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Weekly News FlashesMonday Morning Message, April 28, 2014The awards have been earned, swag and cash have been given out, you've returned to school, and we've cleaned up and packed away for next year..... And so ends another great year for the Supercomputing Challenge! As you return to your home towns you may find that your local paper knows your name, well it's our fault... We sent a press release to every superintendent and newspaper for every town that had Challenge Participants. Enjoy it students and teachers, you deserve it! THINGS WE REGRETABLY FORGOT:Rachel Washington was a NCWIT New Mexico Aspirations Winner! Congratulate her as she works very hard, has participated in the Challenge for three years and deserves the award! We forgot to announce that Cottonwood Elementary was a new school this year! Congratulations! We'll be seeing you next year! THINGS TO DO THIS SUMMER:Don't forget about Jed Crandal's Computer Boot Camp which will be held at UNM this summer. http://www.cs.unm.edu/~crandall/bootcampposter.pdf To apply: simply e-mail your name, age, and the high school you attend to crandall at cs.unm.edu before 1 May 2014. Notifications to accepted participants will be sent out before 7 May 2014. Since Jed mentioned this at the awards ceremony, he is still open to attendees. We are always there for those of you working on a project this summer. Email questions, comments and suggestions to: consult1314 at supercomputingchallenge dot org Teachers, the Summer Teacher Institute is scheduled for July 13th - 25th at NM Tech. Go to the Challenge Website for more information: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/sti Follow Up SurveysIf you didn't get your Post-Challenge survey turned in at the Awards Ceremony Tuesday morning:
Here's to seeing you either as a University Student Extraordinaire or back again to do even better next year!!! We look forward to seeing ALL OF YOU for our 25th year next year! Patty, Betsy, Celia, and David for the Challenge Thursday Afternoon Message, April 24, 2014Again, CONGRATULATIONS to all the participants of the 24th Annual New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge. (Can you walk the dog with your yo-yo yet?) Follow Up SurveysIf you didn't get your Post-Challenge survey turned in at the Awards Ceremony Tuesday morning:
PublicityOn the Expo site above, see the press coverage we know about so far. If you get your local newspaper to do an article about your school/team, send Consult1314 the URL and we'll add it to the list. PicturesWe have posted the pictures from the Expo, which we showed before the Awards Ceremony began. If you want a high resolution copy of any of the pictures from the slide show, right click to do a Save As and note the image name. Send Consult1314 an email requesting a higher resolution image and we'll send it to you. More pictures of the Awards Ceremony will be posted next week. We have also posted a .pdf version of the Awards Ceremony PowerPoint presentation. Volunteers NeededVolunteers for ROBORAVE are needed [mostly on Saturday May 3rd ] at the convention center in Albuquerque more info at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?llr=rge8e9iab&oeidk=a07e8v5iccm552a6d17 or http://roboquerque.org CongratulationsAgain, congratulations to everyone who Took the Challenge! Betsy, Celia, David, and Patty for Supercomputing Challenge Consulting Thursday Morning Message, April 17, 2014Expo highlightsLook for the Supercomputing Challenge signs to registration in the J. Robert Oppenheimer Study Center at the Los Alamos National Laboratory on Monday morning. Arrive 30 minute prior to your Expo presentation time slot: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/archive/13-14/expo/exposchedule.shtml After your presentation, you will take your project posterI and logo poster to the Otowi building and display them there, right across from the cafeteria. Everyone will vote on the best posters during lunch. Everyone will receive a lunch ticket good for $8.00 at the Otowi Cafeteria. The finalist presentations will be broadcast on an internal LANL system and people can watch the presentations in the Study Center (upstairs). HousingSee the Expo web page for details. Those spending the night(s) in Los Alamos will have breakfast at the hotels. ToursTour groups will form in the Otowi third floor lobby, right next to the rooms where the poster will be on display. No electronic devices are allowed on the tours. Leave them in your vehicles or at the registration table. WeatherThe weather in Los Alamos for Sunday through Tuesday looks good. Lows in the mid 40s and highs around 70 degrees with zero chance of rain. Bradbury Museum ReceptionMonday evening from 5:00-7:00 the Bradbury Museum will host a reception for Supercomputing Challenge participants. Dinner is on your own and there are a variety of places to eat in Los Alamos. Awards CeremonyTuesday morning, 9:00-noon, followed by lunch. 2323 Diamond Drive, Los Alamos, NM Event DetailsReview the Expo web page for all the details. Betsy, Celia, David, and Patty Monday Morning Message, April 14, 2014Spring Break is upon many of you. . . Yea! Next week is the Expo; we are excitedly preparing schedules, tours, PowerPoints, awards, and press releases and finding judges, escorts, and rooms. Representative Ben Ray Lujan Jr. will be at the Expo next week. He's come to see you at your best! Room and SchedulesTo find your rooming arrangements in Los Alamos check Rooms To find out what you will be doing check Schedules To find out when your team presents their project check Team Presentations For directions check Directions Scholarship InterviewsFinalists and scholarship interviews will posted online Wednesday and Thursday. We will check to make sure you know when and where your presentation and/or interview is. Questions and HelpBe sure to write to Consult with any questions. What's new on the web?This is an interesting video to watch: TED Bionics Hmm Biology, Physics, Technology, Mathematics, Modeling, what a way to move... Imagine redesigning your limbs just because of an accident. Monday Morning Message, April 7, 2014Oh my! The Expo is just 14 days away! Are you ready? Students nominate your teacher for an award. Your teacher is a volunteer and deserves to be recognized. Do it now. Most of you have submitted your final report and are very busy working on your presentation. EXPO:There is a lot of important here: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/archive/13-14/expoEXPO SCHEDULE:The Supercomputing Challenge Expo schedule has been posted at: We expect to have ten teams being judged each half hour, after which they will put their poster up for display in the gallery and form tour groups and tour the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Plan to arrive at the Study Center (see the directions web page) a half hour before your scheduled presentation time slot. Housing list for the hotels in Los Alamos will be posted later this week
