最近抱着好奇心，作为一个志愿者参加了奥斯丁市级的科技节。整个活动有四天。我只参加了两天：一天在评委区协助收发评分卡，一天协助颁奖大会，并通过这次活动近距离体验了这里科技节的氛围。
大会由奥斯丁能源公司主办，有来自戴尔等公司的资助。我目测这次大会小学生组和中学组各有几千人，四天的大会总共参与的学生应该会有一万人上下。除了组织者外，评委基本上都来自社会上各个专业的从业人士，有在职也有不少已经退休的，全部作为志愿者参与。据我估计，一天评委志愿者有大约 200 人，很多评委参与了不同组的评审，因此总共应有几百名评委。每天还有大概几十人左右像我这样的普通志愿者。看得出来普通民众对这次大会的支持程度。
学生参与者分中学组和小学组。每个小组会有一个或几个学生展示一个他们在家长和导师领导下做的项目，学生自行完成主要的研究或开发。每个专业方向的项目都有一组评委志愿者在会场面试学生，单独给出评分，并和组里其他评委讨论得出最终的排名。作为志愿者我有机会具体观察了学生们的表现——学生项目话题之广泛，项目表现出的动手能力之强，学生的写作能力，和科学素养，甚至数学和编程能力之强都让我深受震撼。
评委在会场面试学生
小学组的项目通常会对能力要求简单一些，一般是作为科普向和试验动手培养兴趣为主。但孩子们的想象力非常强大，项目内容更偏生活化，很多也更可爱：比如研究苹果滴上柠檬汁会不会变黄更慢，你喝的水是酸性还是碱性，你家的猫有多干净，尿布吸水性测试，还有一些小制作项目：用纸板和针筒制作一个液压机械臂，研究不同结构纸板桥的承重性等等，还有一些很可爱的社会科学试验：成年人能不能通过小学六年级测试，等等。
学生项目展示 I
学生项目展示 II
中学组的项目成果是最让我惊叹的：项目方向包括环境，机器人，生物，机械，电子，软件，物理，数学，社会科学，行为学，等等专业方向。很多学生表现出惊人的科学素养，学习能力，和动手能力。
为了隐私我隐去了成果展示中所有学生的名字。
比如初中组有很多电子系统设计的项目：设计一个智能车库门，设计一个可佩戴的校园恶霸报警（Bully Alert）系统，等等。这个报警系统的硬件设计包括了一个树莓派功能板，和麦克风、加速度探测器等传感器。学生通过在计算机上训练 Bully 的语音，将训练参数加载到树莓派上，在检测到的声音与训练吻合之后会发短信报警。项目展示里有学生对校园欺凌新闻的描述，从而解释立项，还包括项目整体设计框图，训练过程，硬件参数，实验分析数据结果等等。能够在如此小的年龄在指导下，从立项，动手实验，成品，和分析，完成一个完整的项目报告，我觉得这已经非常了不起。这是国内恐怕很多大学生都很难具备的素质。
防欺凌电子系统项目展示 I
防欺凌电子系统项目展示 II
高中组的展示就表现得更加成熟。他们需要提交项目的摘要，有更长更完整的项目过程，研究内容，研究方法，和更深入的分析。我感觉很多项目的复杂程度不亚于大学生的大作业甚至毕业设计。比如通过程序和数据分析蛋白质的性质，等等。我和一个参会的高中生聊了会。他告诉我他父亲是工程师，他在父亲的指导下开展的项目，花了一整个暑假完成。
高中组项目展示 I
高中组项目展示 II
在活动的官网上我找到了更多学生项目的摘要。看得出来很多项目应该是学生在高中时期就在大学实验室参与真正的研究了。
我在下摘选了几个中学组项目的摘要，可能来自高中生或初中生：
发芽后植物组织的过氧化氢酶浓度
Catalase Concentration of Plant Tissue After Germination
The purpose of this project is to learn how catalase concentration can be affected by different environmental conditions in different parts of a green onion plant. We tested the different concentrations of catalase in the roots and shoots by taking green onion juice soaked filters and putting them in H2O2. When catalase breaks down H2O2 it makes oxygen, which pushes the disc to the surface. The faster the reaction, the more catalase there is. We then tested the green onion plant in different light settings, minimal and high exposure. After testing and calculations, we discovered that there was more catalase in the roots than the shoots in the control and growth light scenarios. Then we compared all the root(light, dark, and control) data to find if the different amounts of light exposure affected the green onion plant’s root average catalase concentration. The root’s data difference was significant while the shoots were not, meaning we reject both null hypotheses.
