Category Archives: Student Blog

Google news and updates especially for students

Google @ the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing: We hear you

We recognize that our tweet yesterday may have come across as out of touch. We've had Googlers at GHC for the past 11 years—and in fact, more than 1,000 Googlers are attending the 2015 event. Our goal is to celebrate women in computing and technology. We had hoped to add to the dialogue this week by shining a spotlight on the community of people making the tech industry a more inclusive place for women. However good our intentions may have been, we got this one wrong.

Please don't let our mistake take attention away from the work being done by incredible women in technology like Googlers Rachel, Roshni, Daniela and Michal.

Googlers @ the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing: Daniela & Michal

Leading up to GHC, we’ve heard from Googlers about what they’re most looking forward to celebrating while in Houston. Today at #GHC15, two Googlers are being celebrated for their dedication to building the next generation of female computer scientists.
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Meet Daniela and Michal: Daniela and Michal were the first two female software engineers at Google’s research and development center in Tel Aviv, Israel. Together, in addition to their primary work as software engineers, they’re answering the question, “How can we inspire more young women to enter computer science and help bridge the gender gap?” Daniela leads a team of engineers in Tel Aviv working on software powering the Google network. Michal recently relocated to Mountain View, California where she leads a team of engineers working on Android Play. Today they’re being recognized with this year’s Social Impact ABIE Award.

Daniela and Michal, congratulations on your award! Can you tell us more about how Mind the Gap started?

Michal: Neither one of us had knowledge of what computer science was before taking a programming course after high school. We both realized how impactful early exposure could have been for us and we wanted to help female students get an early start. The perception of CS needs to change in order for these future computer scientists to even be interested in the first place.

Daniela: We started our work with Mind the Gap as a 20% project here at Google (ie. something we worked on outside of our day-to-day responsibilities). Thanks to the support of global Googlers, who continue to impress us with their passion and commitment to diversity, we have been able to scale this year-over-year by reaching out to more students.

At its core, your program exposes young women to mentors. Who have your role models been in your technical careers?

Daniela & Michal: Over the years we were exposed to world-famous leaders in the industry such as Susan Wojcicki, Jen Fitzpatrick, Megan Smith, Sheryl Sandberg and Marissa Mayer, who became role models to nearly every woman in tech. In addition, we have been lucky to meet strong female engineers at Google who have become personal friends, mentors and inspirations.

Mind the Gap started in 2008 and has grown exponentially in seven years. Seven years from now, what do you want this program to be known for?

Daniela & Michal: We’re proud that Mind the Gap has reached over 10,000 girls across Israel, Japan, Poland, Brazil and North America. And we are constantly scaling our program to maximize our impact. The addition of student ambassadors has allowed us to reach even more girls in our efforts. The student ambassador model also gives girls the opportunity to practice critical leadership skills with their peers. While we are thrilled that 40% of our annual conference’s participants have chosen to pursue CS classes in high school, we hope to increase the reach of the program ten-fold in the next seven years.

We’re looking forward to celebrating you when you receive your award here at GHC this evening. What has been a highlight of the GHC celebration for you this year?

Daniela: I have never been surrounded by so many technical women. Being around the 13,000 attendees at GHC this year is absolutely one of the most incredible experiences.

Michal: Seeing so many people, both men and women, who understand the importance of diversity and want to do something about it. This is now a global issue, it’s not a “women’s problem” anymore; diversity is key for getting the next generation of technology talent.

If you’re here in Houston, join us today, Thursday, Oct 15 at 5:30pm CT in Halls D-E Level 1 to see Daniela and Michal accept their award.

Googlers @ the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing: Yossi

We’re excited to share the story of another Googler who represents one of the many faces in tech and is attending #GHC15 today. Yossi is the third Googler in our series of GHC attendees who are passionate about supporting women in tech, and in his role as a senior leader, we hope this spotlight encourages other men to be supportive and participate in these conversations. Be sure to also check out our two other Googlers: Rachel and Roshni.

