Five years ago to the day, I was a finalist in the first-ever Google Science Fair — a program where any student 13-18 is invited to solve the world’s biggest challenges through science and technology. I was fascinated by the peculiar ways cancer cells process energy and wondered if we might be able to target those processes. So, the idea behind my project was to study AMP kinase, an energy protein, to understand its importance in the way ovarian cancer cells develop resistance to drugs. I was 17 when I won the Grand Prize, and my life hasn’t been the same since.
Today 20 of the world’s brightest young scientists have that same chance ahead of them, and I am so excited and grateful to be here with them in Mountain View to re-live that experience.
The 2016 Google Science Fair finalists
Meeting President Obama(!)
Official White House photo by Pete Souza
For me, the Google Science Fair took my passion for science and gave me a global platform to share it with the world. I went on to do my undergraduate studies at Harvard University, majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a minor in Global Health and Health Policy. My interest in using new metabolic tools to study cancer has led me to Duke University School of Medicine, where I’m currently pursuing an MD/PhD and looking forward to a career that brings together clinical medicine and basic science. But five years ago, it was the Google Science Fair that first provided me with the platform to share my ideas, unlocking doors to some incredible, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities: meeting President Obama, speaking at TEDx events all over the world and being included on Glamour magazine’s list of Top 10 College Women.
Back at Google today, I witnessed more than 500 students from local Bay Area schools — a majority that qualified for Title I funding — as they asked questions, found inspiration, and saw science and engineering in new, unexpected ways.
Those students had a chance to talk to the finalists, from 9 countries, who are working on things like better diagnosing cancer, fighting drought with fruit, training robotic hands, developing compostable feminine sanitary products and so much more. (I also have to point out, this is the first year a majority of the finalists are female, which makes me especially proud!)
My sincere congratulations to all of this year’s Google Science Fair finalists and winners. You might “just” be teenagers, but you’re also amazing researchers, entrepreneurs, technologists and explorers who are challenging themselves — and all of the rest of us — to make things better. To quote last year’s Google Science Fair winner (and my friend) Olivia Hallisey who is also back here this week as a judge:
"Every one of us, no matter our age or background, can make a difference. But change doesn’t happen overnight, and it often starts with a question. So look at the world around you, and challenge yourself to make something better."
As for me, the Science Fair gave me the confidence to continue asking questions, developing a passion for science and engineering, and even to co-found Piper, a company focused on developing electrical engineering kits for kids to learn the basics of building hardware. I just can’t wait to see where you will be five years from today.
And finally, announcing the 2016 Google Science Fair winners:
Posted by Shree Bose, 2011 Google Science Fair winnerhttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1XRxZTXIxSuuRIamVMg5tzFWvXQqHT9kVe4GfsONLr-H0GihyN5A99lM5DOOmxxTylUqZqt0dY_uGKMC4SLFjHQ_L1VqnMIyfv7Yvq3HWOM4572DB79o-2BG3GTttX7PvJlg/s1600/_MG_3901.jpgShree Bose2011 Google Science Fair winner
On the eve of National Voter Registration Day, we’re doing our part to encourage American voters to get registered for the 2016 election. We've already added in-depth information in Search for registration and how to vote, and now we're adding this same information in Spanish. Now both Spanish and English speakers will be able to get custom, state-by-state information on key registration deadlines, when to get to the polls, and even steps on how to vote early or by mail. We hope this feature helps simplify the registration process for more American voters.
By helping more people get registered, we're also helping ensure more people get to the polls and vote. The majority of Americans who register to vote end up voting — according to the US Census Bureau, in 2012, 86 percent of those who registered also voted in the November election.
Today's Google Doodle encourages people to get registered in time for National Voter Registration Day
Registering to vote is just the first step toward casting your ballot in this year’s election. We hope that you’ll be inspired to learn more about the candidates, the issues, and the voting process — and make your voice heard in 2016!
Posted by Jonathan Betz, Engineering Manager, Civic Engagement
En la víspera del Día Nacional de Registro de Votantes, estamos haciendo nuestra parte para animar a los votantes estadounidenses para registrarse para las elecciones del 2016. Ya hemos añadido información detallada en búsqueda de como registrarte y cómo votar, y ahora estamos añadiendo esa misma información en español.