so check the EXPO web page to see that you are listed: VIDEO CONTEST:Don't remember what this is about? Go to: Don't forget if you are submitting a video for the video contest it is due April 14th. Submit to: consult1314 at supercomputingchallenge dot org BEST WEB PRESENTATION:Monday, April 14 - Submissions for the Best Web presentation of a final report
are due. Once you have your Web page posted, send an email message to Consult
saying you wish to enter the Web-based Presentation competition and include
the URL of your page. A link will be added to your site from the Final Reports
page. DO YOU WANT YOUR LOGO DESIGN TO BE ON THE WEBSITE NEXT YEAR?ON BAGS and newsletter, t-shirts items? If your poster is chosen you will also receive $200.00. The poster should be designed on a single sheet of poster board. It can be hand-drawn, designed on a computer, or created by a combination of methods. There is an award for the individual(s) who design the winning graphical logo poster. The poster must be comprised of original artwork and text! You may not copy or borrow pictures, artwork, slogans, etc. from any outside source. At the Expo, all of the Supercomputing Challenge participants will judge the poster entries and select the winner. WANT SOMETHING FUN TO PLAY WITH? CHECK OUT LITTLE BITShttp://littlebits.cc/projects Patty, David, Betsy, Celia for the Supercomputing Challenge Monday Morning Message, March 31, 2014SPRINT TO EXPO AWARDS DAYSWednesday, April 2 --- Submit Final Reports Wednesday, April 2 --- Register Teams for Expo Awards TEACHER APPRECIATIONFriday, April 4 - Nomination letters for the Best Teacher Sponsor due to Consult. Nominate your teacher sponsor! Tell us why your supporting teacher rocks! In 100 words or less, tell us why she deserves to be honored. How has he supported you? How has she helped with mentors? How has he helped you think through your problem? The winning teacher will receive an award at the Awards Ceremony, in Los Alamos. Your nomination is due April 4th. Just email your nomination to consult1314 @ supercomputingchallenge.org. BEST WEB PRESENTATIONMonday, April 14 - Submissions for the Best Web presentation of a final report are due. Once you have your Web page posted, send an email message to Consult saying you wish to enter the Web-based Presentation competition and include the URL of your page. A link will be added to your site from the Final Reports page. The Web page will be judged on: layout, organization, use of graphics, speed of loading, clearly marked sections, presentation, use of hyperlinking, functionality and syntax-compliant HTML. Those specifications are intentionally open-ended. POSTERSPrepare the poster for your presentation to the judges at the Expo. It could win the Technical Poster Award. Prepare a poster for the Graphics Logo award. VIDEO CONTESTIf you have a video for the CSTA contest, let Consult know. Computer Science Teacher Association of New Mexico and the Challenge have a new award. Please visit http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/expo/video_contest.shtml to see details on this marketing idea. ANNOUNCEMENTSLujan Grisham Announces STEM Competition for High School Students Ben Ray Lujan (NM-03) If you live outside Districts 1 and 3, you can enter the contest from House App Challenge website. And that's it for the last MMM for March. See you soon! Betsy, Celia, David and Patty for Consult. Monday Morning Message, March 24, 2014FIRST FINAL REPORT IS IN AND POSTED!Los Alamos Middle School Team 75 sent in their Final Report last week well ahead of the April 2 deadline. Congratulations to Victor and Andrei Popa-Simil and Ming-Yuan Lo. Their project is titled Go-Chess variants. We are looking forward to seeing your Expo poster presentation! ITEMS ON THE LIST:Of course, first is finishing up and submitting your Final Report: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/finalreports Second item is getting your team registered at http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/expo/registration.shtml. Remember that this is a single registration for your whole team and helps us line up everything from Expo judging schedule to ordering the right number of burritos to getting the hotel rooms organized. Help us out! Register by Wednesday, April 2. Expo presentation and poster board are next on the list. Not only is the poster board a requirement for your Expo presentation, it could be voted to be the winner of the Technical Poster Award. Read all about the Poster at http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/expo/displayboard.shtml. There are two other terrific opportunities for awards that you can be working on now. Neither is required. One is the Graphics Logo Poster whose artwork and catchy slogan creatively embody the Supercomputing Challenge program. The winning logo becomes the 2014-15 image of the Challenge that we'll see at the top of every web page and everywhere else the Challenge prints a document. Read all about it at http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/expo/logo_poster.shtml Finally, Teams are further encouraged (but not required) to produce a web-based presentation of the Final Report. An award for the "Best Web-based Presentation of a Final Report" will be given during the Awards Ceremony. The deadline for submitting your Web-based presentation is 8:00 am April 14th. http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/finalreports/html.shtml FRACTAL BREEDING GAMERachel Washington from Team 140 at Southwest Secondary Learning Center sends us this bulletin: "The fractal breeding game website is finally ready to be published. The website now can have more traffic and it would be amazing to have people from supercomputing challenge using it." Play the game at http://fractalbreedinggame.org/welcome/default/index SUMMER TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE PROGRAMThree week June summer