We spend an average of one third of our lives asleep, but what happens during sleep is one of the biggest scientific mysteries regarding the human body. This year, Alan Alda posed a new challenge to scientists: explain the answer to the question "What is sleep?" in a way that will pique the interest of 11-year-old children. This is part of Alda's yearly Flame Challenge.
Aside from being an actor and writer, Alda is an advocate for the sciences, and a visiting professor at Stony Brook University. Every year, the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University in New York holds the Flame Challenge. This is Alda's way of trying to expose a new generation of children to science. The contest is judged by 11-year-olds.
"I came up with this contest as a fun challenge for scientists to explain a complex thing like a flame in a way that would make it clear to an 11-year-old. The idea was to urge scientists to communicate more clearly. I didn't realize what an extraordinary learning experience it was going to be for the 11-year-olds. By now, tens of thousands of kids from all over the world have excitedly delved into the mysteries of nature as they've judged the scientists' entries," said Alda.
This question was submitted by a class in Garden City, New York. The question was chosen for this year's contest after winning a poll.
"Sleep is something mysterious to all of us at every age. I think the idea that you get drowsy and drop off at a certain point is a weird experience, and it happens to everybody. So what is it? Why do we do it?" Alda said.
There will be two prizes for the contest: one for the best written example, and one for the best example using graphics or video. Scientists may submit an answer in any format they choose. The winners will receive $1,000 and admission to the World Science Festival which is held in New York City.
Alda was inspired to get involved with the communication side of science after working on a play called "QED" in the 1990s, about the physicist Richard Feynman. Alda also worked on a PBS show called "Scientific American Frontiers."