Meet Yossi. Yossi is a VP of Engineering and Head of the Israel Engineering Center here at Google. He’s been a Googler for nine years and is currently working to answer the question, “How can we drive innovation and continue to evolve Search to help people in their everyday lives?” He lives in Tel Aviv with his wife Shavit; they have a daughter, Lian, and two sons, Or and Michael -- all who are entrepreneurs in their own fields. This is his second time attending the Grace Hopper Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC).
Yossi, this will be your second time attending GHC -- why is celebrating women in tech so important to you?

One of our biggest misses as an industry is not having equal representation of women (and other underrepresented groups for this matter) in tech. Having more women in tech is not only the right thing to do from a social perspective, but it is also critical from a technological and business perspective. Their inclusion will lead to greater social development and greater innovation.

What about GHC 2015 are you most looking forward to?

The opportunity to learn more about issues impacting women in technology, to have conversations with many others who care, and to celebrate women in tech with thousands of engineers and industry leaders.

How do you celebrate women in tech in your daily work?  

Encouraging women in tech has always been important to me and my team and we have a number of Googlers working on these initiatives. Mind the Gap, a program initiated by Daniela and Michal on my team, and which I’m personally involved with, encourages high school girls to select computer science and math in their high school studies. It is now impacting thousands of girls worldwide and is actually being recognized at GHC this year. Another program we’re working on is Campus for Moms, a baby-friendly startup school for moms (and dads). This program was created within Campus Tel Aviv, by Tal from Google and an Israeli entrepreneur, Hilla Ovil-Brenner, and is now reaching men and women globally. And I’m also inspired by the amazing talent we are seeing through the Google Anita Borg Scholarship Program, of which I’m honored to be one of the executive sponsors. I’m excited about the impact these programs are having on women in tech and on the tech industry in general.

What is your favorite part about working at Google?

The opportunity to make positive impact at scale, and working with amazing people who share the same passion.

If you’re attending GHC, come visit our Googlers @ Booth 221! And even if you’re not, join in the celebration of women in tech by following us @lifeatgoogle. #GoogleGHC15

Googlers @ the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing: Roshni

#GHC15 is almost here! We’re continuing to celebrate women and the many faces in tech with another Googler story.
Meet Roshni. Roshni is a software engineer working on the Google Identity Platform. At our Google headquarters in Mountain View, she’s currently working with her team to answer the question, “How can Google help developers build easy sign-in experiences so that users can reduce the number of passwords on the internet and access their data securely across devices?” She leads an orientation class for new Googlers -- or “Nooglers” as we prefer to call them -- and still finds the time to help grow community gardens. This will be her fourth time attending the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC).


Roshni, what’s been your favorite part about attending GHC in the past?
I love to inspire and to be inspired as I continue to grow in my career in computer science. Each year GHC has enabled me to develop and try something new.
When I first attended GHC as a graduating student, I was taught to negotiate my starting offers. Then I learned what it’s like from the other side, where I had the opportunity to speak with smart young women who were exploring starting a career in computer science. I was able to assure them they were not only good enough to be software engineers, but that Google was actually looking for people like them to help build technology that would have meaningful impact on a lot of people. It was in that moment, talking to other women about why they belonged in the industry and at Google, that really made me feel more like I belonged too.
The following year I was on a Systers community panel for the newly created Indian Women in Computing community where I learned how I could help to build communities. And this year I’ll be talking about my work at a panel and a workshop, which allows me to help bring more women to the field of Identity.

GHC has given me the confidence I need to volunteer my time to engage more women in tech across three different levels: the middle/high schoolers who aren’t here yet, the undergraduates who may be deciding if they want to be here, and the industry folks who should stay.
What are you most looking forward to at GHC this year?
Shameless plug... my first workshop! On a more serious note, I’m very excited to listen to Megan Smith again. She’s a very inspirational speaker!
For those attending GHC for the first time, do you have any advice to share?

