May 2012

russian students build award-winning energy House A team of SEED students from Strezhevoy’s Gimnasia No. 1 won first prize for their project Ecohouse, a building with special features that reduce energy use, at the 2012 Young Scientists’ conference. The conference is sponsored by Tomskneft and was held in Strezhevoy.  The project, actually a model of a school, was created by students Egor Basov, Viktor Shagay, and Bubusayra Tursunbekova. The trio programmed the GoGo Board and sensors to control interior temperature and lights, and exterior lights for the playground. They added solar panels to create energy and wrapped the roof in silver foil to insulate the structure and conserve energy. Jury chairperson Maxim Tenyunin stated that “The project was done on [a] very good level. I think that, with some changes, it can be adapted and used in the real world.” Egor Basov, Bubusayra Tursunbekova, and Victor Shagay, with teacher Zariya Vakilova Zaripova, proudly display their Ecohouse project and award certificates.   a learning library Want to know more about SEED’s hands-on educational philosophy? Are you curious about the foundation of the program? Check out the Constructionist/Learning-While-Doing (LWD) Library on PlanetSEED. You can read the classic papers that develop this educational approach and articles that show LWD in action.

add yourself to the seed equation

Here’s a puzzle for you: what has 83 questions that can tangle your brain into knots and is a whole lot of fun for everyone? The Amazing Puzzle Book from SEED, of course!

Since 2001 SEED has been featuring a different math puzzle on the home page every month. Two years ago we decided to collect all 83 puzzles (and their solutions) into one book, with illustrations by renowned graphic artist Milton Glaser. The book makes it simple for anyone to sit down, try a puzzle, and stretch their minds. Teachers can assign them to students, volunteers can bring them into a classroom, and parents can work on them with their children. Just about anyone looking for a little challenge can pick a puzzle, sharpen their pencils, and give it a go.

The book includes the nine puzzle categories already present on SEED’s math puzzle hub. Each grouping challenges different skills.  For instance, Arithmetic, Number Sense, and Combinatorics puzzles use basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skills, while ones in the Algebraic Thinking and Probability chapters require you to use your algebra and estimation abilities. Logic, Geometry, and Topology require you to think things through. There is a Miscellaneous category for the few puzzles that don’t fit anywhere else.  

What are math experts saying about the book? Long-time SEED volunteer Renato Mello, now a business development manager with WesternGeco, suggested his own puzzle to SEED a few years ago.  His puzzle was included in the publication. When he saw the finished product he was very enthusiastic, saying “The book is inviting and well-organized, with a variety of puzzles and illustrations. It’s great fun for everyone!” His wife Linda, a mathematician, also commented: “Puzzles, puzzles, puzzles—to do in your head, to work on paper, to guess at, and to trick your friends! This book is great for ages 8 to 88!”

Retired University of North Texas College of Education math professor Steve Tipps describes the book “as an inviting compendium of intriguing mathematical and logic puzzles.” He continues with “I know of no other source presenting so many classic puzzles on such a wide range of topics.” 

The book is only the beginning.  There will be a series of collaborative projects among SEED schools in Malaysia and the Philippines, featuring The Amazing Puzzle Book from SEED. Each school will form project teams that are assigned one of the nine chapters. The teams solve puzzles and then discuss the solutions on the math puzzle forums. Volunteers, teachers, and students can add their comments to the forums, too.

Start exercising your mind today with The Amazing Puzzle Book from SEED, available from our Learning Resources page. Got an idea for a new puzzle? Share it on our forum. Add yourself to the SEED equation today.

REACH OUT! SEEDLINK is published monthly. To learn more about SEED, visit www.planetseed.com. We invite your suggestions, feedback, news and questions at seed@planetseed.com.

ABOUT SEED The Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development (SEED) program is a global non-profit education program focused on students aged 10 to 18 in communities where Schlumberger people live and work. SEED offers a range of specialized learning tools delivered through a multilingual Web site, through face-to-face, experiential education workshops and through collaborative international projects. At the heart of SEED are our volunteers, who generously share their time, inspiration, knowledge and passion for science and learning.