STEM

National K 12 Science Competition Names Regional Winners

• By Scott Aronowitz
• 03/09/10

The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Toshiba have announced the 24 regional winners and national finalists of the 18th annual Exploravision Awards. The competition is open to K-12 students throughout the United States, its territories, and Canada, and solicits practical, STEM-based ideas for solving everyday problems and challenges that, in turn, will help lead to a better, safer, and more productive world.

According to a statement from organizers, Exploravision selects its winners "based on how they combine imagination with the tools of real scientific research to envision future technologies that could realistically exist in 20 years. Students learn by presenting their project ideas in ways that reflect modern scientific methods, examining problems and deriving solutions the same way scientists do and considering the positive and negative consequences to their proposed ideas."

The competition received 4,550 team entries representing more than 13,900 students. A panel of 58 judges, including scientists, engineers, and science educators, chose six regional winners in each of four grade categories (K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12). Among those chosen include: a group of K-3 students in Tampa, FL, for its proposal for a portable computerized first aid kit; a team of 10th-graders from Englishtown, NJ, for its research into robotic eyes to help those with macular degeneration; and a team of middle-schoolers from Corning, NY, that designed a hydroponic farming method to produce food in areas unsuitable for conventional farming.

From the 24 winners, the judges will now choose four first place and four second place finishers in each grade category. Each first-place team will receive a $10,000 US Series EE Savings Bond, while each second-place team will receive a $5,000 bond (winning teams from Canada will receive bonds from their own country of equivalent value). All members of the eight winning teams will also head to Washington, DC, for an all-expense paid trip to attend the awards gala in June, along with a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress, a science showcase during which the students will display and demonstrate their winning ideas, and sightseeing around the nation's capital.

The 2010 regional winners follow.

Region 1: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, and VT

• Grade K-3: LD Batchelder School, North Reading, MA, for ToothGuard Plus
• Grade 4-6: Scofield Magnet Middle School, Stamford, CT, for Community Algae BioReactor
• Grade 7-9: Alternative School for Math & Science, Corning, NY, for Hydroponic Vertical Farm
• Grade 10-12: Stuyvesant High School, New York, NY, for I-CEE: IKVAV--Scaffold Center-Surround Eyesight Enhancement

Region 2: DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV, District of Columbia, Armed Forces America, Armed Forces Europe, and Armed Forces Pacific

• Grade K-3: Burgettstown Area Elementary Center, Burgettstown, PA, for Hovers
• Grade 4-6: Virginia Academy, Ashburn, VA, for The Food Buddy Bot
• Grade 7-9: Ma'ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls, Teaneck, NJ, for REGENX: Human Limb Regenerative Protein Cocktail Injections
• Grade 10-12: Manalapan High School, Englishtown, NJ, for Seeing into the Future

Region 3: FL, GA, NC, SC, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands

• Grade K-3: Tampa Christian Community School, Tampa, FL, for Smart Touch First Aid Kit
• Grade 4-6: Lincoln Avenue Academy, Lakeland, FL, for The Steminator
• Grade 7-9: Bishop Kenny High School, Jacksonville, FL, for Looking at the World in a New Way
• Grade 10-12: Gulliver Preparatory, Pinecrest, FL, for SNCES: Selective Nanotechnology Cancer Eradication System

Region 4: IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, ND, OH, SD, WI, and Canada

• Grade K-3: Sunnyside Elementary, Burlington, IA, for Poison Tracker Belt
• Grade 4-6: Parkside Intermediate School, Westlake, OH, for Downspout Generator
• Grade 7-9: Ontario Middle School, Mansfield, OH, for SR Glasses
• Grade 10-12: University Laboratory High School, Urbana, IL, for NIBEye: Neural Interfaced Bionic Eye

Region 5: AL, AR, KS, KY, LA, MO, MS, NE, OK, TN, TX, Northern Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, Palau, Micronesia, American Samoa, and Guam

• Grade K-3: John Ross Elementary, Edmond, OK, for Always Stop
• Grade 4-6: Woodrow Wilson Elementary, Manhattan, KS, for Drone Bee
• Grade 7-9: John Burroughs School, St. Louis, MO, for Metaredd--Metabolic Reduction Device
• Grade 10-12: John Burroughs School, St. Louis, MO, for Electro-Boot: The Boot that Generates Electricity

Region 6: AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA

• Grade K-3: Willow Grove Elementary, San Diego, CA, for Sign Language Interpreter
• Grade 4-6: Fairmont Private School, Anaheim, CA, for A. C. E.
• Grade 7-9: Forest Ridge School, Bellevue, WA--EPPIC: Ecological Paper Printer and Ink Collector
• Grade 10-12: North Hollywood High School, North Hollywood, CA, for ACT for Alzheimer's