Toshiba and NSTA Celebrate 20th Anniversary of ExploraVision, World’s Largest K-12 Science Competition with a Host of Awards Activities in Washington, D.C.

This Year’s Winners Present Their Future Inventions at May 31^st Science Fair on Capitol Hill, followed by Science Showcase at National Press Club and Awards Banquet June 1^st

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toshiba and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) are proud to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision program, the world’s largest K-12 student science and technology competition, with a host of special awards activities in Washington, D.C. Events kick off on May 31^st with this year’s top student winners presenting their innovative ideas for future technologies at a Congressional Science Fair, hosted by Toshiba in collaboration with the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Caucus. On June 1^st, the students will present their projects again in a Science Showcase at the National Press Club. The eight national winners, including four-first place and four-second place teams, looked to the world around them to propose ideas for technologies that could make the future better, healthier, and more eco-friendly. (See enclosed document for complete list of winning projects.)

The May 31^st Congressional Science Fair will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Rayburn foyer and will be open to members of Congress and their staff. The event will celebrate this year’s winners and reinforce the importance of STEM education, maintaining student interest in the sciences, and the significant role that mentors, teachers, and parents play in motivating students. The science fair is open to the public and media.

June 1^st Science Showcase at the National Press Club, followed by Awards Banquet

At the Science Showcase, the students will present to members of the press, their peers, parents, educators, NSTA board and council members, and high-level Toshiba executives including Norio Sasaki, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation and Yoshihide Fujii, Chairman and CEO of Toshiba America, Inc. Esteemed speakers will include Steve Robinson, Special Assistant, White House Domestic Policy Council; Joyce Ward, Education Coordinator, Office of the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property & Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; Dr. Patricia Simmons, NSTA Retiring President; Dr. Arthur Eisenkraft, Co-Creator, ExploraVision; and John Anderson, President, Toshiba America Foundation.

At the Gala Awards Banquet, speakers will include Norio Sasaki, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation; Emmy Award-winner Bill Nye the Science Guy; Dr. Karen Ostlund, NSTA President; and Dr. Arthur Eisenkraft, Co-Creator, ExploraVision. STEM advocate and media personality Mario Armstrong will be the Master of Ceremonies.

Bright Ideas for a Better 2032!

In the ExploraVision program, students select an existing technology and envision what it might be like 20 years in the future. This year’s winning students proposed new inventions and technologies that could make the future more environmentally-conscious, healthier and safer – like a new treatment for hearing loss using microscopic nano-technology, a new type of eco-friendly water collection system, and shoulder pads with a built-in cooling system to help keep football players from overheating on the gridiron! This year 4,809 team projects were submitted, which represents the participation of 14,606 students from across the U.S. and Canada. Students on the four first-place ExploraVision teams will each receive a $5,000 US Series EE Savings Bond (valued $10,000 at maturity). Students on second-place teams will each receive a $2,500 Savings Bond (valued $5,000 at maturity). (Canadian winners receive Canada Bonds purchased for the equivalent issue price in Canadian dollars.)

Reflecting Toshiba’s Global Commitment to STEM Education

The ExploraVision competition is one of the central pillars of Toshiba’s S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education initiative in North America. Mr. Norio Sasaki, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation, explains why the company has been so active in helping promote and extend the program in its first 20 years. “We founded ExploraVision with the goal of helping inspire students to pursue further education and potentially careers in science and technology fields. We believe it is essential that more young people discover their interest in these fields so that society will have the benefit of the scientists and engineers we need to build a better future,” he noted. “This year is a momentous one for ExploraVision, as we celebrate 20 years of helping inspire students in STEM fields, and we are especially gratified that the program has been such a great success.”