Wear comfy shoes! And, more seriously, don’t be overwhelmed by everything that’s happening in parallel. Everything will be interesting, but choose the session that’s right for you in your current role.
What about for those who might be considering a career in computer science at Google? Can you share what it is you like most about being a Googler?
The awesome people I get to work with and learn from every day! And the fact that Google provides me with so many ways to give back. For someone whose first GHC experience was sponsored by Google, I’m always grateful for all the opportunities to give back -- from candidate coaching, to organizing Systers meetups at Google, and beyond.
If you’re interested in checking out Roshni’s workshop, join us on Friday, 10/16 @ 2:30pm in the General Assembly, Theatre B Level 3. You can also find her on a panel on Thursday, 10/15 @ 10:30am in the General Assembly Theatre C Level 3.

Be sure to stop by Booth 221 to meet even more Googlers. Hope to see you there!  #GoogleGHC15

Applications now open for 2016 Google EMEA scholarships – Apply today!

We are excited to announce two Google scholarship opportunities for university students in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
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The Google EMEA Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship honors the memory of Dr. Anita Borg who devoted her life to encouraging the presence of women in computing. The scholarship is open to current female undergraduate or graduate students who will be studying at a university in Europe, the Middle East or Africa for the 2016-2017 academic year.

The Google Europe Scholarship for Students with Disabilities aims to help dismantle barriers for students with disabilities as well as encourage them to excel in their studies and become active role models and leaders in technology. The scholarship is open to current undergraduate or graduate students with disabilities who will be studying at a university in Europe for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Applicants should be enrolled in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a closely related technical field and maintain a record of strong academic performance. Recipients of the scholarships will each receive a € 7,000 (or equivalent) award for the 2016-2017 academic year.

The deadline for both scholarships is Thursday, 31st December, 2015, 17:00 GMT. Apply today!

For more on Google’s scholarships, please visit www.google.com/students/scholarships.

Posted by Maya Tudor, Tech Student Development Programs

Googlers @ the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing: Rachel

Here at Google we’re excited to attend #GHC15 this week. To start the celebration early, we’re sharing stories about a few Googlers that represent some of the many faces in tech.

Meet Rachel. Rachel is a Product Manager at Google Seattle. She leads the Chrome Sync and Site Isolation efforts, working with her team to answer the questions, “How can Chrome help users get the most out of the web across multiple devices, and protect users against malicious websites?” She lives in Seattle with her wife, Jennifer, and little dog, Tesla -- both of whom she met on the internet. This will be her fourth time attending the Grace Hopper Conference (GHC).

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Rachel, you’ve attend GHC three times throughout your career -- how has each experience impacted you?

When I attended GHC in ‘07 and ‘08, I made connections with other students and early career PMs. My friends from GHC became a broad, diverse professional network that was with me right from the start, and they have helped me seize opportunities to do the work I want to do. For example, when I was applying to Google in 2012, my roommate from GHC ‘08 edited my resume and introduced me to Googlers so that I could get more perspectives on open positions that matched my skills and interests.

When I attended GHC last year as a mid-career PM, my favorite experience was talking to a college junior who was majoring in Psychology and Computer Science (like I did) and planned to become a PM (like I am). She exclaimed, “OMG you are me, but in the future!” and that was a powerful moment for me because in my career there haven’t always been people around who are like me.

So my advice is talk to strangers! Senior people of all genders attend GHC because they care about technical women. They want to support you, so introduce yourself, ask questions, and ask for a business card before you walk away.

That’s great advice. Do you have any other tips to share?

I’m a big proponent of the 50/50 strategy for GHC -- 50% talks that interest you, 50% meeting people, mentoring, networking. The opportunity to get to know other Googlers and peers across the industry who all care about gender diversity is one of the most valuable things I’ve gotten out of the conference.

Give generously of your knowledge, especially if you have some industry or post-graduate experience. Share your story with those who want to follow in your footsteps.