Ahora, tanto los hablantes de español e inglés podrán obtener información personalizada, estado por estado sobre las fechas clave de registro, horarios para llegar a las urnas, e incluso los pasos necesarios para votar temprano o por correo. Esperamos que esta función ayude a simplificar el proceso de registro para más votantes estadounidenses.
Al ayudar a que más personas se registren, también estamos ayudando a asegurar que más personas lleguen a las urnas y voten. La mayoría de los estadounidenses que se registran para votar terminan ejerciendo su voto - según la Oficina del Censo de Estados Unidos, en el año 2012, el 86 por ciento de los que se registraron también votaron en las elecciones de noviembre.
El Google Doodle de hoy anima a la gente para que se registren a tiempo como parte del Día Nacional de Registro de Votantes
Los creadores de YouTube también quieren que acudas a las urnas y voten en vida real con la campaña #voteIRL. Te recomendamos sintonizar esta lista de videos para aprender cómo puedes registrarte para votar casi en la misma cantidad de tiempo que le toma a Ryan Seacrest presentar su programa de radio o a los Fung Bros jugar baloncesto. De hecho, te sorprenderá saber que: ¡sólo te tomará un minuto y 34 segundos! Una vez que te hayas registrado, te invitamos a acompañarnos a animar a otros a lo largo del proceso de votar, compartiendo un post utilizando #IRegistered en tus redes sociales.
Registrarse para votar es sólo el primer paso para emitir tu voto en las elecciones de este año. ¡Esperamos que te inspires a aprender más sobre los candidatos, los temas, y el proceso de votación - y al mismo tiempo hacer oír tu voz en el 2016!
Publicado por Jonathan Betz, Gerente de Ingeniería, Participación Cívica
These coded designs will be displayed onstage at the Global Citizen Festival, as symbols of the many different voices from teen girls, standing up for the change they want to see in the world.
Together with musicians, sisters, YouTube sensations and newly minted coders, Chloe x Halle, teen girls are getting their start in code
Our efforts go well beyond this project. Made with Code is joining forces with Iridescent and UN Women to support the launch of the Technovation Challenge 2017 which gives girls the opportunity to build their own apps that tackle the real-life issues they see around them.
Please tune into the Global Citizen Festival livestream at youtube.com/globalcitizen on September 24 to catch all the action. And, more importantly, join us and encourage the young women in your life to try out coding and contribute their ideas for how to make a better future.
Posted by Susan Wojcicki, CEO, YouTubehttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjQ0XDQJZXLSYFXc2VredAld3pLLpqpzgk-JNfiJFVCnut4797aV3a8C0BsA9Q7i9yUSK8N2qvUC3yfYGblidNnuBcSvngxp2pUY93LCJ_Mw48fB131VH1rNNq1QBRar9wU-3/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-21+at+9.38.06+AM.pngSusan WojcickiCEOYouTube
Respond quickly with Smart Reply
Google Allo makes it easier for you to respond quickly and keep the conversation going, even when you’re on the go. With Smart Reply, you can respond to messages with just a tap, so you can send a quick “yup” in response to a friend asking “Are you on your way?” Smart Reply will also suggest responses for photos. If your friend sends you a photo of their pet, you might see Smart Reply suggestions like “aww cute!” And whether you’re a “haha” or “😂” kind of person, Smart Reply will improve over time and adjust to your style.
Express yourself with photos, emojis and stickers
Chat is more than just text, so we’ve created a rich canvas for you to express yourself in Google Allo. You can make emojis and text larger or smaller in size by simply dragging the “send” button up or down. Make photos your own by scribbling on them before you send. And we’ve worked with independent artists and studios around the world to create more than 25 custom sticker packs, because sometimes a “sloth riding a pizza” says it all.
Meet your personal Google Assistant
In Google Allo you’ll also be introduced to a preview edition of the Google Assistant. With your Assistant in Allo, you can have a conversation with Google — ask it questions and let it help you get things done directly in your chats. You no longer need to leave a conversation with friends just to grab an address, share your favorite YouTube video, or pick a dinner spot. Just type @google to bring your Assistant into any group chat. And of course, you can also chat one-one-one with your Assistant in Allo.
