Motivation

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge

The Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global competition hosted by the Breakthrough Prize Foundation in partnership with Khan Academy, National Geographic, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. This challenge gives students ranging from ages 13-18 the opportunity to create videos that explain scientific concepts in a digestible manner. The winner of this challenge receives a $50,000 prize for a teacher of their choosing, a $250,000 post-secondary scholarship, and a science lab valued at $100,000. 

The requirements for the Breakthrough Junior Challenge are quite simple. The video must be a maximum of 3 minutes long, and the topics covered in the video must fall under the categories of Physics, Mathematics, and Life Sciences. The videos are judged based on how well they engage their audience, how creative they are, how well they explain their topic, and how difficult the topic chosen is. The videos can be made in any way the student chooses, but a dynamic, diagram-filled video is much more effective and interesting. 

My initial thoughts when being offered the chance to create my own Breakthrough Junior Challenge video were, truth be told, fearful. I was unsure of myself and my ability to convey topics that have been my interest for as long as I can remember. I did not want to disappoint myself or others. What caught my eye the most though, and what motivated me to continue with creating the video, was that this year's challenge was specifically focused on Space Exploration as a celebration of 60 years in space. With the help of my AP Biology teacher, Dr. Nguyen, I was able to create a presentation that demonstrated my knowledge and abilities in the fields of Physics and Chemistry, coupled with the extra research that I did for this project. 

The Electromagnetic Spectrum & Space Exploration

Reflection