Google Student Blog: February 2011

Join us on the bridge for International Women's Day 2011

February 24, 2011

International Women’s DayJoin me on the Bridge

And this year we’re offering new online resources to make it simple for you, your friends and your classmates to participate in bridge events. To attend a bridge event, check our map to see all the events that have already been planned. Or you can use our event toolkit to plan your own event on the bridge of your choice.

Maybe consider organizing a bridge event on or near your campus. The event toolkit we've put together makes it super easy for campus women's organizations, sororities or other groups to plan an event using ready-made posters and t-shirt designs. And remember to take lots of videos and upload them to the map on March 8th!

On our International Women’s Day 2011 site, you can also donate to Women for Women International and more than 40 other incredible organizations working in the fields of women’s economic security, education, empowerment, equality, health and safety.

Hope to see you on the bridge on March 8!
Update 4:39PM: Added YouTube video.

Posted by Kate Hurowitz, International Women's Day team

Explore our U.S. Presidents on a map

February 18, 2011

[Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog and Google Lat Long blog]
When I was in elementary school, I got two days off every February; one for George Washington and another for Abraham Lincoln. I remember classrooms were usually wallpapered with a potpourri of decorations left over from Valentine’s Day and token silhouettes of these two Presidents thumb-tacked to the bulletin board. My teachers would talk about the significance of the holiday during class but with lack of visuals to pique my interest, it was always hard to retain (and fully enjoy!) the information. With that in mind, we’re pleased to celebrate the President’s Day holiday in the U.S. by letting you go back in time to learn more about our past presidents in a visually fun and interactive way.U.S. Presidents ShowcaseGoogle Earth

U.S. Presidents mapresources

Explore the White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and other historical monuments in 3D and have students explain how architecture is used to honor people, concepts and establishments

View a 3D model of Valley Forge National Park in Google Earth

View a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln and map the areas where slavery ended, as well as the areas that were not initially covered by this executive order

Discuss the famous painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware” by German American artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze and use the ruler tool in Google Earth to measure the width of the Delaware River

exploring and learningPosted by Tina Ornduff, Geo Education Program Manager

Using my maps for your summer sublet

February 16, 2011

[Cross-posted from the Google Lat-Long Blog]

Katie is an Electrical and Computer Engineering student at University of Colorado, Boulder. She loves to use My Maps and her favorite map is one she created to keep track of her world travels, with all the countries she’s visited and a link to her Picasa Web Album for that trip. If you have a tip to share on this blog, let us know!
maps.google.com

After adding a number of specific locations to your map, you can also customize and edit the map to fit your style preferences. To access your map thus far, click on the “My Maps” link in the top left corner of the page, and select the map you are interested in editing. By clicking the “Edit” button, you are now in editing mode on the map and can easily make changes to the names of locations or the style of icon. To make a change to a specific place, just click on that location. On the map, an editable box appears where you can easily make changes, such adding as some notes about the place.

The end product is a unique map showcasing why your sublet is the right option to pick. Here’s an example I used for an apartment in Boulder, Colorado.

Stand out in your next apartment rental posting with My Maps today!

Posted by Katie Corner, University of Colorado

Pin your love on the map

February 14, 2011

(Cross-posted from the Lat Long Blog)
This Valentine’s Day, tell your friends, family or significant other that you love them with a fun message from Google Maps.

Location can be a powerful trigger of memories—from the Italian place in San Francisco where you went on your first date to the cabin you rented at Lake Tahoe with your roommates. For that reason, we thought it would be great to create a Valentine’s Day card that’s tied to a specific location. As long as there’s a place that means something special to you and the ones you love, mapping your valentine is a great way to make Valentine’s Day a little more special.

One of my favorite memories is from a family trip we took to Eilat in Israel (check out my awesome fashion sense, I’m on the far left...), so I sent my parents this card:

I hope you'll take a moment to remind the people you love of the places you've shared with them. Visit www.mapyourvalentine.com to get started.

Happy Valentine's Day from Google!

Posted with love by Aaron Weissman, Google Maps & Earth Team

Announcing: Code Jam Africa & Arabia

February 8, 2011

Code Jam Africa & Arabia

Register now at: http://code.google.com/codejam/africa_arabia/
If you want to spread the word at your local university, feel free to print and distribute this leaflet.
Important datesQualification Round: Thursday, February 17, 2011 at 12:00 UTC (noon GMT)
Online Final Round: Thursday, February 24, 2011 at 17:00 UTC (5:00 PM GMT)

Need even more coding? Ready to take on the world? Stay tuned for Google's global Code Jam 2011!

Posted by Noha Salem, University Programs Specialist

Explore museums and great works of art in the Google Art Project

February 2, 2011

we announcedArt ProjectThe Merchant Georg GiszeView of ToledoGrandcamp, EveningBirth of VenusNo Woman, No Cryprofessional snowboarders’ perspective on an alpine landscapelearn about the different locations of Rembrandt’s ‘Night Watch