The Event-Based Science Project is designed for middle-school earth science or general science classes. Students are drawn into the activities by media coverage about major current events/disasters, along with "Discovery File" articles, "On the Job" interviews, and other interesting features. Students must then apply their scientific knowledge and work in teams to solve a real-world task related to the event. As students study the event they learn to analyze problems, seek out needed information, and ask critical questions. Authentic assessment ideas and interdisciplinary activities (incorporating English, math, social studies, and technology studies) are also presented.