Here are just a few ways your Google Assistant can help in Google Allo:
Make plans with friends. You can easily move from discussing dinner with friends to making plans for the night, right in your chat. Just add the Assistant to your group chat and ask for movie times, local restaurants and more. You can also research travel destinations, flights and hotels together with friends.
Get answers. Get the latest info on everything from news, weather, traffic, sports, or your upcoming flights status. Ask the Assistant to send you daily updates on the information you care about.
Have some fun. Ask your Assistant to share that funny YouTube video or play games with friends right in your group chat — for instance you can compete to guess a movie title based on a series of emojis.
The Google Assistant is the next chapter in a journey Google has been on for many years to assist people in their everyday lives. We’re starting with a preview edition to show you just one way that your Assistant will work for you in chat. Over the coming months, your Assistant will be available in more Google products, working seamlessly throughout your day at home or on the go. The Assistant will initially be available in English, with more languages coming soon.
Chat in Incognito mode
We take privacy and security seriously in Google Allo. All chats in Google Allo are encrypted using industry standard technologies like Transport Layer Security (TLS). But we went a step beyond this and we created a mode within Google Allo called Incognito (h/t Chrome). When you chat in Incognito mode, messages have end-to-end encryption and additional privacy features like discreet notifications and message expiration.
You can also message friends who aren’t yet using Google Allo through SMS or, for those using Android, app preview messages.
We can’t wait for you to say hello to Google Allo! We’re beginning to roll out Google Allo for Android and iOS, and the app will be available worldwide in the next few days.
Posted by Amit Fulay, Group Product Managerhttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3R0xFVumQqO6ZIhhr7ZfKGK8yoDxPQrbeBajvaK2KYTccNS6NfbhTbd6qKXvRyLbtcmVeneXVxm0RHHLQnZh19C0KYklkVEWSQ9At29WE6jT187FnsjS2s2m4fVhASwdkRKf2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-20+at+10.55.14+PM.pngAmit FulayGroup Product ManagerGoogle
Discovering the resources of the Ideas Box in the Eleonas refugee camp, in Athens, Greece
A White House call to action
In June, we signed on as a founding partner of the White House’s Private Sector Call to Action for Refugees, an effort by the administration to bring together a cross-section of businesses to help make significant commitments that will have a measurable impact on refugees both in the United States and around the world. We’re participating in the conversation at the White House Summit on Refugees today in New York, and will continue to build on our efforts.
You can learn more about grantees and their work at google.org/refugees, and you can donate directly on our site and via the White House’s AidRefugees.gov.
Posted by Jacquelline Fuller, Director, Google.org https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUUGhPjQbCPs2GwAhUwSi0lk1_yopiKqxHjhNXe0dNNKX5UAKVaYeiZ8QpU6s6mHe9hrT-Vfuki_9iVsUIVAGr71TfUdqWCjvMG2EFRcsJR3owc519_INCyb5uSeUYe2zNaXn2/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-19+at+5.28.26+PM.pngJacquelline FullerDirectorGoogle.org
Choose your own adventure
For the top 200 cities in the world, Google Trips shows you a variety of day plans featuring the most popular daily itineraries. We’ve automatically assembled the most popular sights, attractions, and local gems into a full day’s tour — all based on historic visits by other travelers. Say you’re visiting Barcelona. You can choose from multiple day plans, like “Eixample District,” which maps out the can’t-miss buildings by Antoni Gaudi, the famous Spanish architect.
Plan each day of your trip like magic
Everyone has different interests and time constraints. No matter how popular an itinerary is, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for the perfect day or the perfect trip. Google Trips can help you build your day around places you already know you want to visit.
Say your friends told you that you have to see the Sagrada Familia — and you’re looking for suggestions on things to do around that spot. Press the “+” button in the day plans tile to jump into a map view containing all the top attractions in your destination. If you’re time constrained, you can specify above the map whether you have just the morning or afternoon, versus a full day. Then simply tap and pin the Sagrada Familia to build your itinerary around it. Google Trips automatically fills in the day for you. If you want more options, tap the “magic wand” button for more nearby sights. You can pin any new spots you like, and if you want even more, each tap of the “magic wand” instantly gives you a new itinerary with updated nearby attractions like Palau Macaya or Parc del Guinardo, so you can build your own custom itinerary in minutes while munching on your morning churro.
For more details on how this works on our Research Blog.
