If you can have a trash bin the corner on land to collect all the rubbish people generate, why can’t we have a trash bin in the corner in the water for the same reason? That’s the idea that Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski had, from which the Seabin was created. It is a simple vacuum based device that floats on the water and pulls all the trash that is available in the nearby vicinity into itself.

The Seabin has been established at marinas, docks, yacht clubs and commercial ports and seems to be doing a fairly good job of collecting the trash in the area it is placed. What’s commendable is that not only is it picking out solid waste, but it can also take in oil sleeks, detergents and other chemicals that are potentially harmful and polluting the waters.

Since the entire water passes right through the Seabin, it is able to pick up even the smallest pieces of Styrofoam and trap it before releasing the rest of the purified water back into the surrounding. The only draw back is that the Seabin, just like a regular trash can needs to be emptied out at regular intervals. Not a bad trade off in this science project.

Our oceans are becoming the receptacles for all the trash that we can’t seem to recycle. The plastic that seems to end up in the waters of the Earth are likely to suffocate all life in the oceans soon. While people are now more aware of the dangers of plastic trash, they are still not quite as proactive when it comes to tidying up after themselves.

Daniel Chase and John Kellet designed a barge that works it’s way through the harbor in Boston, collecting all the trash that is accumulated in the water. From plastic bags, to Styrofoam cups the trash eating wheel collects everything it can find in the polluted waters of the harbor. This is then collected and recycled properly. Some of the so called trash is actually converted back in to energy by incineration which generated power that is used to power homes in Maryland.

The locals love the ecological contraption and call it Mr. Trash Wheel. The concept is simple, and the work that is done truly benefits the environment. This barge even is running on renewable energy. It’s a combination of solar and water power that allows it to continue it’s clean up work. What more could you ask for an ecological warrior! Needless to say it’s a science project that meets a great need.

A simple drawing from a third grade student called Sammie Vance started the ball rolling for much good. She drew a cartoon strip which showed how a lonely child was able to sit on a bench, called the buddy bench, and signal that he wanted to play. Then someone in the playground would approach the child and ask him to play with them.

The concept of the buddy bench was to make children who were without friends, become integrated in the general groups on the play ground. The system was accepted by the school and they set out three such buddy benches in Sammie’s school. All of which are being regularly used. However, that’s not the only good that came out of the drawing.

Sammie’s buddy benches are made out of recycled plastic bottle caps and lids. Her family and friends collected 63 bags of trash filled with these bottle caps to be recycled and re-purposed into the buddy benches. After the ones in her own school Sammie has now been collecting caps and lids for 11 other schools in and around her city.

Recycling plastic waste is a good science project, and the buddy benches make a huge impact on the lives of the children using them. This is a win win situation all over.

There are a number of reasons why researchers make microscopic robots. Engineers at the University of Washington have created the first wireless, flying robot that is about the size of a bumble bee. This robot is powered by a laser beam, and weighs less than a toothpick. It has been named RoboFly.

The tasks that a robotic flyer or this tiny a size can undertake are now being considered. One of the tasks would be to fly over large farms and display in live time the growth of the crops to the farmer. Another could be to sense out gas leaks in a sensitive storage area where hazards can be avoided by catching the leak in time.

What the RoboFly can do, will depend on the programs and the sensors that it can carry. The engineers will be able to customize the little flying robot based on what it’s primary duty may entail. The challenge to be met for the researchers is to increase the scope of the robotic insect’s flying area, even while keeping it under remote control.

Insect sized flying robots have so far been tethered to the ground with a wire. The engineers who worked on the science project that created the RoboFly have managed to overcome this challenge. Now let’s see them improve on the prototype.