The Scientific Activist

It's that time of the year again, when us bloggers take a moment away from our posturing to actually do some good for this world. Yes, that's right: today DonorsChoose is kicking off its 2007 Bloggers Challenge. And, just like last year, several of us at ScienceBlogs have put together our own challenges to raise money for science classrooms.

Last year's challenge was such a success here at ScienceBlogs (raising $26,938.80 for science classrooms) that we're doing it again this year... for twice as long! The challenge starts today and will continue until the 31st of October. So, please, give early and give often... or give just once. Even a few dollars can go a long way toward helping bring the wonder of good science to kids who might otherwise not experience it.

At DonorsChoose, teachers submit short proposals for classroom projects that need funding, giving potential donors a wide array of worthy causes to contribute to. You can of course give year round, but for the second year in a row, several of us at ScienceBlogs (see below) have gotten together to join the larger DonorsChoose Bloggers Challenge.

This year I'm personally aiming to raise $1,000, and you can donate to my challenge by clicking here (or on the image above or on the image on the sidebar). I tried to pick a wide array of different projects to fund. The only thing they have in common is that they are all at high poverty schools. Many, but not all, are in my home state of Texas. Otherwise, I just looked for projects that were particularly creative or interesting, often focusing on molecular biology, chemistry, or environmental science. So, take a look around, and hopefully you'll see something you'd like to help fund. I know that my career in science was launched largely by exciting experiences in grade school science classrooms, so hopefully we can help ensure similar experiences for many many others.

To keep things interesting, there is a dedicated ScienceBlogs leaderboard this year, so check there to keep up with how the various blogs are stacking up against each other.

Thanks for your generosity! Also, special thanks go to Janet at Adventures in Ethics and Science for once again spearheading this effort here at ScienceBlogs.

Here's how it works:

Follow the links below to the DonorsChoose website.

Pick a project from the slate the blogger has selected (or more than one project, if you just can't choose).

Donate.

DonorsChoose will send you a confirmation email. Hold onto it, because Seed will randomly select some donors to receive nifty prizes (more info on that later, but the prizes last year were pretty sweet).

Sit back and watch the little donation thermometers inch towards 100 percent, and check the ScienceBlogs leaderboard to see how many students will be impacted by your generosity.

Here are the participating blogs and their challenges:

• A Blog Around the Clock (challenge here)
• Adventures in Ethics and Science (challenge here)
• Aetiology (challenge here)
• Cognitive Daily (challenge here)
• Deep Sea News (challenge here)
• Evolgen (challenge here)
• Gene Expression (challenge here)
• Omni Brain (challenge here)
• On Being a Scientist and a Woman (challenge here)
• The Questionable Authority (challenge here)
• Retrospectacle (challenge here)
• The Scientific Activist (challenge here)
• Stranger Fruit (challenge here)
• Terra Sigillata (challenge here)
• Thoughts From Kansas (challenge here)
• Thus Spake Zuska (challenge here)
• Uncertain Principles (challenge here)