All your travel info, all in one place
Keeping track of all your flight, hotel, car and restaurant reservations when you travel can be tough. With Google Trips, all your travel reservations are automatically gathered from Gmail and organized for you into individual trips, so you don’t have to search and dig up those emails. They’re waiting for you within the reservations tile, even without WiFi.
Vacations are a chance to recharge and experience new places and cultures. For your next trip, let us help you see all the sights you want to see, without all the work. Google Trips, available now on Android and iOS, has you covered from departure to return.
Posted by Stefan Frank, Product Manager, Google Tripshttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheaNCrcoVnkmytObuiyBsnzoryvDcWYl-JK55-ksS3UuMMM2puDVBuw4brDzY0ejkl681SZFljE-2by2sXHhAuvbV-C4rUCwgj0_-Tl9SblAgBpe5xmcDbQuz14ZLqs_VN67uy/s1600/GoogleTrips_1.original.pngStefan FrankProduct ManagerGoogle Trips
Walk through historic rooms and hallways and get up-close looks at more than 50 photographs and works of art. Take a peek into the cabinet room, where the Prime Minister has held weekly cabinet meetings since 1735, or look around Margaret Thatcher’s office. Stroll down the grand main staircase, stopping to study the carefully ordered portraits of the house’s previous residents. Once you’re ready for some fresh air, you can wander through the gardens, where Winston Churchill liked to nap.
And if you want the full immersive experience, be sure to try it out using a Google Cardboard virtual reality viewer, complete with the built-in audio tour, with the Google Arts and Culture app on Android and iOS.
Posted by Suhair Khan, Program Manager, Google Cultural Institutehttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZyy445KQmo2z1PMEbEOJtOepGNaLlRwePf5HmKvQeqcrZNMrSD5iDOCOXlC8nXIeLECt7ZKf8c2pJQh8hmtSDYpAq374ulh-3UdEM3Tf2Ipz2pwGWkr4wJXEsB3oUFl1ZDUyWA/s1600/image001+%25281%2529.jpgSuhair KhanProgram ManagerGoogle Cultural Institute
We like to think about what’s next. So we’re asking kids to imagine what awaits them in the years to come and represent that vision of this year’s theme: “What I see for the future…” Yes, that means anything they see — even if it includes flying dogs, living on a shooting star, the trip of their dreams, or for the true Futurists out there — perhaps a distant world filled with dazzling new technology of all shapes and sizes.
This year’s contest is going to be one for the record books; the future and the ways to depict it are limitless. That’s why we’ll have an all-star group of judges including our very own Google Doodlers help select the National Winner. In addition to the homepage showcase, the winner will receive $30,000 towards a college scholarship, and the opportunity to work with the Doodle team at the Googleplex in Mountain View. As an added bonus: Their home school will get to spend $50,000 on technology to help foster the next generation of professionals (and who knows, maybe future Googlers, too!).
Submissions are open until December 2, 2016. So for you parents, teachers, babysitters, camp counselors or non-profit leaders out there: Encourage your kids and students to apply. We can’t wait to see what wonders await in their dreams for the future.
And now, we bid you farewell as we’re Van Goghing, Goghing, Gone.
Posted by Ryan Germick, Google Doodle Team Leadhttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzQ1Se8lJJeiLh9xnNvsAxyIDKC26e5dF-oRkmNyIVSGE4vjOV254deWQ7eX3fx_QXInQfZW5YedGBA8jsM9xXwPUpdyPcqI7dl9KM6bwuX1H7Fc_XIt5VQKU-N6P7sAq6LIH/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-13+at+12.45.36+PM.pngRyan GermickGoogle Doodle Team LeadGoogle
Travis McPhail in front of the National Museum of African American History and Culture on one of many site visits to the museum in Washington, DC
Taking an Expedition through African American history
In addition to the interactive exhibit, we’re also launching two new Google Expeditions that take students on a digital journey through African American history. Earlier this year, we formed the African American Expeditions Council — a group of top minds in Black culture, academia and curation — to help develop Expeditions that tell the story of Africans in America. The Google Cultural Institute has also worked to preserve and share important artworks, artifacts and archives from African American history. With participation from the National Park Service, the Expeditions and Cultural Institute teams captured images of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, which commemorates the events, people and route of the 1965 Voting Rights March. A second Expedition, from the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, takes you around Dr. King's childhood home and the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he preached.