Read twitter, and participate if you feel like it. Follow people who say interesting GHC-related things -- they'll keep saying interesting things after GHC too, and you’ll get to hear from a more diverse group of thinkers on industry topics.

Lastly, scout out quiet spaces where you can recharge your phone and chat with your neighbors. And leave room in your bag for the swag!

It seems clear that one of the best parts about attending GHC has been the people you’ve gotten to meet. In your view, what’s the best part about being a Googler?

Having the opportunity to try new things -- and being part of a culture that knows good ideas can come from anywhere.

If you’re attending GHC next week, look out for Rachel and stop by Booth 221 to meet even more Googlers! #GoogleGHC15

Intern Spotlights – Jeanie Pearson

Jeanie is a Portland, OR, native, who’s currently a sophomore studying computer science at MIT. She’s been programming since her freshman year of high school, and has loved it ever since. She’s also involved in the Society of Women Engineers in both the MIT chapter and the regional leadership. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, as well as doing outreach projects to introduce girls to STEM fields.
What inspired you to apply to this internship? What about Google made you want to be an intern here?
Last summer, I participated in the Google Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI). I had always been interested in computer science at Google from hearing about all of the cool projects happening here, but after attending CSSI, I was sold. For three weeks, I learned about coding from Google engineers. I got to spend all of my time in the Google Cambridge office, and interact with interns and full-time employees. Everyone that I talked to was really friendly and passionate about what they were doing at Google, which made me really excited about the prospect of working here!
What was your path to Google like?
Before Google, I had two other internships. I worked at Rockwell Collins after my junior year of high school. I worked on Heads-Up Displays for pilots. This internship was a combination of engineering and CS, and it helped me decide that computer science was what I wanted to focus on, despite my interests in engineering. The summer after my senior year, I interned at Intel. I also attended CSSI.
What team are you on? What stands out to you about your co-workers?
I’m on the Search Actions team. We work on the Google Voice Search project. Anytime you say something like “OK Google, make a call” or “OK Google, play music,” you’re using a search action. All of my coworkers are extremely friendly and approachable! It is a fun and inviting team to work with. There are weekly team lunches, and we’re starting an “Actions Olympiad” where every two weeks, subsets of the team face off in a friendly competition. Aside from the fun, everyone is great about answering questions. You can tell that they all really care about the product and each of the team members.


Can you give us a high-level overview of your project? What part of the project do you find most interesting and why?
My project is creating a tool to help developers on teams outside of Search Actions easily create actions without having to know in depth about how our code works. Instead, they just have to specify the things that are unique to their action. Since I’m an Engineering Practicum intern, my podmate and I are working on this together. I’m more interested in backend, and my podmate is more interested in frontend, so we were able to split the project so that we both got parts that we enjoy doing! I’m happy about my half because I get to work directly with the Actions team’s code and gain a deeper understanding of how it works.
What’s your typical day like?
In a typical day, I come in to work around 9 and grab breakfast. I start working at my desk, which is right across from my podmate’s. I’ll talk with my hosts and other co-workers who are helping with my project. Around noon, I’ll grab lunch at one of the many (42!) cafes. (I have a goal of eating at all of the cafes this summer). I’ll eat with other interns or with my team. After lunch, I’ll probably have a meeting with my whole team, or a 1:1 with one of my hosts or my mentor. At the end of the workday, I usually take a dance class on Google campus or at a nearby studio. One of my hosts teaches a jazz class that I take every Wednesday, and she sometimes attends other classes with me! After dance, I’ll grab dinner and head home.
Has there been anything that has surprised you about working at Google?
I was surprised by how many different things you can get done on campus! Last summer, I got a small taste of that at the Cambridge office, but at the Mountain View office, you can really do almost everything here. I especially love all of the fitness options -there is a yoga class happening here 24/7. You can really tell that Google cares about their employees and values a strong work-life balance.


