We've moved! Visit
The Keyword
for all the latest stories about
life at Google
and our
student programs
.
Student Blog
Brought to you from your @GoogleStudents friends. From pre-university to PhD (and beyond), we got you.
Searching for the sunshine and snow
December 17, 2010
This post is part of the
“Teach Your Parents Tech” series
where Googlers help provide some tips and tricks you can gift your parents with this Holiday Season.
In the town where I grew up, the average temperature fluctuates from 66°F to 83°F. I remember the weather guy on the local news spending more time telling funny stories than sharing the weather forecast. It wasn’t until I moved away for college, where clear skies could give way to thunderstorms in just minutes, that I learned the real value of quick access to a weather report. That’s also when I taught my mom how to check the weather report right from Google for any location in the world. By just typing “weather 08544” she could easily decide whether or not to call and remind me to bundle up.
Looking at the weather forecast is a great way to stir up nostalgia, prepare for a vacation, or decide what to wear in the morning. Whether you’re hoping for sunshine or snow, cross your fingers and head over to Google.com to search for the weather.
Before I knew why weather forecasts exist
Posted by Laura Melahn, Product Marketing Manager
Sharing holiday greetings with Google Maps
December 16, 2010
The holiday season means spending time with family, seeing friends from home and visiting new places. Along with building a snowman in the backyard, for many students the holiday season brings lots of travel!
It’s fun to plan these holiday trips, and to help you share your plans, we’ve designed holiday cards you can email to friends and family. In addition to choosing a holiday cover and adding a personal message, you can select specific directions, a Street View image, or a place to include on the inside of the card.
Since I grew up in New England, the holidays always make me think of skiing. I can send my friends cards with some
inspiring ski scenes
in Street View, or send
directions to Squaw Valley
for an upcoming ski trip.
I can also send friends and family suggestions for
a restaurant
for a holiday dinner or include directions there.
Thanks to
Christoph Niemann
for inspiration
.
You can spread holiday cheer with these online cards, whether sharing winter imagery in Street View or directions for your travels. Start sending at
googlemapsholidays.appspot.com
. Happy holidays!
Posted by Katie Mandel, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps
Find a great place to eat in the neighborhood
December 16, 2010
This post is part of the
“Teach Your Parents Tech” series
where Googlers help provide some tips and tricks you can gift your parents with this Holiday Season.
For my mom, learning new technology can be pretty overwhelming. Except, of course, when that new technology makes her life easier in a very direct way. (The shopping center really didn’t know what hit it when she got a hold of a bar code scanning app on her mobile phone.)
Since my mom’s a big-time foodie, I thought it’d be perfect to show her how to find great local restaurants using Google Search.
Who knows? Maybe if she finds one she likes, she’ll feel inspired to take her darling son out for a bite to eat (hint, hint, Mom). If you’d like to get more quick videos to help your parents use technology in their everyday lives, check out www.TeachParentsTech.org.
My parents and I at a theme park around 1996. Any guesses as to who was most excited to be there?
Posted by Miles Johnson, Search Marketing Team
Letting everyone do great things with App Inventor
December 15, 2010
Cross-posted from the
Research Blog
In July, we
announced
App Inventor for Android, a
Google Labs
experiment that makes it easier for people to access the capabilities of their Android phone and create apps for their personal use. We were delighted (and honestly a bit overwhelmed!) by the interest that our announcement generated. We were even more delighted to hear the stories of what you were doing with App Inventor. All sorts of people (teachers and students, parents and kids, programming hobbyists and programming newbies) were building Android apps that perfectly fit their needs.
For example, we’ve heard of people building
vocabulary apps
for their children, SMS broadcasting apps for their community events, apps that track their favorite
public transportation routes
and—our favorite—a
marriage proposal app
.
We are so impressed with the great things people have done with App Inventor, we want to allow more people the opportunity to do great things. So we’re excited to announce that App Inventor (beta) is now available in
Labs
to anyone with a
Google account
. To see App Inventor in action, check out this video:
Visit the
App Inventor
home page to get set up and start building your first app. And be sure to share your App Inventor story on the
App Inventor user forum
. Maybe this holiday season you can make a new kind of homemade gift—an app perfectly designed for the recipient’s needs!
Posted by Karen Parker, App Inventor Program Manager
Your desktop background is your palate
December 15, 2010
This post is part of the
“Teach Your Parents Tech” series
where Googlers help provide some tips and tricks you can gift your parents with this Holiday Season.
