2010 ExploraVision Science Competition Opens

• By David Nagel
• 09/08/09

Toshiba and the National Science Teachers Association have kicked off the 2010 ExploraVision Awards Program. The annual student science competition, now in its 18th 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.

"Teachers are always looking for fresh new ways to motivate students," said Francis Eberle, executive director of the NSTA, in a prepared statement. "The ExploraVision competition is an excellent way to spark the imagination of students and inspire excellence in science learning."

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 Feb. 2, 2010. Further information, including entry materials, can be found on the ExploraVision site here.