To celebrate ExploraVision’s 20^th anniversary, Toshiba launched a yearlong campaign to help promote STEM education called The Toshiba STEMpowerment Project. Among the key events tied to the program’s anniversary is the company’s sponsorship of STEM education advocate and media celebrity Mario Armstrong’s “Dream, Create, Go! STEM Roadshow” in which Mario toured the country energizing young people in STEM subjects, and discussing ways that parents, educators, and students can work together to make STEM exciting, fun and motivational. Toshiba has also maintained an active social media presence to encourage STEM and ExploraVision participation, including hosting a STEM panel discussion on Earth Day in New York. The discussion brought together influential educator with policy makers to examine the current state of STEM education and how it relates to our society’s sustainable future. Toshiba collaborated with Bill Nye, the Science Guy to help answer science questions from young people and educators through an ongoing Facebook campaign.

First-Year Winners to Be Honored

As part of the 20th anniversary celebration, Toshiba and NSTA have invited members from the first-year teams to attend this year’s ExploraVision Awards weekend, where they will be honored for their innovative ideas of the past.

Here are just three examples of first-year winners attending Awards weekend, who went on to pursue science-related careers.

• Brandon Luders - project: “PAL: The Friend of the Future.” Brandon received his B.S. in aerospace engineering from Georgia Tech and is currently working on his Ph.D. in aeronautics at MIT.
• Roshni Bhimani – project: “PAL: The Friend of the Future.” Roshni received her B.S. in biomedical engineering from Georgia Tech and a master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins. She currently works on pediatric emergency care public health programs with a children's hospital in Washington D.C.
• Maryellen Morris – project “Prosthetics: Rebuilding the Body in the Future.” Maryellen went on to study biology at Harvard College, and received an M.D. in medicine at Harvard Medical School. Today she is an instructor in radiology at Harvard Medical School and director of genitourinary imaging, department of radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

First-Ever 20^th Anniversary Award Winners

This year, to celebrate the program’s 20^th anniversary, the teacher who submitted the most eligible student projects in each grade category received the ExploraVision “20^th Anniversary Award,” a Toshiba Thrive^TM tablet. The winning teachers are: Laura Haddad (K-3^rd grade category) from The Dalton School in New York City, Debbie O’Brien (4-6^th grade category), from Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Brian Knoop (7-9^th grade category) from St. Henry Catholic School in Nashville, Tenn., and Barsoum Kasparian (10-12^th grade category) from Chaminade College Prep in West Hills, Calif.. In addition to the individual teacher awards, Chaminade College Prep has also received a Toshiba Classroom package consisting of a TV/DVD combo LED TV, a “kid-friendly” PC, 10 LED light bulbs, a Thrive^TM Tablet and an award for being the school with the most overall submissions in 2012.

The Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Program, sponsored by Toshiba and administered by NSTA is open to all K-12 U.S. and Canadian students who are citizens or legal residents.

For more information or an application for 2013, visit www.exploravision.org or e-mail [e-mail]. Follow ExploraVision on Twitter at @ToshibaInnovate or join Toshiba Innovation’s Facebook Page at www.Facebook.com/ToshibaInnovation to hear more about ExploraVision.

About Toshiba

The Tokyo-based Toshiba Corporation is a leading innovator and diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products, spanning information and communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and materials, power systems, industrial and social infrastructure systems, and household appliances. Toshiba employs over 14,000 people in North America and Toshiba America, Inc., is the holding company for five Toshiba operating companies in the United States.

Toshiba’s U.S.-based companies and some of their chief products are as follows: Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (Semiconductors, Flash Memory-Based Storage Solutions, LCD, custom chips, and Hard Disk Drives); Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (Laptop Computers, Telephony Products, Flat Panel LCD TVs, and portable products); Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. (Copiers, Facsimiles, Printers); Toshiba International Corporation (Motors, Motor Controls, Power Electronics, Power Generation Equipment, Automation); Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. (Computed Tomography, Magnetic Resonance, X-ray and Ultrasound); Toshiba America Nuclear Energy Corporation (Advanced Boiling Water Nuclear Reactors); Toshiba America Foundation (Supports science and mathematics education across the United States) and Toshiba of Canada, Ltd. (Made up of four operating divisions).

About NSTA

The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership includes approximately 60,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.