You work in the Mountain View office. Is there a particular place or room on campus that you really like?
I really like the ball pit! I’ve had a couple of fun times splashing around in it during my lunch breaks.
What’s something you’ve accomplished during your internship that you’re most proud of? Or something you’re looking forward to working on?
I’m looking forward to seeing my tool being used by real developers! The first iteration is very close to complete, and I’m excited to see how it is received.
Do you have any words of advice to aspiring Google interns?
I think the most important thing is to have confidence! Don’t let yourself get discouraged if you think that others are smarter or more experienced than you. This can prevent you from taking the opportunities that come to you, because you may assume that you’ll fail. You don’t have to be the smartest person to be successful, and confidence will definitely help. You should go after every opportunity that you have because even if all of them aren’t successful, just having the experience is a success in and of itself.
What does “being Googley” mean to you?
Being Googley means always doing the right thing. This goes hand-in-hand with the “don’t be evil” motto.

Posted by Ariana Palombo, Online Hiring & Insights Team

Getting to Know a Ph.D.

At Google, there are many opportunities for Ph.D. students to gain industry experience. Check out the story of Alessandro Epasto, a former Google European Doctoral Fellowship recipient, who interned on three different teams at Google, working on impactful projects across Google+, AdWords and different engineering and research teams.

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Alessandro, tell us about yourself and your Ph.D. topic. 
I come from Italy where I completed my Ph.D. in Computer Science at the Ph.D. School of the Department of Computer Science at Sapienza University of Rome. The focus of my Ph.D. thesis and my main research interest is graph mining -- in particular the study of algorithmic problems arising when analysing large-scale graphs. Graphs, or networks, are increasingly becoming the lingua franca of data mining (and Big Data), as they can be used to represent and analyse arbitrary relationships between arbitrary entities (including social networks, mobile networks and the Web, for instance).

The focus of my thesis was designing and evaluating efficient algorithms for extracting meaningful information from very large-scale graphs (with billions of nodes and edges), in which data might dynamically evolve at high speed. In particular, I have been interested in the problems of graph clustering, similarity rankings and in the study of information diffusion on social networks. All of these problems have important practical applications ranging from recommendation system design to social network security as well as a theoretical interest for the understanding of social behaviour. In this context, my aim was to design methods that are both practical and able to provide theoretical guarantees on their correctness.

Why did you apply for an internship at Google and how supportive was your Ph.D. advisor?
Before my internship at Google, my experience was mostly in academia. I was very curious about the challenges that a company with such amounts of data deals with every day. Moreover, I was extremely interested in experiencing the stimulating environment and culture at Google. I was advised by professor Alessandro Panconesi who was very supportive and encouraged me to apply for an internship at Google. 

You interned three times at Google. What projects were you focused on?
Each of the three times I interned, I had the opportunity to work on a distinct research problem with different research groups.

During my most recent internship I joined the Google+ group in the Mountain View, California headquarters working with Sunita Verma. We worked on the problem of friend suggestion, which deals with the challenging issue of suggesting to a given user the people he/she may be interested in adding as a friend. This is an important problem for online social networks, as receiving good friend suggestions significantly improves the user experience.

In one of my previous internships, I joined the AdWords team in New York City working with Jon Feldman where I worked on the problem of automatically identifying, for any given advertiser, who their main competitors in the AdWords system are. 

During my first internship in Mountain View working with Alon Altman I worked on defining algorithms for detecting potential attacks in the Google+ network. 

Could you share more details about the outcomes of your collaboration with teams at Google?
During all my internships I had the opportunity to closely collaborate with researchers in other teams at Google, in particular with the Graph Mining team in Google Research NY led by Vahab Mirrokni, who is also my Google Doctoral Fellowship mentor. A productive collaboration has continued even after the end of my internships. This joint collaboration with researchers at Google and at Sapienza University has also led to a publication awarded with the best paper award at the 2015 ACK SIGKDD Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (KDD).

While the three problems addressed in my internships have very different applications and independent interest, perhaps surprisingly, they can all be tackled by using related graph mining techniques. Both Google+ and AdWords datasets can, in fact, be modeled as a very large scale graph (or network).