Screenshot from the new Google Expedition highlighting the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, which commemorates the events, people and route of the 1965 Voting Rights March
Discovering and sharing new stories
At the end of this week, we're celebrating the opening of the NMAAHC during one of the most important weeks for African Americans in D.C., the week of the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference (ALC). On Friday night of ALC, we’ll salute NMAAHC Founding Director, Dr. Bunch, and the Congressional Black Caucus. The iconic Congressman John Lewis will be on hand to talk about the impact of Expeditions in telling the story that the NMAAHC will bring to life in so many important ways.
Day to day, I work on Google Maps, where we help people around the world find and discover new places. Working on this exhibit has given me a chance to help people discover something else — the ways African American history is vitally intertwined with our history as a nation. I’m proud of the role Google has played a role in taking people on that journey.
Posted by Travis McPhail, Software Engineer, Google Maps, and Team Lead, Project Griot https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBkEFH_NKCKFt8TDS0gDS8onnKlrrNNbP7IdMH4h3UnYD_3HwKX-oGQkaOrN0ZfgUkSGuRejifWflLAuMyLDXXzKJ1YKXX91-egRyWfDeEfznCwjh5lmJfLKr8MZzZ-4aRTAh/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-13+at+11.24.25+PM.pngTravis McPhail Software Engineer, Google MapsTeam Lead, Project Griot
We wanted to give you a glimpse of how these colossal creatures actually looked. So we worked with ecologists, paleontologists and biologists to put virtual skin and flesh on the preserved skeletons. From the size of the eye to the position of the snout and the bend of the neck, the texture and creases of the skin were all painstakingly recreated, and verified by a team of scientists. For the best experience, use a viewer like Google Cardboard to look the beast in the eye.
In addition to the VR experiences, this global exhibition of natural history has plenty more for experts and armchair explorers alike:
Turn back time by 4.6 billion years with the help of the Natural History Museum by scrolling through the history of life from the origins of the solar system, through the rise and the fall of prehistoric worlds.
See the giant sloth jaw that led Darwin to his groundbreaking theory of natural selection.
View 3,000 species on display in one giant cabinet or find out how our own predecessors may have looked.
With Street View, walk around dinosaurs in New York, explore 30+ natural history museums from to Australia to Russia and even go underwater with turtles in Brazil.
Join YouTube’s Vsauce2 to discover the story of Martha, the last passenger pigeon.
The free collection opens today at g.co/naturalhistory and through the Google Arts & Culture mobile app on iOS and Android. And if you’re a teacher, there are more than 20 new Google Expeditions waiting for you and your classroom to discover. We hope you enjoy this journey through the history of nature as much as we do.
Posted by Amit Sood, Director of the Google Cultural Institutehttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZ6uNc1MJ3gkvW-yOdGntY6ToMeiRwmHgULUU8zfkdoirxrUzE3j8kdCtp9_cljVJCwIsuvyfWaVRSGs90sFmazX2ZWz7ndGPwY-F75FZ7EGqesKktvsa0Mh-ADxq_6in2gld/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-09-12+at+2.23.37+PM.pngAmit SoodDirector of the Google Cultural InstituteGoogle -->
Starting today, you can also share your VR photos with friends and family on both iPhone and Android devices. Select multiple photos to create a virtual photo album, tap the share icon, and Cardboard Camera will generate a link (like this) that can be emailed, messaged, or posted in apps and on the web. With a VR viewer like Google Cardboard, your friends can relive those moments as if they were there.
From rock concerts to real estate to mountaintop vistas, more than 5 million moments have been captured with Cardboard Camera on Android. Share your VR photos with the #CardboardCamera hashtag—we can’t wait to see the world through your lens.
Posted by Carlos Hernandez, Software Engineer, Cardboard Camera https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjevEVLUeubgm7FUfCXCXo4NN5nA-DFD4LDV6FpdwjkqLh0zPJzq50Yd6qQI7eTfGa6xYLH8rpdDnEuaaVT43VdDM_S3ZHeFWzKVZF13-rMf_-4fZ9sedk1ShErGd4f12Lhjmt5/s1600/Cardboard_Camera_Hero.pngCarlos HernandezSoftware EngineerCardboard Camera
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