(I do not watch
Burn Notice so can not endorse it. I do, however, like good STEM contests with great scholarships. :) )
USA Network and Burn Notice are giving high school students across the
country the chance to test their science knowledge and creativity! To
enter, students must solve a safe yet compelling challenge that your
favorite character on the show might face, such as covertly
communicating with other operatives, surveilling enemy territory and
gathering intelligence on adversaries.
Grand Prize winners will receive a $10,000 scholarship, meet cast &
crew of Burn Notice and be recognized on USA Network! The Burn Notice
Science Challenge encourages learning in science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM) and shows that science can be fun,
interesting and rewarding! Good luck students!
LOUD AND CLEAR
Just because spies often have to work alone, doesn't mean they don't
have to communicate with each other. The secrets you uncover are useless
if you can't transmit them to your superiors, and any large scale
operation is destined to fail if you can't coordinate with other
operatives in the field.
There's a vital piece of information you need to get from one of your
fellow operatives. Only problem is, you can't be seen meeting with each
other. It's up to you to find a way to communicate without alerting
your enemies. Assume all phone lines and computers are being monitored,
so the only way to communicate will be to improvise something.
Whatever you construct must allow you and your fellow operatives to
communicate covertly across a distance of at least 100 feet, with at
least one man-made barrier separating them.
EYE IN THE SKY
Since the Civil War, spies have turned to the skies to gather
information on their enemies. Today, the U.S. government spends billions
of dollars on keyhole satellites that can read the headline off a
newspaper and unmanned aerial drones that can identify an enemy
combatant from a mile above. These technologies are incredibly useful in
the world of intelligence gathering, but completely useless to a spy
who needs one on the fly.
Your mission is to get surveillance on an enemy compound. Only
problem is: it's surrounded by 20-foot walls and using a ladder to peek
over may attract some unwanted attention. Find a way to improvise your
own aerial drone to get surveillance photos of the inside of the enemy
compound. Try to only use repurposed supplies because buying anything
too specific to your task will definitely raise suspicions. Find the
most creative way to build your drone and deploy it.
DO NOT DISTURB
When you're spying on foreign soil, it's not a question of if your
home will be searched, but when. That's why spies have to take some
extra security precautions. Scaring the intruders away won't do you any
good... what you want is the opportunity to find out who they are.
Build a makeshift alarm system that can covertly alert you when
someone's breaking in and find a way to catch a picture or video of
him/her without him/her knowing. Going to the store and buying a
consumer alarm system or surveillance equipment will raise some red
flags, so make sure whatever security system you build is either made
from seemingly innocuous materials, or repurposed from other easily
obtained household items.
HOW TO ENTER
You must be in grades 9-12 and may enter as an individual student or
as a team of two or three. You also must have an adult teacher, science
professional or other adult (non-relative) as a mentor/advisor who will
authorize and sign
the ethics and academic integrity statement
and certify that safe practices will be employed by the students at all times.
Please submit a 1,500-word maximum essay on only one challenge that includes the following:
-
Present a detailed plan for solution to selected challenge scenario
-
Describe how you would build device/system using materials readily available
-
Justify what items and materials are needed for solution
-
Detail the amount of time expected to develop and execute solution
-
Show supportive research with proper citations (all works of others
must be referenced and URLs must be included for any Internet sources)
-
Use a scientific principle in the approach to solution or show how
the scientific method can be used to achieve solution, and must include
one or more of the following: technology - demonstrate the use of
technological equipment; engineering - display the application of
engineering principles; and math - show an equation or law of physics.
Students also have the option of submitting a drawing or design
detailing the solution. Drawings must be uploaded in jpg, gif or png
format.
Don't forget to enter by February 15, 2013, 11:59 PM ET!
USA's judging panel will select up to 25 finalists based on the following criteria:
-
Demonstrates Application of STEM Skills & Principles (40%)
-
Originality & Creativity (30%)
-
Complexity of Solution (20%)
-
Clear Presentation of Ideas, Spelling & Grammar (10%).
Click here for Official Rules & details.