Last holiday season was the first time that I accumulated enough funds (read: got a “real job” and stopped living on my mother’s account) to purchase a substantial holiday present for the person who gave me life. The gift? A new laptop to replace her archaic machine from the Ninth Circle. Simply gifting someone else’s creation wasn’t enough, though--I wanted to personalize the experience.
My mother’s a hopeless sap: all of her online passwords are variations of her children’s names (please don’t hack her!); she can never find anything in her purse because it’s engorged by our baby pictures; and her visceral reaction to the question “how are you doing?” is “oh, they (my sister and I) are doing quite well!” So to personalize the laptop, my sister engaged her masterful design skills to produce a desktop background of my mother’s Two Wonders of the World: her daughter and son, with a mint green background, no less (her favorite color). When the day arrived, she ecstatically expressed her appreciation for “a real present...finally!”; the real ringer, however, came when she saw the illuminated screen. She was brought to tears.
Your desktop background is more than the tone with which you begin your computing experience; it’s your palate. Make it dynamic and fun, but most importantly, make it you.
I constantly change my desktop background. Here are a few instances:
Commemorate an important event or holiday, like a birthday or a national day
Promote or anticipate a major upcoming event, like a new movie or sports event
Rectify a bad day (or week) with a motivational quote or inspirational figures (a silhouette of Martin Luther King Jr. is a personal favorite)
Demonstrate loyalty to “your side” if you’re part of a rivalry--from sports teams to mobile phone operating systems (e.g. I’ve had an Android army robot before)
Mirror seasonal or environmental changes, such as a snowy background for the holidays or a beach during the summer
My mother and I, when I still listened to her attentively
Posted by Bing Chen, YouTube Partnerships and Platform Marketing
Find results at the right reading level
December 14, 2010
You may have had the experience while searching on Google of finding results that are either too simple or too complex for the task at hand. A
new feature in Advanced Search
lets you display the reading level of results and filter based on level.
To use the new feature, click “Advanced search” next to the search box and make a selection under “Reading level.”
If you choose to “annotate results with reading levels,” you’ll start seeing a handy bar graph showing the range of content for a particular topic at the top of the results page. This way whether you’re looking for a
basic explanation
of the [physics of frisbees] for your first science fair project,
or you’re designing radical new saucers
as part of your college aerospace class, Google can help you find just the right results.
By choosing “show only basic results” or “show only advanced results” you can sometimes find those needle-in-a-haystack pages that speak your language. For example, most results for [
newtonian physics
] are clearly for specialists in the field, but narrow that to the Basic reading level (hint: click on the “Basic” bar chart label), and you might just find something that actually makes sense. This can be particularly help for people who are learning English as a second language.
On the other hand, if you’re doing serious research on a topic with a lot of fluffy content online (eg:
puppies
), you can use the reading level tool to cut through to the more
learned and interesting results
. Who knew there was a scholarly journal of
pop culture
?
The reading level tool might even help you choose a research topic for your next project. Many searches return results that are on one extreme or the other: a lot of rudimentary information or a bunch of pages intended for Ph.D’s. With reading level information, you can get a sense of how much content has been published to the web at an appropriate level.
Posted by Noah Coccaro, Software Engineer
Searching for the right movie
December 14, 2010
This post is part of the
“Teach Your Parents Tech” series
where Googlers help provide some tips and tricks you can gift your parents with this Holiday Season.
When I head home for the holidays, I most look forward to seeing my family and labradoodles. I know I’ll also be catching up on sleep, reading, and seeing some new movies. While picking up Jane Austen will be an easy decision, figuring out which movies to see will be a tougher choice. My brothers, parents and I will have the inevitable debate between low-brow humor and action options.
When I was home for Thanksgiving, we decided on a movie we wanted to see, only to research showtimes and find that the time didn’t work for everyone. To help your families make the movie selection process easier, I’m sharing some guidance on how you can easily find movie listings and showtimes by searching on Google.com.
While we know this won’t solve all of the comedy versus action movie debates, we hope this will help you find some great movies to watch with your family over the holidays. To see more videos on easy ways to help your parents with technology, visit
www.TeachParentsTech.org
.
When the only movies I watched were cartoons
Posted by Katie Mandel, Product Marketing Manager, Google Maps
Teaching your parents tech
December 13, 2010
This post is the first in a new series especially for the Holidays around taking technology home with you this year. Stay tuned for more tips for the next ten days and check out
http://teachparentstech.org
to learn more.
