Editor's note: We're celebrating this year's impressive 20 Google Science Fair finalist projects over 20 days in our Spotlight on a Young Scientist series. Learn more about each of these inspiring young people and hear what inspires them in their own words.

Name: Anurudh Ganesan

Home: Clarksburg, Maryland, US

Age Category: 13-15

Project: VAXXWAGON: a reliable way to store and transport vaccines




As an infant in India, Anurudh’s grandparents carried him 10 miles for a vaccine, only to find that the vaccinations were no longer viable due to a lack of refrigeration. He knew that story well, and decided that one day he’d find a better and more reliable way to transport vaccines to remote locations. He brainstormed with a few local professors to come up with the idea for a "no ice, no electric" vaccine transportation system. Based on intensive test results in the lab, he created a simple vapor compression refrigeration system easily powered by humans or even animals. This model can successfully deliver vaccines without compromising the integrity of the antibodies, serving more people who urgently need intact and effective vaccinations. 

What was the inspiration behind your project? 

When I was an infant, my grandparents walked me 10 miles to a remote clinic in India in order to receive a vaccination. When we arrived, the vaccines were ineffective due to the high temperatures and lack of refrigeration. Eventually, I got the vaccination. I was fortunate but others are not. I later found out that according to UNICEF, 1.5 million children die as a result of not getting the safe and effective vaccines that they so desperately need. Also, I discovered that vaccines can become frozen because of ice-packs, also rendering them ineffective. This inspired me to explore a better method of refrigerating vaccines in the last-leg, particularly in developing countries. So, my ultimate goal is to develop a refrigeration system for last-leg vaccine transportation taking a “no ice, no electric” approach. By considering the current demand and utilization of water and electricity, VAXXWAGON can effectively transport vaccines in the last-leg, without the use of ice and electricity, which would save thousands of lives throughout the world.

When and why did you become interested in science? 

When I was five, my dad and I were refueling our car at a nearby gas station. I asked my dad then, “can we invent a self powered vehicle that doesn't need gas?” My dad never forgot that conversation and inspired me to learn everything I could about self-generating power. I’ve participated in several science fairs, starting from second grade until now, researching diversified topics from self-generating power to biometrics and public health. Science allows me to dream, imagine, explore and question unknown things. This creative freedom allows me to be limitless in my thinking!

What words of advice would you share with other young scientists? 

Young scientists shouldn't worry about failing and shouldn't be discouraged about their passions, even when they face big challenges. We can choose to focus on ideas for solving urgent and life threatening global issues in this ever-changing world. I also believe most importantly, that the results of these young scientist’s discoveries should be a solution that helps and creates opportunities for a better quality of life worldwide.

Editor's note: We're celebrating this year's impressive 20 Google Science Fair finalist projects over 20 days in our Spotlight on a Young Scientist series. Learn more about each of these inspiring young people and hear what inspires them in their own words.






Name: Girish Kumar
Home: Singapore
Age category: 16-18
Project: RevUp: improving learning through auto-generated study questions




Between receiving his first computer as a gift from his father and eight years of Robotic Club membership, Girish can’t remember a time when he wasn’t driven by science or building. As a student, he frequently relies on online texts to supplement classroom materials, but he doesn’t feel like they prepare him enough to learn relevant concepts. So Girish recruited help from local professors to code a tool that automatically generates questions spurred by manually inserted and relevant text. RevUp helps students study and provides an extremely efficient way for teachers to stop crafting their own review materials and start relying on automation.

What was the inspiration behind your project?
Last year, my entire class was obsessed with QuizUP, a mobile game where users could challenge friends to trivia questions. However, the more we played, the more repetitive questions started to become, taking the challenge and adrenaline rush away. This was because actual people were drafting questions, which limited the number of questions. That got me thinking: if there was way that questions could be automatically generated, players could get a much greater variety of questions. And of course, a more exciting game experience! I got hooked.

Soon after, my friend joked that if QuizUp was used in lessons, he would ace biology with great ease. Biology is an extremely knowledge-driven and content-driven subject in my school and quizzing often helps reinforce key concepts. That comment struck me, and I decided to “pivot” my idea to one that suited education.

When and why did you become interested in science?
Unlike most teenage programmers, I wasn’t fascinated with my first computer. I was disappointed.

As a kid, I used to watch countless TV shows that often depicted computers as intelligent, intelligent enough to engage in conversations. And obviously, the first computer my family bought was not able to do that. I was pretty disappointed. And that’s where and when my interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) really took flight.

