The National Science Foundation's Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences funded the study. "There are two potential interpretations of the report," said Joshua Rosenbloom, program director for Science of Science and Innovation Policy (SciSIP). "One is optimistic. Corporate funding leads to research that is more likely to be commercialized and this greater focus is good.

"The second reading is that corporate funding shifts the focus of research away from basic science," added Rosenbloom.

During the last few decades, the share of gross domestic product supporting research and development has been stable, but the corporate share has increased substantially. "This may reflect a shift in emphasis away from basic science discoveries that provide a basis for future commercialization," Rosenbloom said.

SciSIP supports interdisciplinary social science research that builds an evidence base for informed policy choices and contributes to a better understanding of the interactions between science, technology and innovation.

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Analysis: Industry-sponsored academic inventions spur increased innovation

Teaching people how to flavor food with spices and herbs is considerably more effective at lowering salt intake than having them do it on their own, according to research presented on Wednesday at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology & Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity & Metabolism Scientific Sessions 2014.

In the first phase of the study, 55 volunteers ate a low-sodium diet for four weeks. Researchers provided all foods and calorie-containing drinks. Salt is the main source of sodium in food.

In the second phase, half of the study volunteers participated in a 20-week behavioral intervention aimed at reducing their sodium intake to 1,500 mg/day by using spices and herbs. The other half reduced sodium on their own.

More than 60 percent of the participants in the study had high blood pressure, 18 percent had diabetes and they were overweight.

The researchers found:

"People in the intervention group learned problem-solving strategies, use of herbs and spices in recipes, how culture influences spice choices, how to monitor diet, overcoming the barriers to making dietary changes, how to choose and order foods when eating out and how to make low-sodium intake permanent," said Cheryl A. M. Anderson, Ph.D., M.P.H., lead author of the study and associate professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California San Diego.

Those assigned to the behavioral intervention group had cooking demonstrations and had a chance to share how they were changing traditional recipes to remove salt and include spices. The researchers didn't emphasize specific spices, and encouraged participants to try different things to find out what they liked most.

"Salt is abundant in the food supply and the average sodium level for Americans is very high -- much higher than what is recommended for healthy living," Anderson said. "We studied the use of a behavioral intervention where people learn how to use spices and herbs and less salt in their daily lives."

"Given the challenges of lowering salt in the American diet, we need a public health approach aimed at making it possible for consumers to

The McCormick Science Institute funded the study.

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Spices and herbs intervention helps adults reduce salt intake

Dr. Schover on Low Sexual Desire in Breast Cancer Survivors
Leslie R. Schover, PhD, clinical psychiatrist, professor, behavioral science, MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses low sexual desire in breast cancer survivors.

By: OncLiveTV

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Dr. Schover on Low Sexual Desire in Breast Cancer Survivors - Video

Released: 3/18/2014 12:00 PM EDT Source Newsroom: CRDF Global Contact Information

Available for logged-in reporters only

Newswise ARLINGTON, VACRDF Global, an independent, nonprofit that promotes international scientific and technical collaboration, announced today that it will select the first ever Henrietta H. Fore Women in Science Fellow in May. The first fellow will focus on expanding opportunities for women scientists around the world to collaborate in science and engineering. She will research opportunities and impediments to international collaboration involving women scientists, advise CRDF Global on ways to strengthen existing program opportunities and make recommendations for possible new programs.

The inaugural Fellowship will be awarded to a competitively selected female scientist for an eight to twelve week duration at CRDF Global headquarters in Arlington, VA. Candidates must be women with or pursuing a Ph.D. in the natural sciences, mathematics, engineering, or biomedical and behavioral sciences. Candidates must demonstrate experience or expertise in international collaboration and be a U.S. citizen or have U.S. work authorization. The deadline for application is April 25, 2014. The fellow will be selected by May 9, 2014. Apply at http://tinyurl.com/womenfellowship.

The Fellowship is named after Henrietta H. Fore, former Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance. She was the first woman to hold these positions. She was also a recipient of CRDF Globals 2013 George Brown Award for International Scientific Cooperation. Currently she is Chairman and CEO of Holsman International, an investment and management company.

A cornerstone of our mission is promoting the collaboration of scientists with peers around the globe, said CRDF Global President and CEO, Cathy Campbell. The worldwide underrepresentation of women in science and engineering is well understood. To achieve peace and prosperity through science collaboration, it is critical to encourage more women to pursue careers in these domains. We believe that the Henrietta H. Fore Women in Science Fellowship is an important step toward fostering collaboration among female scientists around the world, said Campbell.

The world needs more scientists who seek to collaborate in programs and research, said Henrietta H. Fore. We also need more women scientists and CRDF Global is the perfect leader for these endeavors, she said.

About CRDF Global CRDF Global is an independent, nonprofit organization established in 1995 to promote international scientific and technical collaboration through grants, technical resources and training. CRDF Global has nearly 20 years of experience managing international research funding programs and supporting emerging science and technology infrastructure in more than 40 countries in Eurasia, the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.

