GSF2013

The National Geographic Society is one of the world's largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to "increase and diffuse geographic knowledge," the Society's mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. It reaches more than 400 million people worldwide each month through its official journal, National Geographic, and other magazines; National Geographic Channel; television documentaries; music; radio; films; books; DVDs; maps; exhibitions; live events; school publishing programs; interactive media; and merchandise. National Geographic has funded more than 10,000 scientific research, conservation and exploration projects. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com. As the non-commercial, educational outreach arm of the National Geographic Society, National Geographic Education pursues two primary goals: to bring National Geographic's rich resources for learning to the largest possible audience of educators worldwide; and to catalyze educational change that will bring National Geographic's vision of a geo-literate society to life. National Geographic Education creates compelling resources for teaching and learning, provides educators with transformative learning experiences, and advocates for improved education in geography, the environmental sciences, and the other disciplines that are critical to geo-literacy. Join the 5.5 million annual visitors at NatGeoEd.org to learn more about National Geographic Education and get involved in building a more geo-literate society & Scientific American is at the heart of Nature Publishing Group's (NPG's) consumer media division, meeting the needs of the general public. Founded in 1845, Scientific American is the longest continuously published magazine in the U.S. and the leading authoritative publication for science in the general media. Together with scientificamerican.com and 14 local-language editions around the world, it reaches more than 5 million opinion-leading citizens, public and private sectors influential, educators and scientists. Scientific American won a 2011 National Magazine Award for General Excellence. Other titles include Scientific American MIND in the US and 14 local-language editions worldwide. Scientific American is committed to promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, and to promoting wider engagement among the public and scientists. In September 2010 NPG became a member of Change the Equation, a CEO-led initiative to cultivate widespread literacy in STEM in the U.S., as part of President Obama's "Educate to Innovate" campaign. In 2011 Scientific American launched several programs in support of the initiative's goals. Bring Science Home, an ongoing weekly program, provides parents and school age children with simple projects that explain basic science principles they can do at home in just a few minutes. In Citizen Science, Scientific American has created an online platform for children and adults to participate in ongoing scientific research conducted by major research institutions. Scientific American, in partnership with The Zooniverse,launched the whale-song project, Whale FM, which enables "citizen scientists" to help marine researchers better understand how killer whales and pilot whales communicate. With the 1,000 Scientists in 1,000 Days program, Scientific American has created a portal where educators can connect with scientists who have agreed to volunteer their time to benefit STEM education, perhaps by volunteering in a classroom or explaining the latest in research. To encourage science-literacy in children, Scientific American launched our popular blog, Budding Scientist, lead by editor Anna Kutchment. Scientific American is also a media sponsor and participant in the biennial USA Science & Engineering Festival. In 2012, Scientific American launched the annual Science in Action prize, powered by the Google Science Fair. This prize honors a project that could make a practical difference by addressing an environmental, health or resources problem in the lives of a community.