The National Science Foundation awarded The HistoryMakers a 3-year grant to interview 180 of the nation's top African American scientists, create curriculum based on the interviews and hold public programs featuring the scientists. The goal of the ScienceMakers initiative is to create positive role models and use their life stories as a way to encourage others to enter scientific professions.

ScienceMakers YouTube Contest

Think You Have What It Takes To Be A ScienceMaker?

Show us! The ScienceMakers are African Americans who have made a significant impact on the worldwide scientific community, whether as an engineer, college biology professor, seismologist, research chemist and more. The ScienceMakers YouTube Oral History Contest is free and open to any student in fifth through twelfth grade at a full time U.S. public, private, or home school. Your video can either be an imaginary interview with yourself as a scientist in the future, or an impersonation of a ScienceMaker from the ScienceMakers Toolkit.

There are many possibilities for your video—maybe you will create technology for movie special effects like ScienceMaker Marc Hannah. Will you observe robot and human interactions, like ScienceMaker Odest Jenkins? Or study the stars and how the universe began, like ScienceMaker Neil deGrasse Tyson? You could even protect the environment and work for the government, like ScienceMaker Lisa Jackson. How will you make your contribution to science?

Here’s How It Works

Before making your video, check with your teacher, afterschool club leader or educational leader about your video idea. With help from an adult, search the web for information about the field you plan to explore in your video. Winning videos will teach the viewer something new about science and about the ScienceMaker, and will also have an aspect of oral history—describing the life of you or the scientist and the time in which you or the scientist live.

Here’s a full copy of the 2011-2012 YouTube Contest Guidelines – Download

No matter what approach you take, here are the rules that everyone must follow:

1. Before submitting your video, please review the terms for submitting content on the YouTube website (see below).
2. Choose a ScienceMaker from the collection (either to impersonate or use as inspiration). 

Some sample questions to answer:

a. Where are you from?
b. What field are you in? What do you do every day at work?
c. Describe how you became a successful scientist. Remember, being a ScienceMaker means paying attention to details and facts! As any real scientist would do, make sure you double check your results to be completely accurate in your presentation!

i. Who inspired you to become a scientist?
ii. What struggles did you face? How did you survive those challenges?

d. Mention what accomplishments you have made.
e. Include a clear visual demonstration of anything in the scientific field you have chosen.
f. If you decide to make a video of your future scientist self, here are some questions for you to think about:

i. Where did you go to school?
ii. What science field did you choose and why?
iii. Who inspired you? (This is where you talk about the ScienceMaker!)
iv. What do you research? Animals? Organisms? Nature? Atoms?
v. What new discoveries have you made?
vi. Have you won any awards for your research?
vii. How did you get interested in science? How old were you?

3. No inappropriate videos will be accepted. These men and women overcame many obstacles and challenges to become the great scientists they are today. Think about how you would want to be portrayed if you were a ScienceMaker.
4. Videos must be submitted in English.
5. Videos must be between one (1) and three (3) minutes long.
6. Students must be U.S. citizens or legal residents living within the United States or its territories.
7. Students may be 18 years of age or younger to submit a video, but must get parental permission before entering the contest.
8. Students must work with help from their teacher, afterschool club leader or other educational leader to ensure safety.
9. The videos must be done creatively!


Submit Your Video on

To submit your video, go on and create a free account if you do not already have one. Locate the ScienceMakers YouTube page and add a comment to our channel with a link to your video. You can also see our sample video and past winners online. Once a student has won, he/she cannot enter again.