residential program for high school students going into the 11th and 12th grades as of Fall 2014. The program consists of a rigorous introduction to computer concepts as well as college freshmen English and math skills on Mondays through Thursdays. Transportation fieldtrips/presentations are on Fridays and fun-filled extracurricular activities on the weekends. Throughout the duration of the program, students are housed in the UNM dormitories that allow the students to experience college life. The program is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation so there is no cost for participation; however, space is limited. Application deadline is April 4 at 5pm. For an application and more information, see http://www.unm.edu/~sti. Photo gallery at http://www.unm.edu/~sti/gallery.html SEE YOU SOON!Stay in touch with questions, comments, ideas. We are looking forward to being with you in Los Alamos in a month. David, Celia, Patty and Betsy for Consult. Monday Morning Message, March 17, 2014Greetings! We are rounding up our volunteer judges to come to Los Alamos for ExpoAwards Days, April 21-22. Their first task will be reading all of the Final Reports that they'll receive on Wednesday, April 2nd. April 2nd is two weeks away. The requirements and great writing tips can be found on the Challenge web pages starting at http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/archive/13-14/finalreports Remember that Wednesday, April 2nd, is also the day that Registration for ExpoAwards Days should be completed. Here is a link to that process: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/archive/13-14/expo/registration.shtml. Each registration is for the whole team: students, teachers, mentors, and bus driver. Registration is how we not only know what teams are coming but how we plan for meals and hotel rooms. While you are writing your report, remember that writing is a team sport. There are different parts of the report that each of you may be providing even if one of you does most of the writing. Someone needs to proofread and perhaps share the report with an English teacher. Someone needs to read for meaning and share with someone else to see if the ideas are making sense. Have you included all the sections required? As you get the report together, you can also be anticipating how you will tell us about your project in Poster format for the Expo. More about that next week but here is a link: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/archive/13-14/expo/displayboard.shtml Next Year's LogoDon't forget to be working on a graphics poster for next year's Challenge. That will be the 25th Annual Supercomputing Challenge and we need to make a big deal of it. Prime Numbers and HurricanesHere is a link to a video from the Khan Academy. It isn't very long and is a good break from the Final Report writing. It will be of interest to students at most levels of mathematics study. You might even think about how the presenter explains the graphing as you think about how you'll present your results at the Expo. https://www.khanacademy.org/math/applied-math/cryptography/comp-number-theory/v/prime-number-theorem--the-density-of-primes Keep on keeping on!Keep up your good work. Keep an eye on your calendars for the Challenge Dates in April. Keep on Keeping On! Supercomputingly yours, Friday Morning Message, March 14, 2014Dear Challenge Community, We have learned that the we have received a $60,000 allotment from the New Mexico State Legislature for 2014-15. We know that grant was in good part awarded to us because many of you took the time to phone or write your representatives to show your support for the Supercomputing Challenge. Those calls and messages made a difference. Thank you! We can always rely on our community. As we often say, we couldn't do it without you. Supercomputingly yours, Tuesday Evening Message, March 11, 2014Greetings! Final Reports and ExpoAwardsWe are imagining you getting your bibliographies for your Final Reports written and referring to a resource like http://virtualsalt.com/mla.htm to find out how to refer to web resources and print resources. The body of your report itself should follow this pattern:
Registration for ExpoAwards Days is OpenTeams, Register for the Expo and Awards Ceremony! Note that the registration is for the team: students, teacher, bus driver et al. Deadline for registration and Final Report is Wednesday, April 2. Final Reports are due at noon! So keep on! We are impressed with what the judges tell us about Evaluations and are looking forward to seeing you in April in Los Alamos. Challenge Alumni in the NewsCheck out this article about what a Supercomputing Challenge Alumni is doing: http://www.energy.gov/diversity/articles/women-energy-marisol-gamboa Supercomputingly yours, Tuesday Morning Message, March 4, 2014Greetings! The Challenge is now into its last lap. The last set of Evaluations was held at New Mexico Tech on Saturday, March 1. Teams shared their projects with judges at UNM, NMSU-Grants, NMSU Las Cruces, ENMU, Santa Fe Community College, Northern New Mexico College and at Los Alamos HS. Evaluations represent an important milestone in the Challenge year. Please congratulate yourselves and your teammates for the persistence you have shown to get yourselves to this final stretch. We are very proud of you! Final Reports and ExpoAwardsGet your calendars out and make sure you've got these dates highlighted. Final Reports are due on Wednesday, April 2, not later than 12 noon. That is also the last date to register for ExpoAwards. This link will help you make your plan for writing and submitting your Final Report for ExpoAwards: Final Judging and Awarding of Prizes. Next week we will have more details about registering for ExpoAwards. Tours of Sandia and UNMYesterday teams from around the state took tours of Sandia National Labs and UNM. Both tours highlighted the exciting opportunities for college study and career preparation. Robots, Solar Towers, Forensics, Digital Media, Video Immersion, Formula Racing, High Performance Computing and Engineering are a few of the activities and demonstrations teams saw. NeurogamesCheck out this website to learn about the first ever Game Jam focused on NeuroGames: www.neurogamejam.com. It will be held in Albuquerque but participants can play remotely. The date is March 14-16. At a Game Jam, teams compete over a weekend to create a new product, with awards given to winning teams. The NeuroGame