ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The 20th annual Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision Program today announced its 24 Regional Winners for 2012. Sponsored by Toshiba and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), ExploraVision is the world’s largest K –12 science and technology competition, challenging students to work in teams and design innovative technologies that could exist in 20 years. The program has reached a major milestone, celebrating its 20th anniversary of encouraging students to participate in science, look at problems critically and find solutions. Since its inception, more than 300,000 students have participated. This year the program saw an increase of 11 percent in the number of student participants – 4,807 team projects representing the participation of 14,602 students from across the US and Canada. (See enclosed document for complete list of winning entries.)
First-Ever 20th Anniversary Award Winners
To celebrate the program’s 20th anniversary, the teacher who submitted the most student projects in each grade category received the ExploraVision “20th Anniversary Award,” a Toshiba Thrive tablet. The winning teachers are: Laura Haddad (K-3rd grade category) from The Dalton School in New York City, Debbie O’Brien (4-6th grade category), from Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Brian Knoop (7-9th grade category) from St. Henry Catholic School in Nashville, TN, and Barsoum Kasparian (10-12th grade category) from Chaminade College Prep in West Hills, CA. In addition to the individual teacher awards, Chaminade College Prep will also receive a Toshiba Classroom package consisting of a TV/DVD combo LED TV, a “kid-friendly” PC, 10 LED light bulbs, a Thrive Tablet and an award for being the school with the most overall submissions in 2012.
About the ExploraVision Program…
ExploraVision challenges students, working in teams of two to four, to research scientific principles and current technologies as the basis for designing innovative technologies that could exist in 20 years. With its multi-level, imaginative, and fun approach to learning, the program is designed to appeal to a broad range of students of all interest, skill, and ability levels. As a testament to the program’s value as an educational tool, many teachers across the country now incorporate ExploraVision into their regular science curriculum, and for many former ExploraVision winners, the program has served as encouragement to pursue further science-related careers.
On to the National Phase of Competition…
Each of the regional winners will now move on to the national phase of the competition, where they will compete to be named among the eight national winner teams, including four first-place and four second-place winners. Students on the four first-place ExploraVision national winner teams will each receive a $10,000 US Series EE Savings Bond valued at maturity. Students on second-place teams will each receive a $5,000 Savings Bond valued at maturity. (Canadian winners receive Canada Bonds purchased for the equivalent issue price in Canadian dollars.) The eight teams will also receive an expenses-paid trip with their families, mentor, and coach to Washington, DC for a gala awards weekend in June 2012. Activities will include 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. Each of the regional winning teams receives a Toshiba laptop for the school and each member of the regional winning teams will receive a Toshiba HD Camcorder.
For more information or an application for 2013, visit www.exploravision.org or e-mail exploravision@nsta.org. 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 Regional Winners
REGION 1: New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Grade K-3: SMART Desk
LD Batchelder School, North Reading, MA
Grade 4-6: STREP-A-GUM: A New Easy Way To Test For Strep A
Sacred Heart, Hartsdale, NY
Grade 7-9: Radiclear- A System to Filter Radium from Water
The Alternative School for Math and Science, Corning, NY
Grade 10-12: Spinal Pulse Inducing Neuro Electric Stimulator (S.P.I.N.E.S): Bionic Spine Connector
Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY
REGION 2: Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C, Armed Forces America, Armed Forces Europe and Armed Forces Pacific.
Grade K-3: Cavity Prevention Detector
Francis Scott Key School, Philadelphia, PA
Grade 4-6: Poseidon's Shield
St. Rose of Lima Academy, Short Hills, NJ
Grade 7-9: Scar-Aid: Chemical Mediator Bandage
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Alexandria, VA
Grade 10-12: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapy to Treat Corneal Endothelium Damage
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. Alexandria, VA
REGION 3: North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
Grade K-3: COOL Pads: Shoulder Pads that Keep Players Safe from Overheating
Flippen Elementary School, McDonough, GA
Grade 4-6: The S.M.A.R.T. School
Countryside Montessori Charter, Land O’ Lakes, FL
Grade 7-9: Quorobot
Northview High School, Duluth, GA
Grade 10-12: Amphipathic Films for Water Collection
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, Durham, NC
REGION 4: Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, South Dakota and North Dakota, as well as Canada.
Grade K-3: The Fascinating Toothbrush Sensor
Springs Christian Academy, Winnipeg, MB
Grade 4-6: Tread Transforming Smart Car
Morse Elementary School, Troy, MI
Grade 7-9: Thermoresponsive Hydrogel Injection
David Thompson Secondary School, Vancouver, BC
Grade 10-12: MIROR Technology (Minimally-Invasive Robotic Orofacial Repair Technology)
University Laboratory High School, Urbana, IL
REGION 5: Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, as well as the Northern Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, Palau and Micronesia. (American Samoa and Guam are included.)
Grade K-3: Scent Clock
John Ross Elementary, Edmond, OK
Grade 4-6: The Night-Lens
LaSalle Springs Middle School, Wildwood, MO
Grade 7-9: Inductive Charging Unit on the GO
Battle Ground Academy Middle School, Franklin, TN
Grade 10-12: LANAPT
Westwood High School, Austin, TX
REGION 6: California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Hawaii, Wyoming, Montana and Utah.
Grade K-3: Walking Stick for the Blind
Willow Grove Elementary, San Diego, CA
Grade 4-6: Helping the World's Silent Side
Fairmont Private School, Anaheim, CA
Grade 7-9: Silent Wave Examination & Energy Therapy (SWEET)
Orange County High School of the Arts, Santa Ana, CA
Grade 10-12: Signal Absorber
Chaminade College Preparatory High School, West Hills, CA