Things naturally progressed after that. I joined my elementary school’s robotics team, got into programming and took online courses on Machine Learning and AI in high school. I worked on exciting machine learning projects, dealing with topics such as gesture recognition and indoor localisation, as an intern at local laboratories. I felt a need to leverage A.I. to empower people. That’s why I’m continuing to work on RevUP: to put it in the hands of students and teachers worldwide.

What words of advice would you share with other young scientists?

1. Do not waste time overthinking or over planning. Get your hands dirty and just start building/experimenting.
2. For engineers especially: Iterate fast. Build. Fail. Improve. Repeat.
3. Failure often paves way for insightful and surprising discoveries.

Editor's note: We're celebrating this year's impressive 20 Google Science Fair finalist projects over 20 days in our Spotlight on a Young Scientist series. Learn more about each of these inspiring young people and hear what inspires them in their own words.

Names: Anela Arifi, Ilda Ismaili
Home: Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Age category: 16-18
Project: A system for alternative fuel production and storage using chicken feathers and fat

Anela and Ilda have been interested in science their entire lives. A science lesson about Rosalind Franklin inspired them to apply their passion to address a big challenge facing their country. They questioned how they could use waste material for alternative fuel production and storage to address the rapid rate of urbanization and increased demand for fuel in their country. Using local laboratory furnaces, the two tested the large amount of poultry waste in in their town and found that the chicken feathers could store hydrogen, while the fat produced fuel. Anela and Ilda’s ingenious system could restore the environment, while providing jobs to rural community members.

What was the inspiration behind your project?
Anela: Today, people have huge problems maintaining enough energy for their normal needs. I saw a need to invent new fuels and find acceptable storage for those fuels. What most inspires me is solving problems that we face. Just knowing that a formula, design or experiment that we come up with can solve big problems amazes. But everything has to be well organized. So, the first thing I did was set four aims: 1. achieve energy-efficiency 2. aim for the cost-effectiveness 3. make a good quality product 4. don’t pollute the environment with it. We wanted to find one material from which both a fuel and a material for storing fuel could be made. Using Google search, we discovered that both of the products can be produced by using chicken feathers. After looking into the statistics of chicken-feather waste in our country and in the world, we came to the conclusion that using chicken feathers would be a great environmentally-friendly solution. We tested the feathers in the laboratory and read many science articles and discovered that biodiesel (fuel) and material for storing hydrogen (storing fuel) could be produced by using chicken feathers. And since I’m a great fan of designing devices and inventing, Ilda and I designed a two-reactor system that would produce both by using the same process energy. We solved a problem by thinking of changing the world, maintaining a commodity in our everyday lives, reusing materials, inventing and experimenting.

Ilda: As Niel Armstrong said: "This is a small step for man, but a giant leap for mankind." That was my inspiration to do this. To be a part of that small step for man, and hope that someday it'll become a part of amazing discoveries and projects that helped to change the world. That way of thinking made me do this. Why this topic? We rely on fossil fuels, but we’re not aware that they’re slowly disappearing. I know that many researchers claim that we’ll run out of fossil fuels in 40 years or so, but I don't think that's true. They will be around longer than that, but what we’re not aware of is that we’re killing our own planet by using them. So Anela and I decided to focus on alternative fuels that could help solve problems of today like, pollution and economy struggles. And of course, one day, let's say 200 years from now when we run out of fossil fuels, we hope that our project and our idea could be one of many good things that will help save our planet earth. And THAT is a giant leap for mankind.

When and why did you become interested in science?
Anela: I remember being a small girl (my mother says I was four) and asking my mom; "Why is the sky blue?" My mom answered my question the best she could, but I kept asking “why?” I wondered whether there’s more to it than I could see and understand. My wondering and thinking about the complexity of everything came in handy when I started competing in national math, physics and chemistry competitions. I just loved the feeling of getting the right solution after thinking and rethinking. So, I could say that I was interested in science throughout my entire life actually. In high school I started applying my knowledge towards solving the problems on paper and in practice too, so I managed to make some successful science projects also. So when it comes down to it, I can say that my interest in science began when I was four years old holding my mother’s hand, wondering.