Jam will focus on three categories of products: (1) brain-controlled games, (2) brain-controlled recreational devices and (3) brain training games. Prior to the event, a seminar will be held to familiarize participants with using and interfacing EEG brain measurement with games/devices and loaner EEG units will be available at the event. The event is open to participants 14 years and older. Participants may register as individuals or as teams consisting of as many as five individuals. Individual registrants will be assigned to teams at the event. The event will be held at the University of New Mexico Mesa del Sol facility, which will provide teams with state-of-the-art computer hardware and software for game development. The event is open to out-of-town teams and mechanisms will be provided to allow them to participate remotely. Looking aheadThere are many resources for writing and citing your Final Report. We'll be mentioning in the Monday Morning Message some of the hints from these resources. Remember to write to Consult if you have a question or need help. Supercomputingly yours, Monday Morning Message, February 24, 2014Good Day, Is Spring really in the air? Saturday, March 1 EvaluationsNew Mexico Tech, Socorro Map and directions to NMT Project Evaluation. Room 203 9:00 Team 77 Los Lunas High, Improving Wind Wonders 9:40 Team 141 SODA, Analyzing the Driving Distance of a Golfer 10:20 Team 143 SODA, Detecting Approaching Threats with the Police A.L.E.R.T 11:00 Team 145 SODA, Land-Base and Drone Communication with Algorithms 11:40 Team 42 Cottonwood Valley, Ringworms on Pets Room 239 9:00 Team 147 Socorro High, The Juro Project 9:40 Team 142 SODA, The Effects of Hyper-gravity on Organisms 10:20 Team 144 SODA, Pathogen RPS 11:00 Team 146 SODA, Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock Sunday, March 2ndCome meet Dr. Trilce Estrada at The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History from 1 - 4 at the Supercomputing Challenge table on March 2nd. She is an assistant professor in computer science at UNM. Her skills and expertise are Optimizations, High Performance Computing, Bioinformatics, Machine Learning, Simulations, Distributed Systems, Come see what this all means. Future Scientist Day is being celebrated at the Museum. Team 97 from Miyamura High will present their project. The Spread of Gang Activity in a Typical High School. Thanks for volunteering! Visit Roll, Drop, and Bounce: The Science of Motion, Exhibit for "open ended exploration and concrete understanding." Sandia and UNM ToursTours of Sandia Laboratories and University of New Mexico will take place on March 3rd. UNM people, please meet at IFDM Mesa del Sol, 5700B University W. Blvd., 87106 at 8:45 am. Sandia Tour will meet at 7:30 at the Holiday Inn Express on Hotel Avenue. Hotel Avenue is just south of Lomas (between Lomas and I-40) and East of Eubank. The address is: 10330 Hotel Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87123-1256. The phone number is 505-275-8900. A Challenge Alum on Ted Talks:A manned mission to Mars has long captivated our collective imagination. Perhaps the most significant obstacle to achieving this mission is fueling a craft to and from Mars. Erika DeBenedictis offers some compelling theories on how we can make it happen: http://www.ted.com/initiatives/tedinstitute/erika_debenedictis_strategies.html Quote of the WeekNothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. Calvin Coolidge So, get moving on your display, your final report, your code, your presentation. We have people waiting in the wings to help you with any of these areas. Yours in Supercomputing, Tuesday Morning Message, February 18, 2014EvaluationsTeams presented in Portales, Albuquerque and Espanola on the 15th. If any of those teams would like to talk with any of the judges, please write to Consult and we will get you their email addresses. On Feb. 20th the Los Alamos High School and Middle School teams will present during Discover E. See http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/evaluations/schedule.shtml#LA for details. A Gold Star to judge Rebecca Koskela as she has participated in three evaluations; one in Grants, Albuquerque and now Los Alamos. Socorro area teams will present at NM Tech on March 1st, see http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/evaluations/schedule.shtml#NMT for details. March 2nd, Nuclear Museum Future Scientists ConferenceIf you are joining us for a tour on Monday, the 3rd, please consider presenting your project at the Challenge table on the 2nd. The more times you share your elevator speech to people, the clearer your message about project will become. Please contact Consult if you are interested. Mentoring at the Hotel on March 2ndSome teams will spend the night in Albuquerque before the tours. If you contact Consult, we can have a mentor there after the museum to help you with your projects. Albuquerque area teams can take advantage of this opportunity, also. Tours at Sandia National Laboratories and UNM, March 3rdThanks for Cristina Montoya, a Challenge alum now working at Sandia for planning the Sandia Tour and Betsy Frederick, program manager extraordinaire, for working on the UNM tour. Watch this link for updates in the schedules. Time and Project ManagementWe boast that you learn time and project management being in the Challenge. Upcoming deadlinesApril 2nd Final Report at NOONIf you need help writing your report, please contact us. It needs to be a minimum of five pages. Here are some guidelines. Wednesday, April 2, 2014 Registration deadline for Expo and Awards Ceremony in Los Alamos.Monday, April 14, 2014, 8:00 am Submissions for the Best Web version of a final report due.Monday, April 21, 2014 Supercomputing Challenge Expo in Los AlamosDisplay Board is due on April 21st.PowerPoint is due on April 21st also.Tuesday, April 22, 2014 Awards Ceremony in Los AlamosInternational Space Station Location and ViewBetsy shares: This is really wonderful! http://iss.astroviewer.net Betsy, Celia, David, and Patty Monday Morning Message, February 10, 2014Do listen to the advice of your judges at your February evaluation. They can become your team's advocates in April. If you are in need of a mentor for your project, please contact Consult. Evaluations This Coming SaturdayKeep checking this site and please let us know if you must cancel and reschedule. Please arrive a half hour early to get set up and settled before your time slot.
