4-H National Youth Science Day

4-H National Youth Science Day (NYSD) supports the National 4-H Science Initiative. The focus of 4-H NYSD activities is a single science experiment designed to engage young people across the nation. By encouraging youth, adult mentors, partners and influencers to participate in 4-H NYSD, we can help all to experience science in a fun, constructive manner, increase interest in the sciences and encourage participation in support of 4-H programs.

The objectives of 4-H NYSD are to:

position 4-H as a important solution to the need for 21st century scientists
position 4-H as an innovative provider of science education
encourage both 4-H and non 4-H youth to participate in 4-H NYSD
engage youth development organizations and industry/corporate volunteers in the experiment

The National website is available at http://www.4-h.org/NYSD/

2011 4-H National Youth Science Day

Powering the Nation's Future

Coincides with National 4-H Week, October 2 - 8, 2011

The third annual 4-H National Youth Science Day will be held nationally on Wednesday, October 5, 2011. The 2011 National Science Experiment, Wired for Wind, will explore how to engineer renewable energy
technologies and the positive impact that they can have in communities across the country and the world.

As the nation looks to address important issues on sustainability, youth are at the forefront of the discussion. In 4-H, young people are taught the skills they need to become the nation’s future leaders. Consequently, it is important for youth to understand the challenges faced by the global community, and the opportunities for a more sustainable tomorrow.

Why Wind?

Energy is one of the top concerns for our nation today. The United States consumes 22% of the world’s electricity, yet represents of only 4.5% of the world’s population. Most of energy we use today comes from nonrenewable resources. The United State produces most of its electricity (almost 50%) from coal.

Wind power is a clean, renewable energy source:

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, wind power has been growing at an average rate of 25% per year, making wind the fastest growing source of energy today.
Nearly every one of our 50 states has locations that could be good for the development of wind power.
In fact, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) identified only six states that have little or no wind energy potential – Mississippi, Florida, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Kentucky.

While many young people today are aware of the issues associated with carbon-based fossil fuels and the
dangers of our nation relying on foreign oil, they may not fully understand how scientists and engineers decide
how to design and deploy alternative energy sources. Wired for Wind provides young people with an engaging,
hands-on introduction to the engineering design process utilizing renewable energy as the centerpiece.

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