In this context, one is interested in designing algorithms that can extract the information needed efficiently (the friends of a user, the competitors of a company, the potential spam users, etc.) while working at Google scale. In all of my internships I also had the opportunity to implement and test these algorithms in the powerful MapReduce infrastructure available at Google on extremely large datasets with billions of entities.

The approach at Google in evaluating the results of projects is very academic in the sense that rigorous empirical evaluations are conducted to show that the approach proposed actually improves over the state-of-the-art. I was also able to share some results of my work with the public through academic publications.

Did you publish at Google during your internship?
Yes, we successfully published a paper at the 2014 International World Wide Web Conference (WWW) as a result of my internship on the AdWords team in NYC. Moreover, we are currently working on a paper submission based on research done during my last summer internship. We also submitted two patents applications for the algorithms developed during my first two internships.

How closely connected was the work you did during your internships to your Ph.D. topic?
My Ph.D. topic, graph mining, is closely connected with all three of my internships at Google. During my Ph.D. studies, I improved my understanding of several topics in large-scale graph mining, which turned out to be very relevant for addressing important issues at Google, as evidenced by the internships projects I have completed. Among the various techniques that I learned during my Ph.D., graph clustering algorithms and random walks methods have been central to my internships, giving me the chance to use them in concrete scenarios at Google. Moreover, the fact that the paper published during my internship at Google is also part of my Ph.D. dissertation shows the relevance of such research projects to my Ph.D. studies.

What impact has this internship experience had on your Ph.D.?
Besides contributing to my Ph.D. thesis with a publication, the most important impact are the relationships I built with Google researchers. Even after the end of my Ph.D., I am still in close collaboration with various researchers at Google to complete publications stemming from my internships and other research projects. In addition, programming in a professional environment at Google has definitely improved my software engineering skills.

Has this internship experience impacted the way you think about your future career? 
Thanks to these internships, I have a clearer understanding of research outside of academia and of software engineering. Before joining Google, I had only experienced research at university and my career focus was limited to academic research. Now I know that conducting research at a company in the industry can be a very relevant career path to consider after obtaining a Ph.D.

Now that you just graduated, what’s next? 
I moved to the US to start a postdoc position at Brown University with supervisor Professor Eli Upfal. Our team is currently working in research areas closely related to my Ph.D. studies. I am focusing on algorithmic problems and machine learning methods in the analysis of large-scale datasets with potential applications ranging from social networks to computational biology.

Looking back on your experiences now, why should a Ph.D. student apply for an internship at Google? Do you have any advice to offer?
An internship at Google provides a great opportunity to apply your research skills to very challenging and concrete problems that can be tackled only with the scale of data and resources available at Google. Getting hands-on industry experience with a Google internship can be an inspiration for future academic research, as one gets a glimpse into which research problems are more likely to have a strong impact in practice. Furthermore, taking advantage of all the opportunities offered during a Google internship can boost your Ph.D. studies, by leading to new publications in top conferences. More importantly the internship provides valuable connections with high profile researchers and engineers working at Google, which can have a long-lasting positive impact on one’s career -- regardless of whether you pursue a career in the industry or in academia. 

My suggestion is just to apply! Internships are a great way to experience research from a different and fascinating perspective. 

Posted by Ariana Palombo, Online Hiring & Insights Team

Supporting our young scientists through the Google Science Fair

Posted by Mariette DiChristina, Editor in Chief of Scientific American and Chief Judge of the Google Science Fair

(Cross-posted on the Official Google blog)

Editor's note: Mariette DiChristina is the Editor in Chief and senior vice president of Scientific American—the first woman to hold the role in the magazine's 170-year history. She has been a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science since 2011 and served as president of the National Association of Science Writers in 2009 and 2010. She joins us here today to share her perspective on the Google Science Fair, which is in its fifth edition this year.