Future Scientist Day at the Nuclear Museum, Mar. 2ndCome join us at the Museum and present your project. Write to Consult if you are interested in participating. There is housing and mentoring available that evening for teams over 60 miles away. Then the next day, see below Sandia National Labs/UNM Tour Day, March 3rdExciting plans are emerging for both sites. Please sign up today with Consult for one of these amazing career awareness tours. House Student App ChallengeHigh Schoolers, enter your apps in this contest by April 30th. http://lujan.house.gov/blog/house-student-app-challenge Duke Energy Academy Inspiring Future Leaders in EnergyA free workshop on energy for high school juniors and seniors and at Purdue University in Indiana, June 22 - 28th. Deadline for applications are Feb. 16th. For more information, http://Purdue.edu/EnergyAcademy Fibonacci Sequence, Fibo Whatchi?Head Expo Judge, Eleanor Walther, suggests this site for our community, The Mind Blowing Mathematics of Sunflowers: http://www.sciencedump.com/content/mind-blowing-mathematics-sunflowers Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours, Patty, David, Celia and Betsy Monday Morning Message, February 3, 2014Project Evaluations - a repeat of last week's info:Remember! Please keep going back to the February Project Evaluations web page to check for changes in the schedule. Do let Consult know if you have an issue with your scheduled time slot. http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/evaluations, This is an opportunity to share with the judges the progress you have made on your project and to ask questions and get advice on what should be done over the last two months of the project. All teams that submitted Interim Reports have been scheduled for an Evaluation at a college in their area. March tours of Sandia Labs/UNM/National Museum of Nuclear Science and HistoryMark your calendars for Monday March 3rd and plan to join us for tours of either Sandia Labs or the University of New Mexico. Funds are available to provide housing on Sunday night in Albuquerque for teams from out of town that want to participate. See more information at: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/archive/13-14/sandiatour. More details will be filled in as they become available. Please sign up by February 14th so we can make plans. The Sandia tour is limited to 40 participants. The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History is hosting Future Scientists day on March 2nd. They would like us to have a few teams of students there to share about their projects to the Museum visitors that day. Let Consult know if you would be interested in showing off your project between noon and 4:00 that Sunday afternoon. Admission to the Museum will be free that day. The Museum also has a special exhibit called Roll Drop Bounce, the Science of Motion. If your class/school would like to take a field trip there, there is grant funding from Lockheed Martin/Sandia National Laboratories to provide bus transportation. Contact Consult for more details. The exhibit runs from February 1st through April 27th. Phone App OpportunityHarry Henderson at Rio Rancho Cyber Academy would like to work with you if you are interested helping him create an app that has a lightening effect by programming the flash on the phone to flicker in a proportional fashion prior to the thunder of a "white" noise generator. Contact Consult to reach Harry. Pin Point Bullying Hot Spots with Big Data from Social MediaTom Laub, volunteer from Sandia, shares this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25918498 Challenge MannersSpeaking of Tom and Harry, two of our many wonderful volunteers, we urge you to write back to people who send you reviews or give you face-to-face feedback. Many of our reviewers say that they do not know if you are reading their emails. It is not too late to thank your Interim reviewers now for their time and expertise. VisualizationRemember to add visual representations of information, data, or knowledge in your PowerPoints at your scheduled evaluation this coming month. Just as Viraj Puri above is making a map about bullying we suggest you share a picture about your project What's the Big Deal about Grit?Passion, perseverance, and stamina lead to success. Are you following through on the milestones in the Challenge? Take your best ideas and test them and be willing to fail. Failure is not a permanent condition. http://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit.html. Enjoy your Evaluation! Have fun! We are looking forward to seeing Newcomb at San Juan College on Friday, the 7th, and on the 8th Miyamura and Quemado in Grants, our southern contingent at NMSU, and our Santa Fe area teams at SFCC. Yours in Supercomputing, Monday Morning Message, January 27, 2014Project EvaluationsKeep an eye on the Project Evaluations web page, http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/evaluations, for changes in the schedule. Do let Consult know if you have an issue with your scheduled time slot. This is an opportunity to share with the judges the progress you have made on your project and ask questions and get advice on what should be done over the last two months of the project. All teams that submitted Interim Reports have been scheduled for an Evaluation at a college in their area. March tours of Sandia Labs/UNM/National Museum of Nuclear Science and HistoryMark your calendars for Monday March 3rd and plan to join us for tours of either Sandia Labs or the University of New Mexico. Funds are available to provide housing on Sunday night in Albuquerque for teams from out of town that want to participate. See more information at: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/archive/13-14/sandiatour. More details will be filled in as they become available. Please sign up by February 14th so we can make plans. The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History is hosting Future Scientists day on March 2nd. They would like us to have a few teams of students there to share about their projects to the Museum visitors that day. Let Consult know if you would be interested in showing off your project between noon and 4:00 that Sunday afternoon. Admission to the Museum will be free that day. They also have a special exhibit called Roll Drop Bounce, the Science of Motion. If your class/school would like to take a field trip there, there is a grant funding from Lockheed Martin/Sandia National Laboratories to provide bus transportation. Contact Consult for more details. The exhibit runs from February 1st through April 27th. Final ReportsHow are you coming along with your final report? Oh, you haven't started it yet? Well, it is time to learn about what goes into a final report and start mapping it out. Review the websites http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/finalreports/specs.shtml and http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/resources/index.shtml#writing_reports Department of Labor GrantThe Challenge staff and many members of the board of directors have been working very hard on a Youth Career Connect