Ilda: I've been interested in science as long as I can remember. Even as a little girl, I was fascinated by plant growing, wondering how cars work, finding out why and how we laugh and sleep. I didn't realize back then that all of that was tied to science. While attending elementary school, I competed in many science competitions, such as science fairs and physics, chemistry and biology competitions. My favourite subject is biology, and you’ll see that biology plays a big part in our project. When I got to high school, I was introduced to more serious science competitions, that made me incorporate my own ideas. I could come up with an idea and present it to the rest of the world. It was then that I realized how beautiful science is. It has no rules or restrictions or boundaries. It's the same in every country. That's why I started to be interested in science. And I love it.

What words of advice would you share with other young scientists?
Anela: Never stop wondering. Think and rethink until you understand. And even if you have troubles with your research, wondering, thinking and rethinking will make it work.

Ilda: The best advice I ever got is that knowledge is power and to keep reading and learning. That's what I'll tell my fellow scientists. An idea you have may not work the first time, or the third or even the hundredth time, but it will eventually. Mine did. So keep on trying.

Editor's note: We're celebrating this year's impressive 20 Google Science Fair finalist projects over 20 days in our Spotlight on a Young Scientist Series. Learn more about each of these inspiring young people and hear what inspires them in their own words.

Name: Adriel Sumathipala
Home: Virginia, USA
Age category: 16-18
Project: Creating a simple diagnostic tool for earlier detection of cardiac disease






Adriel met his grandfather through stories and grainy photos. In those stories, he also learned about the cardiac disease that caused his grandfather’s fatal heart attack when Adriel’s father was just 16. Wanting to prevent cardiac disease for future generations, Adriel worked with his favorite biology professor to research faster ways to detect heart illness. As a university student, he found a new biomarker for cardiac issues, allowing him to create a new affordable and simple diagnostic tool to detect cardiac disease much earlier than current tools in the market.


What was the inspiration behind your project?
I met my grandfather through my dad’s (often exaggerated and fantastical) stories; he died in his sleep from a stroke when my father was 16 years old. The odd thing about his death was that no one knew my grandfather had cardiac disease. In an underdeveloped country like Sri Lanka, troubled more by malaria than chronic diseases, who would test for cardiac disease?

When I was 14 years old, I was identified as being at risk for cardiac disease, based upon my precariously high cholesterol levels. Having already lost a family member to this disease, I began to follow a strict regimen of exercise and closely watched what I ate. However, after a few months, I failed to monitor my diet and exercise because I felt in the dark about my disease.

Was monitoring my diet closely and exercising regularly reducing my perilously high risk for cardiac disease?

Current diagnostics are tucked away in labs, expensive, and slow to report results, making it challenging for at-risk patients like myself to assess the effectiveness of their prescribed regimen. I just knew a better diagnostic could be made, so I began work on making my own.

I made my diagnostic for my family, for my older brother, younger sister, and dad who are all at risk for heart disease. I realized that we all needed a device that could easily track our risk for cardiac disease. So, I tried to make something simple, fast, and accurate to do just that for my family.

There’s a different kind of inspiration that comes from helping the people you love most. It doesn’t come in a moment of cerebral realization or with the flickering of an imaginary light bulb. It’s a continuous and unlimited inspiration. The kind of inspiration that pushed me through late nights in the lab, kept me going after innumerable failures, and stopped me from giving up my work.

When and why did you become interested in science?
While I can’t point to a pivotal moment that forever changed my interests, I can tell you why I love science.

Perhaps it started with my curiosity. I’m sure all parents and kids with younger siblings are aware of the incessantly inquisitive nature of young children; it starts just about when they learn to speak, and gradually fades away as the child grows older.

Unfortunately for my parents, that last bit didn’t happen and I never quite stopped asking them questions. In a world of questions, a universe of unknowns, science manifests itself as a brilliant arbitrator of reason. Sure, there’s no denying the incredible benefits science has brought unto humanity, but at its most fundamental level, science interests me because it explains the world around me, constantly fueling my curiosity. It’s the power of science to reveal truth and give meaning to existence that truly fascinated me.

As I grew older, I came to see science as more than just a means of explaining the unexplainable; I began to see it as a means to an end. An end that leaves a healthy, just and sustainable planet and that will ensure that my children will live long and happy lives.

This is the promise of science in the 21st century and the promise that lured me to science research. Its a simple promise of a better world. And it’s been worth every minute of my time to work towards this aim.

What words of advice would you share with other young scientists?
When you think about giving up, remember why and for whom you started your research.

Don’t compare your work to that of others; you’re the world’s foremost expert on your own research.