We all know that coming home for the holidays can hold some serious responsibilities for students. Not only are you required to eat a lot, open gifts, and rejoice in some well-deserved time off from studying, but sometimes you’re also expected to serve as the in-house tech support team for your own family. Did you get your mom a new camera? Then you better get ready to teach her how to get the photos she takes from this little thing (camera) onto that bigger thing (computer).
This task is the motivation behind our recently launched campaign to “Teach Parents Tech”. Instead of spending hours trying to explain to your parents what a blog or browser is, wouldn’t it be easier to use
this nifty website
to send your parents (or grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings...) a few tutorial videos that can teach them everything they’ve ever wanted to know about how they can use Google tools and products just like you do?
A bunch of us Googlers often have the same problem, which is why we actually filmed these videos for our own parents. For me personally, I chose to teach my dad how he can use a URL shortener (like
goo.gl
) to keep things short and simple. Just like his long-winded phone calls, he has a tendency to use Gmail chat and text messages (which he only refers to as “SMSes”, by the way) as if they are full-fledged conversations. My gift to him – and myself – this holiday season is to try and teach him how he can simplify his messages and his URLs.
With all the holiday countdowns this time of year (like the
8 days of Hanukkah
,
12 days of Christmas
, or
7 candles for Kwanzaa
) we thought it would make sense to post one of these every day on the Student blog for the next ten days. We hope you (and your parents) find them useful.
A shorter version of me and my and dad circa 1987
Posted by Miriam Schneider, Google Apps for Education team
Celebrating the Second Computer Science Education Week
December 9, 2010
Cross-posted on the
Official Google Blog
This week we celebrate and recognize the second annual
Computer Science Education Week
(December 5-11). We’re proud to continue our support for CSEd Week and our commitment to Computer Science education.
We believe that all students should have the opportunity to become active creators of tomorrow's technology. With that in mind, our goal is to use Google’s strengths and infrastructure to increase access to high-quality open educational content and technology in order to invest in the next generation of computer scientists and engineers. Here are a few programs we worked on in 2010 to expand the reach and quality of computing in education:
Implementing new education technologies and tools that scale
In July, we introduced
App Inventor
in Google Labs, a web-based environment that allows students with no computer programming knowledge to build apps for their Android phone. Rather than writing syntax, students design the app and then piece together puzzle-like blocks to set the app’s behavior. Educators around the world have found App Inventor to be a powerful platform for introducing students to the high-level concepts of computer programming and the world of technology.
Increasing access to and the quality of computing curriculum
In October, we released a set of classroom-ready
lessons and examples
—created by teachers in collaboration with Google engineers—showing how educators can incorporate
computational thinking
into K-12 curriculum for math and science. Computational thinking is a set of skills that software engineers use to write the programs that underlay all of the computer applications we use every day. On our site, you can find resources like curriculum templates and forums for educators to share and support ideas around computational thinking.
In mid-2010, we revamped
Google Code University
, a collection of university-level computer science tutorials, labs and lectures, to make it easier for people to find and use materials they need. All Google Code University content is Creative Commons-licensed so college professors can use the materials directly in their classrooms.
We provided grants to 35 universities throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Asia for
Computer Science for High School (CS4HS)
, a workshop to promote computer science in high school curriculum. With funding from Google, colleges develop a two-day program for local high school CS teachers that incorporates informational talks by industry leaders and discussions on new and emerging CS curricula at the high school level.
Influencing positive changes in education through advocacy and community engagement
We continued to partner with many organizations to advocate the importance of computer science in the classroom, such as
Computing in the Core
, a non-partisan advocacy coalition of associations, corporations, scientific societies and other non-profits that strive to elevate computer science education to a core academic subject in K-12 education.
We’re excited to be involved in initiatives that highlight the importance of computer science, and look forward to increasing our involvement with Computer Science Education Week in the coming years. Technology and CS are increasingly important to all of us, and we hope others will pay more attention to this critical field. As for Google, we’ll continue to be an advocate for computing and help elevate computer science education at all levels.
Posted by Maggie Johnson, Director of Education and University Relations
Chrome Netbooks for Students
December 9, 2010
We
recently announced
the Chrome notebook Pilot program. We think Chrome notebooks will be super useful for students like you – especially if your school is already using
Google Apps for Education
–because they deliver a faster, simpler and more secure computing experience, with lower total cost of ownership than traditional PCs.
