2009 ExploraVision Science Competition Kicks Off

• By David Nagel
• 09/12/08

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Toshiba and the National Science Teachers Association have launched the 2009 ExploraVision Awards Program. The annual student science competition, now in its 17th year, is open to K-12 students in the United States and Canada, offering prizes of up to $10,000 in savings bonds for the winners.

In the ExploraVision competition, students teams (along with a coach and mentor) choose a technology that's currently in use and explore what the technology does and how it came about; then they imagine the possibilities of what that technology could be like in the future and what problems it could solve that it doesn't solve now.

"The Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards program gives students the opportunity to do what scientists do every day--use real science to solve real problems--and it shows them how exciting and rewarding it can be in the process," said Dr. Francis Eberle, executive director of NSTA, in a statement released this week. "Last year's winning teams proposed future technologies that could help solve some of the world's most pressing energy and environmental pollution problems. We are delighted that this partnership between Toshiba and NSTA has generated so much student interest in science and technological innovation and has really motivated many students to pursue a career in the STEM fields."

There are two phases in the competition. In the first phase, 24 teams will be named regional winners and advance to the second phase. First-phase winners are chosen in each of the designated regions in which the competition takes place. Winners from the first phase receive a gift and win a Toshiba laptop and software for their schools.

In the second phase, teams create a Web site showcasing their projects. Judges then choose eight winning national teams. Members of the four first-place teams each receive a $10,000 savings bond. Second-place winners receive a $5,000 savings bond.

Entries for the competition are due Jan. 28, 2009. Regional winners will be announced in March. National winners will be named in May. Further information, including entry materials, can be found on ExploraVision's site here.

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About the author:David Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's online education technology publications, including THE Journal and Campus Technology. He can be reached at [email protected].

Proposals for articles and tips for news stories, as well as questions and comments about this publication, should be submitted to David Nagel, executive editor, at [email protected].