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You've probably heard of "crowdsourcing," the very 21st-century term coined in 2006 in Wired magazine. This new word, a twist on the idea of outsourcing, describes the practice of posing a question or challenge to the public, and asking for individuals to contribute a small piece to the project goal. Successful examples of online crowdsourcing include Kickstarter, a fundraising website for individual projects; National Geographic's own search for the tomb of Genghis Khan; and the uber crowdsourcing phenomenon, Wikipedia.

All of which is to say, the concept and practice of crowdsourcing has found a place in 21st-century society. But recently, I've started noticing a crowdsourcing niche, one that has yet to be named but I believe deserves to be singled out as its own phenomenon. Let me give you some examples.

We're thrilled to announce that the new website for the 2012 Google Science Fair launched this morning (at 12:01 GMT, to be precise)! National Geographic is very proud to be partnering with Google and our friends Lego, Scientific American, and the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) on this groundbreaking program, following an extremely successful inaugural year in 2011. We're especially honored to be offering one of the banner prizes, a scientific voyage to the Galapagos Islands!




So, what it's all about!

The Google Science Fair is an online science competition seeking curious minds from the four corners of the globe. Anybody and everybody between 13 and 18 can enter. All you need is an idea!

Like, what kind of idea?

...It could be a new take on particle physics, or game theory. It could be a cost-effective way to provide clean water to a remote community, or maybe a project like reducing the carcinogenic properties of grilled chicken (that was one of last year's winning entries). It should definitely be inspired! Everyone has a question. What's yours?

Ok, now I'm interested. How  do I participate?

It's a simple 4-step process:
1. Register
2. Get parental consent
3. Build your project site
4. Submit your project

Learn more about National Geographic's participation in this post on the Nat Geo News Watch blog, and visit the Google Science Fair website to get all the additional details you need to enter!

A special opportunity for high schools from our friends at NEEF. We encourage you to enter the contest to showcase how your school is using technology and addressing energy issues--two of our favorite topics.  Visit neefusa.org/energyaward for more information and to enter by February 10. Good luck!

 

SustainUS, United States Youth for Sustainable Development, is calling for submissions to its annual CitizenScience essay contest. This year, the competition theme will focus on the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, sustainable development, and current challenges in line with the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

Here are five reasons why you should enter:

1. Share your passion for addressing the world's toughest challenges through sound science.
2. Join the SustainUS delegation to the 56th Session of the UN Commission on Status of Women in New York.
3. Present your work and communicate the importance of youth involvement to international leaders.

What do you get when you take a seasoned geography educator, send him on a multi-week adventure to the Amazon, and equip him with a blog to tell his story? Twenty-one days of inspired teaching moments and fascinating photographs!

We invite teachers and their students to follow along as Herb Thompson, better known to his colleagues and former students as "Geoman," travels from Nassau, Bahamas, to the mouth of the Amazon River in Brazil, to it's terminus in Iquitos, Peru. Herb is a retired world geography teacher who has been a teaching consultant and co-coordinator for the National Geographic-supported Nevada Geographic Alliance for several decades.

Twenty-five years ago Herb embarked on a Semester at Sea adventure that changed his life and those of the many students who would benefit from his enlightened teachings about the world. Prior to his Semester at Sea experience Herb had traveled to one foreign country--Mexico--he has since visited 65.

 

For the annual National Geographic Education holiday party, event specialist Jamie Bosley led a team in creating festive decor from recycled materials. Windows and wreaths on the walls were constructed out of old carboard, newspaper, and paper towels; candle holders on tables came courtesy of used wine bottles, and table clothes were fashioned from flannel shirts.

For a number of people around the world, winter is a time of gift-giving. In the U.S., the holiday shopping season is often a madhouse of sales, checklists and wrapping paper. After a few decades of presents--every birthday, anniversary, Valentine's Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day--you end up with a whole lot of STUFF. That's why, this year, whatever the occasion, consider giving presents with a short-term presence, and take part in 'a usable feast.'

That means choosing items that are intended to be used up before next year's gift-giving season. This year I'm giving candles to my grandmother, fruit-infused oil and vinegar to my mom, concert tickets to my brother, a set of soaps to my dad, and hearty bean soup mix to my boyfriend (hopefully I'll get to help use up that one). Other gifts include notecards, jams and jellies, birdseed, hand lotion, and of course--a calendar!

What are some other use-uppable gifts?

Alison Michel
Associate Producer for National Geographic Education

Are you a student age 9-14 who likes to travel and go on adventures? How does a National Geographic trip to the wilds of Montana sound? If your ears are perking up at the thought, then you should enter the 2012 Hands-On Explorer Challenge! The contest began on September 20, 2011 and applications are being accepted until January 7, 2012. Read more about the competition below to find out how to enter!

Application: Talk about yourself and take a photo!

1. In an essay of 300 words or fewer, tell us how you explore your world, and what it is about exploration that inspires and excites you.