Find a balance between following established protocols and discovering your own methods; no genuine research is a radical departure from previous work, and humanity has, and always will, advance through small and incremental successes

Posted by Zach Yeskel, Product Manager 

We announced a developer preview of the Classroom API in June, and more than a thousand developers and schools have opted-in to use it. Today, we’re ending the developer preview, so all developers can develop with the API. The end of the preview also means that all Google Apps for Education users can authorize third-party applications to access their Classroom data, unless their admin decides to restrict access in the Admin Console. Admins can also restrict API access at the organization unit level.

In addition, the Classroom API is now supported in Apps Script, which lets anyone write custom scripts or publish add-ons for Docs, Sheets, and Forms. Check out the Quick Start to learn more. And if you want more information about the API, check out our help center, the developer documentation, or watch this video for a high-level overview of the API and share button.
Use the #withclassroom hashtag on Twitter or G+ to let us know if you’re integrating with the API. Google Apps administrators, feel free to contact support with any questions, and developers, you can use Stack Overflow to post technical issues, using the tag google-classroom.

As always, we look forward to hearing your feedback to ensure we’re addressing your top needs.

Posted by Andrea Cohan, Google Science Fair Program Manager

(Cross-posted on the Google for Work, Student and Research blogs)

Sometimes the biggest discoveries are made by the youngest scientists. They’re curious and not afraid to ask, and it’s this spirit of exploration that leads them to try, and then try again. Thousands of these inquisitive young minds from around the world submitted projects for this year’s Google Science Fair, and today we’re thrilled to announce the 20 Global Finalists whose bright ideas could change the world.

From purifying water with corn cobs to transporting Ebola antibodies through silk; extracting water from air or quickly transporting vaccines to areas in need, these students have all tried inventive, unconventional things to help solve challenges they see around them. And did we mention that they’re all 18 or younger?

We’ll be highlighting each of the impressive 20 finalist projects over the next 20 days in the Spotlight on a Young Scientist series on the Google for Education blog to share more about these inspirational young people and what inspires them.

Then on September 21st, these students will join us in Mountain View to present their projects to a panel of notable international scientists and scholars, eligible for a $50,000 scholarship and other incredible prizes from our partners at LEGO Education, National Geographic, Scientific American and Virgin Galactic.

Congratulations to our finalists and everyone who submitted projects for this year’s Science Fair. Thank you for being curious and brave enough to try to change the world through science.

Posted by Sepi Hejazi Moghadam, K-12 Education Program Manager

We might be biased, but to us, introducing kids to the wonders of Computer Science (CS) is increasingly important—especially for those who have historically been underrepresented in the field. CS is much more than computer programming and coding— it’s a gateway to creativity and innovation not just in technology but in fields as diverse as music, sports, the arts, and health.

But as Maggie Johnson notes in her recent post on The Computer Science Pipeline and Diversity, with only 16,000 CS undergraduates per year in the US, we’re a long way off from being able to fill the growing number of jobs in computing technology. To fix this gap, we need many more students engaging in the power of CS, especially girls and minorities. And, as our research has shown, encouragement and exposure have a direct impact on a child's interest in pursuing CS education, especially girls. But with many schools lacking CS courses, how can we help students access CS learning opportunities?

In the spirit of increasing awareness, access, and lifelong CS learning, we have a number of teams here at Google working to build CS education technology and programs for students, parents, and educators. Our collective efforts have led to many different initiatives, which is why we have launched a new gateway for all of our CS education opportunities. With this site, we hope to equip you with learning programs and opportunities, and arm you with our research about the various ways you can increase students’ exposure to CS education.

Once you’ve made your way to the learning opportunities page, filters allow you to easily sort for the most relevant information according to age or regions -- whether it’s coding projects, summer programs, or funding. You can explore the many “learn to code” resources, including CS First, Blockly Games, and Pencil Code, and annual student competitions and programs, including Code Jam, Computer Science Summer Institute, and Code-In, for students of all ages and backgrounds. For example, perhaps you’re looking for an easy-to-use intro to coding opportunity for music-loving 5th graders. You should check out Pencil Code, which is a coding laboratory using drawing, music, and creative fiction to help students progress from block coding to text. It’s learning opportunities like this that allow students to create and not just consume technology.

We hope you find having this resource at your fingertips will provide inspiration, fun and practical ways to engage as you begin and continue your journey into CS! We encourage you to explore and to let us know what you think. Join the conversation with #googlecsedu.