Arduino featured in device that got young scientist award

Very useful project in general. In particular, see the photo of the device :wink:

Seems a very clever idea.

And well beyond the capabilities of many 11 year olds.

...R

Brilliant..puts some more established scientific organisations in the dark.....

Tom.. :slight_smile:

Delta_G,

I understand your sentiment. I grade science fairs. Most kids projects are what their parents have/do. You'd see a kid with some IR images using an IR camera from his dad's work. You'll find kids comparing engine oils from their dad's car shop. You rarely see kids taking the initiative to do something out of the ordinary.

On the other hand, nothing is really fair. You do your best, you might get what you deserve. Other kids might be cheating by getting their parents' help. Can you police them as a kid yourself? No. Will bit*hing and moaning help? Not by a long shot. Understand that it is human nature to not follow rules. If you teach your kids to follow rules but don't tell them that most people including adults don't follow rules, then you're not doing your job right.

liuzengqiang:
Understand that it is human nature to not follow rules.

Depressing but true.

What most irritates me about a lot of this stuff is the implication that every kid can be as good as the prodigy and any that aren't are just failures / second-rate.

The percentage of high achievers in the population is incredibly small but, because they are high achievers their influence on society is out of all proportion to whether their attitudes and objectives are shared by the majority. We are brain-washed to believe that what those people want to "sell" is what we need.

...R

No kidding. It is a depressing truth. If your perception of the world is that everyone follows rules you were told, then you will be constantly bothered.

Anyway, Arduino has given many people the power to overcome something very difficult without it. If I had arduino in my youth, I would have gotten more done than what I did. It would have changed my life's trajectory. I am thus hopeful that kids will make more difference for themselves and the rest of us in the future than in the past. Not every kid has to be a prodigy. But every kid should learn how to face problems and persevere, not just getting good grades and playing balls.