Start Experimenting With Google's 'Science Journal' App

Are you a big data nerd? Are your kids at that perfect age where they want to conduct all sorts of little science experiments to learn more about the world and/or blow up some baking-soda volcanos? Curious just what, exactly, your Android phone measures?

Google's new app, Science Journal, helps turn your Android device into a tricorder of sorts. With it, you can use your smartphone's sensors to gather data, and the Android app helps you visualize and graph this data in an easy-to-understand way. So, for example, you could use the app to measure sound in a particular area over a period of time, or the movement of the device's internal accelerometers depending on what you're doing (spinning your phone in a circle, perhaps).

The app doesn't let you do a ton of measurements so far, but Google is working to expand its functionality. It's also partnering with San Francisco's Exploratorium to develop external kits that can be used in conjunction with the Science Journal app—which include various microcontrollers and other sensors.

"Though we love seeing visitors on our museum floor exploring everything from sound to speed to color, what we love even more is inspiring a world of curious learners. We're excited about making hands-on exploration accessible to people in a place where they already are—their mobile devices. Every time you have a mobile device in your hand is an opportunity to ask questions about the world around you. We hope you'll take it," the Exploratorium said in a blog post.

Google sent out 120,000 different kits to local science museums as part of its Google Field Trip Days initiative, which allows students from underserved communities to attend a local museum for free—including transportation and lunch. Google also sent out 350,000 different pairs of safety glasses to schools, makerspaces, and Maker Faires worldwide, to help protect younger scientists working on more ambitious projects.

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"We're excited to nurture an open ecosystem where people everywhere can use Science Journal to create their own activities, integrate their own sensors and even build kits of their own. To that end, we have released the microcontroller firmware code on GitHub and will be open sourcing the Android app later this summer. We're eager to work with hardware vendors, science educators and the open source community to continue improving Science Journal," reads Google's announcement.