该项目研究在不同环境下，葱在发芽之后不同部分的过氧化氢酶浓度。过氧化氢酶浓度越高，其对过氧化氢溶液的分解速度越快，从而可以通过这一点测量浓度。
使用辣木（Moringa Oleifera）作为天然生物混凝剂从水中去除铅
Using Morinag Oleifera as a Natural Bio Coagulant to Remove Lead from Water
Lead poisoning is a huge global problem effecting over 2 million people, and causes many health effects such as birth defects, coma, mental retardation, and even death. During a trip to India it was observed that villagers added a white powder to their water, and was later discovered that this substance was crushed moringa seeds. Moringa seeds have a positively charged cationic protein (natural coagultaor) in the seed kernel. The goal of this experiment was to find out if the moringa oleifera protein could coagulate and remove lead from water.Because lead nitrate and sodium hydroxide are ionic compounds, therefore undergoing double replacement reactions, it was concluded that the mass of the precipitate formed would be the mass of the lead present in the water. The lead concentrate used was 10^6 times the amount of lead that is deadly to the human body. After various chemical equations, it was determined that the mass of 10 mL .1 M lead was .2412 g.The average mass of lead content present in water with 1 seed was .1798 g. This indicates that 1 moringa seed removed almost half of the lead present in the water. As moringa was added, the amount of lead decreased till there was only an average .0386 g of lead left in the water. This data can conclude that moringa removed almost all traces of lead present in the water. This groundbreaking data could potentially save millions of lives, and solve a huge world crisis.
该项目研究辣木（Moringa Oleifera）种子对水中铅去除的效果。学生了解到在印度很多村民使用辣木的粉末加入生活用水中。他的研究就是辣木蛋白能否有效地从水中去除铅。实验表明效果很好。
对减少急诊科过度拥挤和过度使用的原因，后果和有效策略的统计学分析
Statistical Meta-Analysis of the Causes, Consequences, and Effective Strategies to Reduce Emergency Department (ED) Overcrowding and Overuse
Hospital emergency departments serve as an essential component for the provision of immediate medical care, but a large proportion of visits has been reported for non-urgent conditions. Overtime, unnecessary frequent visits, along with several other factors, can result in ED overcrowding. Therefore, the overall purpose of the study is to identify and evaluate effective methods that should be implemented to reduce emergency department overuse/overcrowding and improve clinical outcomes among patients. Approximately 300 relevant statistical studies and peer-reviewed journals associated with ED overcrowding were identified from major databases, including PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and NCHS. Other medical search engines were also used to meet additional objectives and fill in any gaps that were required in the study. Out of the 286 peer-reviewed articles that were categorized, 29 were selected for further statistical examination due to method similarities, explicit data results, and full fulfillment of the objectives. Data extracted from the 29 studies included method design, sample size, population and setting, whether consequences affected staff and/or patients, primary causes, and effective strategies to counter emergency department overcrowding. Quantitative data, such as approximate emergency wait time and patient care time, from these selected sources were then analyzed, combined, and computed into statistical models and charts through the use of Microsoft Excel and RevMan 5 Software. Measures of central tendency and variability, forest and funnel plots, and regression graphs were created. In conclusion, emergency departments within the U.S. do require additional improvements to their environmental settings and management strategies, such as through individualized care plans.
这个项目研究美国急诊室被滥用的情况，导致急诊室过度拥挤，资源无法得到充分调配。学生查找了大概 300 多篇文献中的数据，并使用 Excel 和 RevMan 等软件对其中 29 篇文献中的数据进行了分析。
是的没错，这些都是中学生的项目。
我想可以从这一些项目中管中窥豹，体会到美国中学科技教育的特点：很多项目并没有非常复杂，也没有很艰深的数学，编程，等等理论要求，但要求学生对一个领域有足够的兴趣去理解，钻研和动手操作，并完成高质量的报告和展示。
这样的科技教育带给学生们的是科研最核心的一些部分：不是理论的知识或是考试水平，而是有寻找和发现问题的眼光，对问题有强烈的好奇心，学习能力，找到解决问题方法的动手能力，和良好的科学表达交流能力。让学生在中学期间就能够激发兴趣，引导学生对科技和社会问题的交叉问题的关注，并得到良好的锻炼。
另外，美国社会各界对这次会议的支持和关注很大，有大量社会各界的科技圈的有经验人士，志愿参与到这次活动中来。看得出美国在推动科普，科技进步的教育上非常重视和努力。
这样规模的科技盛会，在国内应试教育的大环境下可能很难模仿的。但是通过不断的观察反思，我希望国内的理工教育能够慢慢从考试为重的观念中走出来，让学生能够更近距离地亲身体验科学技术的魅力。
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