Today I (your administrator) received an email from an inspired student who was interested in entering the Competition. They were very excited about performing research to enter into the High Tech category, but one of the worries he had was that he would not be able to perform research at the appropriate level since he did not have access to his school’s lab as he would have in the past. As I was typing my reply I realized this would apply to many more young students as well!
The truth is that while for many of our entrants, access to a school research lab is something they have grown accustomed to and take for granted as a way that they are able to perform research. But the opposite is also true for many of our entrants and budding scientists around the world: access to a laboratory is something they have never had the opportunity to indulge in.
This difference in opportunity is one of the reasons we decided to make this years categories High Tech and Low Cost. Whether you have access to a million dollar research center or spare parts around your bedroom your ability to enter this Competition remains focused on one thing: your ability to think outside of the box given your current circumstances.
Some of the top projects in the last couple years have been from Teams that have used commonly available items. If you feel like you are unable to perform research to the standards of the Competition, then look no further for inspiration than these intrepid Teams who have made the most with what they have and succeeded!
Please feel free to reach out to myself at cleantech@cstl.org or by phone at 516-764-0045 (Monday-Friday 9am-5pm EST) if you wish for help in clarifying any of our requirements!