For more information and to apply for the pilot, visit the
Chrome notebook website
and check out the full video of yesterday's Chrome event on YouTube:
Posted by Josh Woodward, Chrome Team
2011 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship
December 2, 2010
Cross-posted on the
Official Google Blog
Dr. Anita Borg devoted her life to revolutionizing the way we think about technology and dismantling the barriers that keep women and minorities from entering the computing and technology fields. In honor of Anita's vision, we established the
Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship
in 2004, awarding scholarships to women who share her passion for technology. Once again, we’re proud to announce the Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarships in the U.S. and Canada. The deadline to apply for the 2011 scholarship is Tuesday, February 1, 2011.
The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship
is open to current female students who are entering their senior year of undergraduate study or enrolled in a graduate program in the 2011-2012 academic year at a university in the
United States
or
Canada
. Students should be enrolled in a computer science, computer engineering or a closely related technical program, and maintain a record of strong academic performance. Scholars and finalists will be announced in May 2011 and will be invited to attend the annual Google Scholars’ Retreat—a three-day networking retreat at the Googleplex in Mountain View in the summer of 2011.
The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship for First Years
is open to current female high school seniors who are intending to enroll as full-time students at a university in the U.S. for the 2011-2012 academic year. Applicants should have a record of strong academic performance and plan to pursue a degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related technical program. The winning scholars will be invited to attend the
Google FUSE
networking retreat in 2012.
You can hear from some of this year’s scholars on how receiving the Anita Borg scholarship has impacted them:
For those of you outside of North America, the Google Anita Borg Scholarship program is also available in Asia, Africa, Australia, Canada, Europe, the Middle East and New Zealand—visit
www.google.com/anitaborg
for more information.
Finally, the Anita Borg Scholarship is just one of many scholarships and networking opportunities we offer to students in order to encourage them to excel in technology and become active role models and leaders in the field. For more information about all of Google’s scholarship programs, please visit
www.google.com/jobs/scholarships
.
Posted by Azusa Hanashima, Talent & Outreach Programs
Labels
A Day in the Life of a New Grad in Google Dublin
7
AdCamp
2
AdMob
11
Ambassador Program
14
APAC
7
Appy Trails
28
Back to School
4
Better Know a New Grad
1
Better Know an Intern
15
Better Know an Office
4
Black History Month
10
Caitlin Talks to an Engineer
9
Chrome Extensions
3
Chromebook
1
College Tips by Google
1
Community
14
Conferences
16
consortium
1
CSSI
5
Day in the Life
2
deSTEMber
1
Development Programs
1
Diary of a Business Associate Intern
1
Diary of a Summer Intern
41
Diary of a Summer Intern - Erika
9
Diary of a Summer Intern - Franklin
3
Diary of a Summer Intern - Jess
3
Diary of a Summer intern - Luke
3
Diary of a Summer Intern - Madelaine
4
Diary of a Summer Intern - Pablo
3
Diary of a Summer Intern - Rio
4
Diary of a Summer Intern 2012
18
Diary of an MBA Intern
2
Education
19
EMEA
47
Europe
8
Events
13
Exploring Design at Google
4
GHC15
6
Going Green
6
Gone Google
2
Google Code University
1
Google Code-in
1
Google Games
3
Google Japan
1
Google Lime Scholarship
1
Google on campus
2
Google Online Marketing Challenge
10
Google Science Fair
2
Google.org
1
Google+
6
Googlers
14
Googlers Beta
11
Grace Hopper
11
GradTips
9
Hangouts On Air
21
Inside ITRP
6
Intern Insights
31
Intern Program
72
Interns Making an Impact
7
Interviews
1
Jobs
5
just for fun
30
K-12 (Pre-university)
14
LATAM
3
Life at Google
17
Middle East
1
My Path to Google
45
My Summer at Google
15
My Summer at Google 2012
10
North America
4
Office Environment
4
Open Source
9
PhD
7
Products
94
Programs and Competitions
116
Recruiter Tips and Tricks
15
Rice Plus
4
Scholarships
56
Search
1
STEM
2
STEP
1
Student Tips
15
Students
13
Summer of Code
1
Teach Parents Tech
10
Tech Students
3
Tips and Tricks
27
Women in Engineering
21
Young Innovators
10
YouTube
3
Archive
2020
Jul
May
Mar
Feb
Jan
2019
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2018
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2017
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2016
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2015
Dec
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2014
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2013
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2012
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2011
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2010
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2009
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2008
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Feed
Follow @GoogleStudents
Interested in opportunities and programs for students? Visit
google.com/students
.