grant. If funded, it will allow the Challenge to expand into providing summer internships with Challenge sponsors and summer bridge programs for participants. The summer bridge part of the program would help Challenge participants prepare themselves for college and future internships by providing advanced math and computing courses. A special thanks to Bob Robey and Bob Bolz for leading this effort. Betsy, Celia, David and Patty Tuesday Morning Message, January 21, 2014January Peer ReviewsPractice you public speaking talking about your project this month in anticipation/preparation for the February Project Evaluations. http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/peer_review.html February Project EvaluationsMake sure you add your February Project Evaluation time slot to your calendar. Go to: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/evaluations and see when and where you are scheduled to present. The judges will listen to your presentation and offer advice for finishing up the Challenge year. Do let Consult know if you have any issues with your presentation time/location. We really appreciate all of our volunteer judges who want to help you and see you excel. Top Supercomputing Led Discoveries of 2013Check out several stories about how research using supercomputers has led to discoveries this past year: http://www.hpcwire.com/2014/01/02/top-supercomputing-discoveries-2013/?elq=825dc0f5459342f89262371e00cd4cfa&elqCampaignId=38 One day, will you be part of computing research that can help transform our lives? Read about the topic (and listen to the Webinar if you can) at: http://www.nsf.gov/events/event_summ.jsp?cntn_id=130190&WT.mc_id=USNSF_13&WT.mc_ev=click NM Legislature in SessionPlease urge your legislators to support the Supercomputing Challenge. See last week's MMM or the NewFlash archives at: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/news_flash.shtml Betsy, Celia, David, and Patty for Supercomputing Challenge Consulting Monday Morning Message, January 13, 2014Interim ReviewsThanks to a large number of volunteers who are reviewing the Interim reports. Over two-thirds of the Interims have been review. Please acknowledge the time and effort of these folks give. Project EvaluationsThe first draft of the February Project Evaluation schedule is posted at: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/evaluations and http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/evaluations/schedule.shtml These schedules will probably change. Let us know if you require a change and remember to check the schedule each week, especially the week of your evaluation. Please make every effort to be there, be prepared, and take advantage of the judges' time and willingness to help the Challenge teams. Internships and ScholarshipsSeniors are reminded to submit scholarship information this week: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/expo/scholarships.shtml The Supercomputing Challenge is seeking grant to expand the summer Internship program so juniors and seniors interested in internship for summer 2014 need to contact Consult this week as well. Editing Help(This is from Challenge supporter and retired teacher Carl Bogardus.) Do you or your students need editing help? Try this nifty editing tool that will analyze your writing and grade it for you. EditMinion Teaching sorting algorithms? Here are some Scratch examples and instructions to go along with them. Sorting Algorithms NNM STEM Challenge/RoboRave RallyStudents from Northern New Mexico should check out the LANL STEM Challenge http://www.lanl.gov/newsroom/publications/connections/dec-2013-jan-2014/LANL-STEM-Challenge%20.php and the RoboRAVE Rally for Northern New Mexico: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e8jsr0ilb863a90d&llr=rge8e9iab&showPage=true Read about cancer fighting robots at:Learn more about High Performance Computing at:https://www.nics.tennessee.edu/hpc-seminar-series
Why do we (the Challenge) do what we do?http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/169835-building-a-computationally-literate-workforce/fulltext New Mexico Legislative SupportWith the New Mexico Legislative session about to start, we need your help with House Bill 17 that aims to support the Supercomputing Challenge. The link for the bill is at: http://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/14%20Regular/bills/house/HB0017.pdf Use the following link to find your legislator: http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/legislator_search.aspx then send the message below to them, after you have filled in the date, your school, and your name and address. We need your help in this matter! Betsy, Celia, David, and Patty for Supercomputing Challenge Consulting Date Dear Legislator, The Supercomputing Challenge is 24 years old! Please continue your support for the Challenge, a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science program that reaches students throughout the state in grades 5-12. With your help, young people can continue to learn the skills that prepare them for college and that strengthen the New Mexico workforce. We urge you to fund the Challenge for $60,000 so that students at _____________ School can continue reaping the benefits. Computer Science benefits all students. The Supercomputing Challenge teaches how to be innovative and solve problems-essential skills for students to be college- and career-ready. Government labor forecasts clearly indicate that we are not producing enough computer science graduates to meet the needs of industry nor to compete in an increasingly global economy. We need to teach students from all disciplines how computers process information. Computers are part of nearly every aspect of our lives (banking, health care, shopping, travel, etc.) It is vital that we understand their capabilities and their limitations. All students need a basic level of knowledge about how computers work and how to use them safely and securely. Computer Science education in New Mexico needs your attention. Sincerely yours, Name Address Monday Afternoon Message, January 6, 2014Welcome back! Interim ReportsWe are happy to see that 91 teams have submitted Interim Reports. We will be making the February Project Evaluation schedule this week, based on the teams that have submitted Interim Reports. If you're on one of the 26 teams that submitted a Proposal but didn't submit an Interim, let us know if you would like some help. January Peer Project ReviewsIn preparation for presenting your project in February, plan to have a peer review this month so that you can practice your presentation skills. See http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/peer_review.html for a description. Summer Internships/OpportunitiesThe Supercomputing Challenge is trying to build a program for internships with it sponsors. If you're a junior or senior and summer internship in a technology business or lab we'd like to know that. Please send an email to internship2014 at supercomputingchallenge dot org and tell us why you would like to be considered for an internship and what your particular interest