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Inaugural CRDF Global Henrietta H. Fore Women in Science Fellowship to Advance Science Collaboration

March 18, 2014

Association for Psychological Science

Playing a science-based mobile gaming app for 25 minutes can reduce anxiety in stressed individuals, according to research published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

The study suggests that gamifying a scientifically-supported intervention could offer measurable mental health and behavioral benefits for people with relatively high levels of anxiety.

Millions of people suffering from psychological distress fail to seek or receive mental health services. A key factor here is that many evidence-based treatments are burdensome time consuming, expensive, difficult to access, and perceived as stigmatizing, says lead researcher Tracy Dennis of Hunter College.

Given this concerning disparity between need and accessibility of services, it is crucial for psychological researchers to develop alternative treatment delivery systems that are more affordable, accessible, and engaging.

Thats where the mobile app comes in.

The game is based on an emerging cognitive treatment for anxiety called attention-bias modification training (ABMT). Essentially, this treatment involves training patients to ignore a threatening stimulus (such as an angry face) and to focus instead on a non-threatening stimulus (such as a neutral or happy face). This type of training has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress among people suffering from high anxiety.

In the study, about 75 participants who all scored relatively high on an anxiety survey were required to follow two characters around on the screen, tracing their paths as quickly and accurately as possible.

After playing the game for either 25 or 45 minutes, the participants were asked to give a short speech to the researchers while being recorded on video an especially stressful situation for these participants.

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Anxiety Reduced With Smartphone App

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on March 19, 2014

New research suggests playing a science-based mobile gaming app for 25 minutes can reduce anxiety in stressed individuals.

Investigators believe the study shows that gamifying is a scientifically supported intervention that could offer measurable mental health and behavioral benefits for people with relatively high levels of anxiety.

The study is published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Millions of people suffering from psychological distress fail to seek or receive mental health services. A key factor here is that many evidence-based treatments are burdensome time consuming, expensive, difficult to access, and perceived as stigmatizing, said lead researcher Tracy Dennis, Ph.D., of Hunter College in New York.

Given this concerning disparity between need and accessibility of services, it is crucial for psychological researchers to develop alternative treatment delivery systems that are more affordable, accessible, and engaging.

Thats where the mobile app comes in.

The game is based on an emerging cognitive treatment for anxiety called attention-bias modification training (ABMT). Essentially, this treatment involves training patients to ignore a threatening stimulus (such as an angry face) and to focus instead on a non-threatening stimulus (such as a neutral or happy face).

This type of training has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress among people suffering from high anxiety.

In the study, about 75 participants who all scored relatively high on an anxiety survey were required to follow two characters around on the screen, tracing their paths as quickly and accurately as possible.

Here is the original post:
New App Can Ease Anxiety By Gaming

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

18-Mar-2014

Contact: Anna Mikulak amikulak@psychologicalscience.org 202-293-9300 Association for Psychological Science

Playing a science-based mobile gaming app for 25 minutes can reduce anxiety in stressed individuals, according to research published in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

The study suggests that "gamifying" a scientifically-supported intervention could offer measurable mental health and behavioral benefits for people with relatively high levels of anxiety.

"Millions of people suffering from psychological distress fail to seek or receive mental health services. A key factor here is that many evidence-based treatments are burdensome time consuming, expensive, difficult to access, and perceived as stigmatizing," says lead researcher Tracy Dennis of Hunter College. "Given this concerning disparity between need and accessibility of services, it is crucial for psychological researchers to develop alternative treatment delivery systems that are more affordable, accessible, and engaging."

That's where the mobile app comes in.

The game is based on an emerging cognitive treatment for anxiety called attention-bias modification training (ABMT). Essentially, this treatment involves training patients to ignore a threatening stimulus (such as an angry face) and to focus instead on a non-threatening stimulus (such as a neutral or happy face). This type of training has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress among people suffering from high anxiety.

In the study, about 75 participants who all scored relatively high on an anxiety survey were required to follow two characters around on the screen, tracing their paths as quickly and accurately as possible.

After playing the game for either 25 or 45 minutes, the participants were asked to give a short speech to the researchers while being recorded on video an especially stressful situation for these participants.

Continue reading here:
Reducing anxiety with a smartphone app

NEWS RELEASE FROM MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE UNIVERSITY

Missouri Southern to host 25th annual Regional Science Fair

Joplin, MO (SNS) The 25th annual Missouri Southern Regional Science Fair will be held Tuesday, March 25, in the third floor ballroom of Billingsly Student Center at Missouri Southern State University.

The competition for high school and middle school students is affiliated with the Society for Science and the Public. Individual (not team) projects are accepted from students in the following counties: Vernon, Barton, Jasper, Newton, McDonald, Barry, Lawrence, Cedar and Dade in Missouri; Neosho, Crawford, Montgomery, Labette, Bourbon and Cherokee in Kansas.