2. Take a photograph of what, where, or how you explore the subject of your essay. You must be the photographer. The essay and the photograph must each be a single work of original material created by the contest entrant (no asking Mom or Dad to do it!)

Expedition:
Fifteen Grand Prize Winners will be selected. The Grand Prize consists of a 7-10-day Expedition to Montana, provided by Montana Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce, for each Winner and his/her guest, and one digital camera. The Expedition is currently scheduled for July 2012, but is subject to change at the discretion of Sponsor. Each Winner's guest on the Expedition must be his/her parent or legal guardian. The Expedition includes meals, local transportation, and double occupancy accommodations for the Expedition nights. Expedition also includes round trip air transportation for each Winner and his/her guest between the major airport closest to that Winner's home and the Expedition departure point (air transport provided by NGS).

Details:
To enter, visit kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/contests/explorer-trip-2012, download, print, and complete an entry form; and be sure to include your parent's or legal guardian's signature. Mail your completed entry form along with your essay and photograph to: NG Kids Hands-On Explorer Challenge, National Geographic Kids magazine/CDH, 1145 17th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. Entry form must be complete for entry to be valid.

Good luck explorers!

Way to go jumpers! With your help, National Geographic Kids has broken the Guinness World Record for the most people doing jumping jacks in a 24-hour period! Between 3 p.m. on October 11 and 3 p.m. on October 12, 300,265 jumpers all over the world took part in the event--far surpassing the existing record of 20,425!




Breaking the record is a huge accomplishment. But the First Lady and her organization, Let's Move, still have a lot of work to do to meet an even bigger goal: ending childhood obesity within a generation so that all children have a chance to grow up healthy and strong. To reach that goal, Let's Move is working to make sure all kids get the nutrition they need, have a chance to be active each day, and receive support from their schools, families and communities. (Let's Move Blog) For more resources to educate your classroom about healthy living, refer to our National Geographic Education article on health at every size.

Photograph by Aloha!, NG Kids My Shot
--Julia from My Wonderful World

This blog submission is an announcement of awareness by Matthew Chandler Christopher, and Education Student at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. The view this submission in full, check out The Sharp Student Blog page or simply follow this link.

On Saturday, October 29 at about 14:30, my parents and I were in Rustenburg on the long road to Sun City. We came across some street hawkers on the side of the road selling the usual merchandise one would come to expect. Upon closer observation of this particular group of hawkers I noticed that they were holding little creatures in their hands.

They were holding light-green dwarf chameleons with beautiful orange eyes. This truly shocked me as I did not expect to see this.

Our chameleon species are being sold illegally on the side of roads. They may seem like insignificant reptiles but they play a big role in the natural ecosystems and food webs in their environments.

They are now being exploited for their attractiveness in the pet trade. This will be detrimental to the population of chameleons in South Africa and it will impact negatively on other species which live in symbiosis with them.

Let's not wait for this issue to grow - let's do something now to conserve this amazing species. Loss of habitat is already a problem - let's take action now to protect them for future generations to enjoy. We are blessed to have a rich biodiversity of fauna and flora in our country. Let us appreciate what we have now before ignorance and time makes us remember what we had.

• Poverty could be one of the driving factors behind this. Chameleons are collected in the bush and sold for cash
• Demand for chameleons on the pet trade industry could be on the rise
• I am not aware of any medicinal purposes of chameleons - let's hope that none exist
• The chameleons have to withstand unfavourable conditions when captured. Temperatures during the day can soar high. Being held in a hand the whole day without nourishment can be devastating to their health. They could die and then just get thrown away.
  

I can't just state the problem to you so here are some solutions:

• Do some news inserts on this to raise some awareness
• Research into this issue to find out more
• Alert the Department of Environmental Affairs and wildlife aid structures 
• The Department has the funds to create a campaign in schools to raise awareness
• Implement harsh fines for offenders - this money will go to the conservation of the species
• Environmental rehabilitation - planting of indigenous trees and shrubs and plants
  

Please do not take this lightly. Look at what has happened to the rhino populations. They are on the verge of extinction but thankfully those in the right places are doing something about it. Only now some serious action has been taken. Let us not wait a minute longer - let's conserve - there is a lot of money in eco-tourism. We cannot let our precious resources go to waste.

Do what you can, with whatever you have, wherever you are, right now; Thank you for your time.

Matthew Chandler Christopher, The Sharp Student Blog
Photo Credit: Your Shot, Tony Mackrill

GeoEye Quiz 1: The Rules: In order to participate, fans of National Geographic Education have 24 hours after this post is published to guess the location of the satellite image and and e-mail their answer to NatGeoEd@ngs.org (Submissions must include the following to be entered to win: "GeoEye Quiz" in the subject line, first and last name, complete mailing address, and the correct answer in the body of the email). Daily images and clues will be shared via Facebook, Twitter, and the My Wonderful World blog today through Friday of Geography Awareness Week.  All correct submissions for each day will be entered into a drawing for a prize, and one winner will be selected at random each day.