ExploraVision 2012 National Winners

2012 First Place Winners

Grade K-3
LD Batchelder School, North Reading, MA
SMART Desk
The SMART Desk will help students by replacing the typical school desk with something for the next generation: a desk that uses wireless technology and a touchscreen. Equipped with standard school supplies, the SMART Desk will wirelessly transmit videos to assist students with visual problems and have other features that may help students with various learning disabilities. The SMART Desk will also help teachers save time by grading papers and quickly exchanging information with students.
Website: http://dev.nsta.org/evwebs/3510h/Webpages/home.html

Grade 4-6
Fairmont Private School, Anaheim, CA
Helping the World's Silent Side
Hearing the World's Silent Side mixes nanofibers used in spinal cord technology along with a cochlear implant to correct sensorineural and conductive hearing loss. HWSS will attach nanofibers to the auditory nerve that will allow sound to reach the brain smoothly by passing over the nerve rather than through the damaged portion.
Website: http://dev.nsta.org/evwebs/715n/

Grade 7-9
David Thompson Secondary School, Vancouver, BC
Thermoresponsive Hydrogel Injection
The Thermoresponsive Hydrogel Injection is an effective and minimally invasive operation used to treat trigeminal neuralgia. The procedure combines microvascular decompression and percutaneous procedures with the advantages of thermoresponsive hydrogels to provide better alternatives to the current treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. This new surgical procedure will help those who do not want to take the risk of undergoing the surgeries that exist today.
Website: http://dev.nsta.org/evwebs/1477v/Pages/master.htm

Grade 10-12
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, NC
Amphipathic Films for Water Collection
Amphipathic Films for Water Collection will provide an easy, cost-effective water collection method by avoiding groundwater depletion. Amphipathic film with localized hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions will extract water from the atmosphere by using three key features: the most efficient hydrophobicity pattern, inexpensive extraction of gold substrate, and use of a cheap, robust, and strong self-assembling monolayer.
Website: http://dev.nsta.org/evwebs/1987v/

2012 Second Place Winners

Grade K-3
Flippen Elementary School, McDonough, GA
COOL Pads: Shoulder Pads that Keep Players Safe from Overheating
COOL PADS: Shoulder Pads that Keep Players Safe from Overheating is a cooling system in football shoulder pads that analyzes changes in body temperature to keep players from getting overheated. Temperature sensors located in the armpits, chest, and groin along with one located in the helmet will track and maintain body temperature for optimum sports performance. COOL PADS will prevent heat stroke and save lives.
Website: http://dev.nsta.org/evwebs/2021p/

Grade 4-6
Countryside Montessori Charter, Land O’ Lakes, FL
The S.M.A.R.T. School
S.M.A.R.T. Schools will be powered by human energy, primarily through student heat, sound, and movement. Acoustic tiles will capture sound vibrations and noise energy while piezoelectric floors will capture student movement energy. This environmentally friendly school will use renewable energy sources and help reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.
Website: http://dev.nsta.org/evwebs/4149c/

Grade 7-9
The Alternative School for Math and Science, Corning, NY
Radiclear- A System to Filter Radium from Water
The RadiClear filtration system will combine magnesium oxide on nanotubes to separate dangerous radium from water. The nanotubes will precipitate out of the water after binding with the radium and remain in storage tanks where they will be recycled and reused. For people in areas affected by very high radium levels, RadiClear will be a cost-effective method of providing safer drinking water in households.
Website: http://dev.nsta.org/evwebs/2570p/home/

Grade 10-12
Westwood High School, Austin, TX
LANAPT
LANAPT (Ligand Attached Nanoshells Assisting Photothermal Therapy) integrates nanotechnology, photothermal therapy, and biomolecular recognition in pancreatic cancer therapy. Anti-Ca19-9 biomolecules conjugated to gold nanoshells and used in photothermal cancer therapy will eradicate all cancer cells in pancreatic tumors with a high success rate. It will reduce the use of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, thereby decreasing the incidence of the negative side effects associated with those therapies.
Website: http://dev.nsta.org/evwebs/2726n/