This years fair will include entries from 103 students in the junior category (grades 5-8) and 37 in the senior category (grades 9-12) from Bronaugh, Liberal, Seneca, Joplin, Carthage, Carl Junction and Aurora. Categories include behavioral science; cell, molecular and microbiology; chemistry and biochemistry; computer science, engineering and math; Earth and environmental science; human and animal science; physics and astronomy; and plant science.

Closed judging will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with public viewing from 1 to 5 p.m.

Science activities including sessions on static and current electricity, extraction of DNA from strawberries, performing EMGs and liquid nitrogen ice cream will be offered from 1 to 3:45 p.m. in Reynolds Hall. Students who attend three activities will have their name placed in a drawing for iTunes gift cards.

An awards ceremony will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. in Webster Halls Corley Auditorium.

First-place winners will receive a scholarship to Missouri Southern (graduating high-school seniors in the senior division), or a cash prize (for the junior division and all others in the senior division). Grand prize winners (two senior division and two junior) will also receive cash prizes. The two senior grand prize winners will also receive an all-expense paid trip to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, to be held May 11-16 in Los Angeles, Calif.

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Missouri Southern to host 25th annual Regional Science Fair - March 25

Originally published March 17, 2014 at 5:41 PM | Page modified March 17, 2014 at 6:53 PM

HARTFORD, Conn. When Porter the dog tries to figure out why his owner has placed a toy bone under a bucket, his response might provide some insight about human development, autism and other learning disabilities.

Thats the hope of Laurie Santos, who runs the Canine Cognition Center at Yale, which opened in December. She pointed to the 4-year-old chocolate Lab mix, brought in by psychology grad student Kristi Leimgruber. Porter is growing up in the same kind of environment as human children, Santos said, so comparing how he learns with the way people learn can tell us a lot about human development.

So much more than primates, dogs are more cued into what we care about and what we know, Santos said. And they might have been shaped in a way thats very different from any other animal species in part because, in a sense, they (behave) more like a human child whos cued in (to humans) than, say, a chimpanzee.

For all that we ask of dogs loyalty, companionship, slipper-fetching rarely have we asked what drives dogs. Thats starting to change in the world of academia, where the dogs status as a research subject has increased in recent years.

The Canine Cognition Center where Santos and her researchers study dogs decision-making processes and how they pick up on social cues is the latest example of a growing interest in how dogs can offer insights into behavioral and cognitive science. Santos is a professor of psychology, internationally known for her research of monkey behaviors.

Although she still studies monkeys, Santos said dogs may offer something to her research that monkeys cant.

More and more, were learning that, although monkeys are really good evolutionary models because theyre closely related to us, the environment theyre in and the way theyre raised is completely different, she said. So it would be great to get a new model that experiences some of same environments and might even experience some of the same selection pressures in evolution.

That, said Santos, is where dogs come in.

They dont have language and, obviously, theyre not human, yet they grow up in exactly the same environments as children and rely on some of the same kinds of cues, she said. So the question is, given that they have similar environments, what does that tell us about their cognition?

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Whats your dog thinking? Yale researchers want to know

Monday, March 17, 2014

Defending STEM Fair high school champion Yun Ha Seo, a senior at Tinian High School, dominated the science fair competition after being crowned the overall champion and official representative of the Commonwealth to the upcoming Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

Seo will compete with 1,600 other bright and young scientists in Los Angeles, California this May. The national contest is considered the worlds largest international pre-college science competition and hosts over 70 countries, regions, and territories annually.

Seo entered the Mathematics category with a project about the Rivest-Shamir-Adleman, or RSA, algorithm. The high school student implemented the algorithm into a computer software as an encryption. Her project bested dozens of other entries from both private and public high schools during Saturdays competition at the Marianas High School Gymnasium.

Seo said it took her over four months to finalize her entry with her teacher-coach Mikkel Castro. She vowed to work harder this year as she once again represents the CNMI as state champion.

I worked a lot harder this year so I feel like I will do better, she told Saipan Tribune. Seo plans to improve her project by developing a double encryption.

Her teacher coach was just as excited. We werent sure if she was going to win. We are happy with the project she did. I feel awesome that she will be representing the CNMI using math and technology. That is totally amazing to me, Castro said.

Four other students who also bagged gold medals in their divisions will compete at the Guam science fair this April. They include Tinians Mefi Norech, overall kindergarten to first grade finisher; Mount Carmel Schools Kyla Monique Cabrera, overall second to third grade finisher; San Antonio Schools Raina Avelino, overall fourth to 5th grade finalist; and Tinians Nicole Diaz, the overall representative for the sixth to eight grade division.

Over 20 schools, 195 entries

According to STEM fair coordinator Jeaniffer Cubangbang, PSS received a total of 195 entries from private and public schools on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. This is an increase from last years 177 entries.

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Tinian High Schools Yun Ha Seo tops STEM Fair again