is. What kind of work would you like to do? Is there a company or lab or business that you know about that we might be able to contact on your behalf? Please write as soon as possible. We will be reviewing the applications starting January 16, 2014. Look for other opportunities for yourself. Check out the FREE Research Science Institute at MIT: http://www.cee.org/research-science-institute and other programs at: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/resources/#summer_programs Betsy, Celia, David, and Patty for Monday Morning Message, December 16, 2013Greetings and Salutations!With the completion of the Interim Reports, our Challenge year reaches its mid point. Congratulations on the persistent work it took to complete your research and get started on your model. The Challenge is recruiting its scientist friends to read your Interim reports and write their reviews. They'll send these to you before January 10, 2014. The next milestone is your team's February Evaluation. It will be scheduled at a college near your school---or as close to your school as possible. The scientists who review your Interims will have suggestions to help you as you develop your model, write the code for it and prepare for Evaluations. Seniors! Scholarship ApplicationsThe first step in the process for scholarship applications is a Letter of Intent due January 16, 2014. This letter tells us that you would like to be a candidate for a Challenge scholarship. Scholarships will be awarded in April at Awards Day. The Letter of Intent describes your contribution to your team's project with an emphasis on specific areas of leadership. If you know what college or university you plan to attend, please include that information as well as what you plan to study. All seniors who have completed their Interim Report are eligible to complete a Letter of Intent. Read more about Challenge Scholarships at: http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/expo/scholarships.shtml. Seniors! Juniors! Summer 2014 InternshipsThe Challenge is actively seeking internship opportunities for Challenge seniors and juniors (that is, seniors who will be freshmen in college in the Fall of 2014 and juniors who will be seniors in the Fall). If you think you would like to have a summer internship in a technology business or lab we'd like to know that. Please send an email to Consult and tell us why you would like to be considered for an internship and what your particular interest is. What kind of work would you like to do? Is there a company or lab or business that you know about that we might be able to contact on your behalf? Please write as soon as possible. Not sure what an internship is? Check out http://internships.about.com/od/internshipsquestions/g/internshipdefin.htm Gory 12 days of ChristmasThe creepiest gifts are given in the animal kingdom. See the mouse kabobs given by gray male shrikes to their loved ones. Eleven other tasty presents are described in this story from Science News. https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/gory-details/gory-12-days-christmas Enjoy the winter holidays. We'll see you next year. Monday Morning Message, December 9, 2013Hour of Code Highlights Computer Science WeekNM Representative Ben Ray Lujan was at Capital High in Santa Fe today to highlight the national initiative to make Computer Science part of the Core Curriculum. Jenifer Hooten, Supercomputing Challenge team sponsor, and her students are hosting Representative Lujan and participating in the country-wide Hour of Code activities. Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry has issued a proclamation declaring the week of December 9-15 Computer Science Education Week and urging the community and legislators in particular to "remove barriers that prevent computer science classes from being counted as math or science credits toward graduation requirements." In a video address released this week, President Obama urges, "Don't just download the latest app, help design it," Obama said in a video address released this week. "Don't just play on your phone, program it. No one's born a computer scientist, but with a little hard work---and some math and science---just about anyone can become one." Please tell us how your school is marking the Hour of Code and offering activities that are part of Computer Science Week. It's not too late to schedule an hour with the students in your school teaching them some of the basics of coding you already know. Interim Reports due this Tuesday, December 10We are pleased to see that Interim Reports are coming in. Just in case, here is a reminder to the link for posting your report: http://supercomputingchallenge.org/interims and click on Submit or Edit your Interim Report. That page also has links to hints for formatting and reminders about checking spelling, etc. Remember that three research references are a requirement. For some fun--Whose birthday is it today???Go to http://google.com and enjoy today's Google Doodle. Click on the computers and check out the news. (If you missed it, check out http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/09/google-doodle-grace-hopper) Enjoy Computer Science Education Week. Monday Morning Message, December 2, 2013Ghost of Comet ISONLast week we included a link to Comet ISON that was scheduled to crash into the sun on Thanksgiving Day. Scientists and enthusiasts who were watching the live video from NASA thought at first that the comet might be able to complete its journey around the sun. However all that is left is a ghost's trail. Here is a link from Sky and Telescope that tells the story. You may still be able to see the ghost early in the morning. www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/highlights/193909261.html Interim Reports can be uploaded nowTo upload your Interim, go to http://supercomputingchallenge.org/interims and click on Submit or Edit your Interim Report. There is a link on that page to Guidelines for Interim Reports, too. They are due on Tuesday, December 10. Here is an excerpt from a Proposal Review that Bob Robey, Computational Scientist at Los Alamos and President of the Supercomputing Challenge Board, sent to a team: Include 5 citations for your report with some of the citations from non-internet sources. Bob also recommended the team look in the Challenge archives for projects that might be like what they are working on. (Teams) should study, learn and build from (those) reports and then be sure and credit the parts of their work that you have used. Good science builds from previous work. Read the draft of your report out loud and give it to another team or an English teacher to read. Be sure to check spelling. Here is an example of an Interim Report with good content and good formatting. http://supercomputingchallenge.org/archive/13-14/interims/interim_guidelines.shtml Hour of Code and ScratchIf you want to use Scratch templates for your Hour of Code activities, there is a set of them at the Hour of Code Studio, http://scratch.mit.edu/studios/283340. Also check out Harvard's Graduate School of Education's Hour of Code with Scratch at: https://scratched.gse.harvard.edu/hoc. This information came from our Scratch guru, Carl Bogardus. Verizon Innovative App ChallengeThis is a contest for mid and high school students to write up their ideas for great mobile applications that can improve their communities. One winning school team proposed an app that would help neighborhoods find all of the different kinds of recycling depots in their town. Teams have until December 17, 2013 to submit their app video, essays and all required submission components to the App Challenge website. Students/teams will be able to make changes and save their submission documentation via the contest submission page. This is about innovative and creative ideas and being able to describe the ideas in video and essay format. Later, winners of the App Inventor contest will have access to trainings provided by members of the MIT App Inventor Training Corps. Here is a link to info about the contest: http://appchallenge.tsaweb.org/how-to-enter. And here is a link to the apps of the middle and high school winning teams: http://appchallenge.tsaweb.org/past-winners/2013-national-winners CheersBy now all teams have received reviews of their proposals from scientists. Remember that it is appropriate to send a note thanking him or her for time and help. You can do this by replying to the message you received. If you are unable to write from school, you can ask a teacher to send the message. Be sure you have addressed their comments as you complete your Interim Report. We are looking forward to seeing what you have accomplished since the Kickoff. Stay warm! And write to Consult with questions and comments. Computationally yours, Monday Morning Message, November 25, 2013Happy Thanksgiving! We have much to be thankful for here at Consult. Our team works together awesomely. We have YOU all over the state. We have an amazing network of volunteers that reaches about 200 throughout the new year. We have super sponsors and board of directors. Here's to the best year ever. Comet ISONWe hope your Thanksgiving will be much calmer that Comet ISON's will be. It is expected to crash in to the Sun on Thursday. Learn more at: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/24nov_isoncme Interim ReportsIf you need assistance with your interim report, do not hesitate to ask. We are quoting Patty Meyer here, our star proposal reviewer: Your work from now until December 10, when Interim Reports are due, is to do your research so you truly understand your problem. Be sure you know what question you are asking and how will you begin to investigate data. In your report, you will need to demonstrate what that you made some progress since submitting your proposal, have clarified your question and the variables that effect it. If you haven't started a model, you will need to at least know what agents, and variables will be modeled. This report introduces readers to your topic, reason for its importance and demonstrates your knowledge to this point. If you need a mentor, please write to us at Consult1314 at supercomputingchallenge dot org Richard AllenThe Supercomputing Challenge staff and Board of Directors expresses condolences to the family of Dick Allen, past Challenge supporter and Board of Directors member, who passed away last week. He had an influence on how the Expo is currently held and first promoted the use of our Computational Science Process diagram. The Albuquerque Journal has an obituary: http://obits.abqjournal.com/obits/show/238948 Hour of Code and Computer Science Education WeekHave you watched any of the Hour of Code videos? High school Challenge teams should check out the tutorials an see if you could spend an hour with a middle school in your area teaching them about coding and computer science. Google Code-in 2013The Google Code-in is an online contest designed to introduce pre-university students (13-17 years old) to the world of open source software development. Participants complete "tasks" of their choice from 10 open source software projects (Apertium, BRL-CAD, Copyleft Games Group, Drupal, Haiku, KDE, RTEMS, Sahana Software Foundation, Sugar Labs, and Wikimedia Foundation). Learn more at: http://www.google-melange.com Supercomputingly yours, Monday Morning Message, November 18, 201322 More Days Left for Interim ReportsTeams have until December 10th to refine their projects for Interim Report. Each team must submit a report online that describes the project, tells about the progress to date, and states the expected results of the work. Your interim report should be written proof of what you know about your project topic, a clear question and a summary of research into the work that is already done, and a plan (if not already started) of what are the elements of your model.
You may view previous years' interim reports in the archive. Two Minute Video of Challenge YearCash prize! Video shown at the state legislature! Used as a marketing video. Click here for more details. Please let us know if you are getting started on this project. Upcoming Deadline for Scholarships and Internships for SeniorsThe Challenge is implementing a summer internship program for graduating seniors. Let us know what kind of internships you would be interested in. Both the scholarship and internship applications will be due in January. Details to come. School VisitsWant a Challenge rep to come out and help you focus your project? Please let Consult know. The Magic of Fibonacci NumbersWatch a six minute Ted Talk and marvel at the magic! http://www.ted.com/talks/arthur_benjamin_the_magic_of_fibonacci_numbers.html In Supercomputing, Monday Morning Message, November 11, 2013Happy Monday! Have you done sufficient research for your project? Do you have a mentor? Are you having trouble focusing your project? Write to Consult for help with any challenges. We are your academic marathon committee and want to help you cross the finish line. Due DatesWrite to Consult today if you would like to have a November school visit. Someone will come and visit with your team to discuss your project and meet with your teacher and principal. Your interim report is due on December 10th. Definition of Critical ThinkingThis simple definition defines the Challenge. It is from "Mind in the Making" by Ellen Gallensky. "Critical thinking involves an ongoing search for valid and reliable information along with a decision making process." Data and Visualization ToolsTom Laub, Sandia National Labs, shares this website that will help you represent your valid and reliable information. http://www.visualisingdata.com/index.php/resources Two OpportunitiesInterested in helping with the scheduling for next year's Kickoff? Write to Consult. Start documenting your Challenge process to create a marketing video. Visit http://www.supercomputingchallenge.org/expo/video_contest.shtml for more info. Math is Everywhere Even in Our Entertainment!
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For questions about the Supercomputing Challenge, a 501(c)3 organization, contact us at: consult1314 @ supercomputingchallenge.org |
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