Posted by Clare Conway, Google Science Fair Team

What do wearable sensors, natural nitrogen depletion, aromatic alarm clocks, and diazotroph bacteria have in common? Maybe not so much at first glance, but they're all inspirations behind a few of the 15 finalist projects in this year's Google Science Fair. And now it's your chance to cast your vote for the Voter’s Choice Award.

Through September 14, you can select which of the 15 Global Finalists has the greatest potential to change the world. These projects were selected from amongst thousands of entries earlier this year and represent nine countries from across the globe. These bright budding scientists have all turned their passion for science and engineering into a project that can change the world for the better, and have found inspiration from their world around them: whether it’s using technology to help care for a relative, using chemistry to improve the environment, or developing a method to help prevent cyberbullying. Oh and did we mention that all of them are 17 or younger?

The winner of the Voter’s Choice Award will receive a $10,000 grant from Google to help develop their project. We will announce the winner at the Google Science Fair awards ceremony in Mountain View, CA on September 22nd, where we will also announce our age category and grand prize winners.

Head to googlesciencefair.com before September 14 to support these young scientists with your vote and let us know which project you think will change the world.

Posted by Megan Smith, Vice President, Google[x]

(Cross-posted on the Google Enterprise Blog)

We love to focus on solving problems. Sometimes practically and other times with wild, imaginative—or even highly unexpected—ideas. These ideas are born through education, when curiosity meets access to information. That’s why we have a vested interest in, and commitment to, learning in all forms. It’s also why we’re starting this Google for Education Blog: a new destination to share our work that’s happening across education, from products to programs, from the practical to the unimaginable.

One of our goals is to help more students feel engaged and love learning, to encourage their curiosity, to let them work together, to try something new, to make stuff, and to always try again. Through Programs like Made with Code, Doodle 4 Google, and the Google Science Fair, we strive to help students discover the problems they are passionate about solving. Time and time again youth prove that you don’t always have to be a grown-up to bring forward extraordinary solutions. This blog will be a place to hear about those programs and talented young people.

Since behind every student are great teachers, we also focus on building products and tools designed for the classroom that help educators do what they do best, even better. Collaborative tools like Google Apps for Education with Classroom, easy-to-manage affordable devices like Chromebooks and tablets, and limitless educational content in Google Play for Education and YouTube help make learning possible—and fun—outside the four walls of the classroom.

The future is upon us, which is so apparent when working on learning. As former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley says, “We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented, in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.” We hope you’ll find this blog useful—along with our Google+ and Twitter channels—as we continue to share more updates and stories from across Google for Education, our dedicated partners, innovative teachers, and inspiring students.