Help Crowdfund These Awesome Science Projects Before Midnight

CrowdGrant

Back in April, we called on Popular Science readers to submit their best project ideas in the #CrowdGrant Challenge. By the time we closed the gates for entries, two dozen stood above the rest — and 45 days of crowdfunding ensued.

Well, funding ends tonight — Friday, Aug. 30 — at 11:59pm EDT. That means only a few hours remain to make our hardworking finalists’ dreams become realities.

We’ve already seen a couple of them come true, including Project Reach for the Stars, which will send K-12 classroom experiments to the edge of space, and Consider the Facts, an effort to engage people in deliberative thinking using a story about an Earth-threatening asteroid. But nearly two dozen other cool projects have yet to hit 100 percent funding.

Here are some of the projects that are resonating the most with readers:

• Elcano – an open-source effort to make any vehicle autonomous
• Maverick Engine-Generator – a newly designed combustion engine and linear generator
• Don’t Sleep With Mean People – a scientifically informed peace movement
• Biobulb – a lightbulb powered by bacteria
• Teachers in Space – an effort to send a student project to the International Space Station
• Gravity Development Board – do-it-yourself electronics hardware rated for the harsh environment of space
• Swyboard – a device that functions both as a slender tablet and computer keyboard
• Dual-Axis Solar Tracker – an effort to turn the town of Greensburg, Kansas green with solar energy

For the full list of projects, visit popsci.com/crowdgrant — and help our finalists do something amazing.

Follow the conversation or spread the word about #CrowdGrant projects on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and Pinterest.