This marks my fifth year with the Google Science Fair. In October 2010, when I had my first conversations with my friends at Google about their idea to create a global online science fair that any kid 13–18 could participate in, I thought it sounded pretty cool. But I couldn’t then imagine just how inspiring and powerful such a competition would turn out to be in reality.

At the time, I hadn’t even been editor in chief of Scientific American for a year, but I had real ambitions to try to do something to make a difference in educating our young people about science. You see, I believe that science is the engine of human prosperity—it’s the way we grapple with some of the world’s most challenging problems, from cures for diseases to living sustainably in a finite world. So I’ve always seen the idea of fostering evidence-based thinking in our next generation of global citizens as vital.

Now, five years later and working with partners LEGO Education, National Geographic and Virgin Galactic, the Google Science Fair has an impressive track record of enabling our world’s young scientists to shine. Over the years, they’ve tackled serious issues, like world hunger and the energy crisis. Their projects have worked on how to diagnose and treat diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s. They’ve engineered flashlights powered by their hands and plastics made of banana peels. And to date, the fair has provided almost $1 million in scholarships, and sent four grand prize winners on trips around the world to further their scientific passions.


Tonight we added some new winners to that list as we recognized and celebrated the 2015 top 20 finalist projects and the bright young scientists behind them:

  • The Grand Prize went to Olivia Hallisey for creating a novel way to detect Ebola.
  • Girish Kumar won the Google Technologist Award for helping improve learning through auto-generated study questions.
  • The National Geographic Explorer Award went to Deepika Kurup for her idea to use solar-powered silver to create clean drinking water.
  • Krtin Nithiyanadam’s project focused on improved diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease and won him the Scientific American Innovator Award.
  • Pranav Sivakumar's automated search for gravitationally lensed quasars earned him the Virgin Galactic Pioneer Award.
  • And Anurudh Ganesan took home The LEGO Education Builder Award for his unique twist on effectively transporting vaccines.

If you didn’t get to tune in, you can still watch the Awards Show live stream and check out the complete list of impressive finalists and winners, including our first ever Inspiring Educator, Aydan Meydan from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In all of these finalists and the thousands of submissions from students in 100+ countries, we see something common. These students are inventive, thoughtful, and determined to help make the world a better place. All they need is a chance and a platform to do so. And, unlike some of us adults, they are ready to try things that other people think are “impossible.” I find them inspiring.

It’s imperative for us to support and encourage our young people to explore and challenge the world around them through scientific discovery. So we’re especially glad that Ahmed Mohamed—the 14-year-old clock maker from Texas—took us up on our invite to attend this year’s event. Curious young scientists, inventors and builders like him should be encouraged and empowered.

The past decades have brought tremendous innovations and challenges, and none of us knows what the future of scientific discovery holds. But I can tell you one thing: it’s going to be better thanks to these kids. They will be part of building a brighter future for us all—and as they do, those of us at Scientific American, Google, LEGO Education, National Geographic and Virgin Galactic will be cheering them on.

So start thinking of your ideas for next year! We can’t wait to see what you’ll try next. 

2016 US and Canada scholarship opportunities for computer science students

We are excited to announce that applications are now open for 2016 Google scholarships. The application deadlines are in November and December, but don’t wait to get started on your application!

At Google, we believe information should be universally accessible. Our education and scholarship programs aim to inspire and help students become future leaders in computing and technology by breaking down the barriers that prevent them from entering these fields.  We are now accepting applications from current university students, undergraduate and graduate, for the following scholarship programs:


Scholarship recipients will receive $10,000 USD or $5,000 CAD for the 2016-17 academic year. Scholars will be invited to the annual Google Scholars' Retreat in Mountain View, CA next summer. At the retreat, scholars will participate in networking and development sessions, including sessions on how to lead outreach in their communities.
2015 scholarship recipients participating in a code retreat at the annual Google Scholars' Retreat.
For more information on all scholarship programs, please visit the Google Scholarships site.

Posted by Sarah Safir, Tech Student Development Programs