There’s a good chance the next Thomas Alva Edison, Alexander Graham Bell or Marie Curie is out shopping for back-to-school supplies right now, and the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards program wants to make sure they get all the encouragement they need when the bell rings! ExploraVision, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, has motivated more than 210,000 students in grades K-12 to discover the fun and excitement of science, and to learn how to see its wonders in the world all around them.
Sponsored by Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba America Group Companies, Toshiba of Canada Ltd. and Toshiba America Foundation and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the ExploraVision program is one of the world’s largest K-12 science and technology competitions, in which student teams choose a current technology, research and explore its background, then imagine what it might be like in 20 years. Students ground their creative ideas using real science and present their invention using written descriptions and artwork. They also discuss the possible positive and negative consequences that could occur should their vision become reality – just like real scientists.
Imagining a Better Future. The imaginative ideas that ExploraVision students come up with hold the key to a better future for us all. Some of last year’s winners, for instance, imagined a world where special boots would convert the energy created by your footsteps into heat, automatically keeping your feet warm in cold weather, and where a healing pressure face mask could help alleviate suffering for severe burn and scar victims. Other past winners have imagined advancements such as satellite landmine detectors, vision enhancement devices, a non-surgical method for treating appendicitis, a refrigerator with a brain, snow tires with retractable studs, and a submersible device to rid waterways of invasive alien plant life.
ExploraVision is also a great way for students to begin planning for their future. Winning students on the four first-place teams each receive a $10,000 US Savings Bond (series EE Savings Bonds issued at $5,000). Students on second-place teams each receive a $5,000 US Savings Bond (series EE Savings Bonds issued at $2,500). First- and second-place Canadian winning teams each receive Canada Savings Bonds of comparable issue price, respectively (based on current exchange rate at time of purchase). How the ExploraVision Program Works
Participating in teams of two to four and guided by a coach (and an optional mentor), students select a technology that is currently used – whether as simple as a pencil or as complex as a quantum computer. Teams research and explore what the technology does and how, when, and why it was invented.
In the first phase of the competition, a judging committee reviews and selects 24 winning projects, one from each of four grade-level categories (K-3; 4-6; 7-9; 10-12) in six regions across the United States and Canada. Each member of the 24 regional winning teams, including coaches and mentors, is awarded a special gift, and each of their schools receives a Toshiba laptop computer and software. In the second phase of the competition, the 24 regional finalist teams create Web pages showcasing their technology. The judges then choose eight national winning teams.
This year’s finalist team members, parents and coaches will be awarded a trip to Washington, D.C. in June 2007 for a gala celebration at which their awards will be presented. The deadline for ExploraVision entries is January 30, 2007. For more information about the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards program or to obtain entry materials and a copy of the official rules, visit the ExploraVision Web site at www.exploravision.org.

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