Toshiba and the National Science Teaching
Association (NSTA) honor student innovation with prizes and award
ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Toshiba and NSTA today announce eight national winners of the
32nd annual Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition, the world’s
largest K-12 science competition. This year’s winners have shared
innovative proposals to help overcome some of the greatest
challenges facing the world today, from healthcare challenges to
sustainability efforts and energy efficiency.
The Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition is designed to
inspire students to develop the skills emphasized in the Next
Generation Science Standards, including problem-solving,
critical-thinking and collaboration skills. To participate,
students must imagine and produce a system or a technology with the
potential to solve the problems of the future. Regional finalist
ideas were judged by a multidisciplinary panel of scientists across
various sectors of government (e.g., NIH, NASA, NSF), academic
researchers, biotechnology scientists and physician
researchers.
"Inspiring technology innovation and creating a positive impact
on our communities is at the heart of everything we do at Toshiba,”
said Ken Takagi, Chairman & CEO, Toshiba America, Inc. “As a
former engineer, I understand the importance of cultivating a
passion for STEM at an early age. At Toshiba, we believe it is our
corporate responsibility to encourage scientific curiosity and
empower the next generation of aspiring STEM professionals. We also
recognize that teachers play a crucial role in fostering a learning
environment that embraces the power of innovation, which is why we
are committed to providing educators with the necessary tools to
inspire tomorrow’s leaders. We are excited to celebrate this year’s
national winners in Washington D.C. and we look forward to
continuing our partnership with NSTA.”
“This year’s winners, who hail from across the United States and
Canada, reveal just how attuned students are to the needs of
society,” said NSTA President Julie Luft, Ph.D. “Their projects
demonstrate the remarkable power of scientific curiosity,
commitment, collaboration and a passion to make the world a better
place. I look forward to seeing how they shape the future of STEM
and impact our global community.”
Some of the winning solutions included:
- Medical Technology
Innovations: Several winning regional projects were
focused on innovations to promote advancements in medical
technologies, such as medical assistance devices for mobility,
technologies used for skin cancer screening, allergy detection
solutions, and more.
- Environmental Technology
Innovations: The “Enhancing Photosynthesis in Trees for
Carbon Reduction using Rubisco Activase” middle school team
recognized the need to address climate change shifts in an effort
to achieve net zero global emissions, while another middle school
team created a novel “Plastivore Trashcan.”
- Energy and Power Technology
Innovation: A high school team sought to investigate the
use of fungi as a potential energy source, while a middle school
team utilized AI as a potential solar powered learning tool.
ExploraVision Prizes
The eight national winning teams are comprised of a first-place
winner and second-place winner from four groups based on grade
level. Members of first place nationally winning teams each receive
a $10,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond (at maturity). Members of
second place nationally winning teams will each receive a $5,000
U.S. Series EE Savings Bond (at maturity).
The national winners of ExploraVision 2024 are invited to
participate in an award ceremony on Friday, June 14 in Washington,
D.C., during which winners will have the opportunity to showcase
their winning ideas in a presentation to scientist, engineer,
author and inventor, Bill Nye the Science Guy. The event will
culminate with an awards ceremony where students will be formally
recognized for their creativity and accomplishments.
For 32 consecutive years, sponsored by Toshiba and administered
by NSTA, ExploraVision has helped children to expand their
imagination and have fun while developing an interest in science,
technology, engineering and math (STEM) education at an early
age.
For more information or to access an application for the
2024/2025 program, visit www.exploravision.org or email
exploravision@nsta.org. Follow ExploraVision on Twitter at
https://twitter.com/ToshibaAmerica or join the ExploraVision
Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/ToshibaAmerica.
Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision 2024 National Winners
2024 First-Place Winners
Grade K-3: Allergen Detector St. Thomas the Apostle, Miami, FL
Project Storyboard here
Grades 4-6: Plastivore Trashcan Lester CN, Roseland, New Jersey
Project Website here
Grades 7-9: Pediabots: Harnessing Microbotic Technologies for
Pediatric Surgery Next Generation School, Champaign, IL Project
Website here
Grades 10-12: N4NO (Nanocarriers for Neuroprosthetic
Optimization) – a novel noninvasive neural dust insertion method
through cerebrospinal-fluid route via micelles for neuroprosthetic
aid North Carolina School of Science and Math – Durham, Durham, NC
Project Website here
2024 Second-Place Winners
Grade K-3: DermVue: Future of skin cancer diagnosis Roy Cloud
School, Redwood City, CA Project Website here
Grades 4-6: CyberSchool St Andrew Catholic School, Ottawa,
Ontario Project Website here
Grades 7-9: Enhancing Photosynthesis in Trees for Carbon
Reduction using Rubisco Activase The Nueva School, San Mateo, CA
Project Website here
Grades 10-12: Mycelial batteries: incorporating electrically
conductive fungi into sodium-ion batteries in order to increase
their efficiency and lifespan The Bronx High School of Science,
Bronx, NY Project Website here
About Toshiba
Toshiba Corporation leads a global group of companies that
combines knowledge and capabilities from almost 150 years of
experience in a wide range of businesses—from energy and social
infrastructure to electronic devices—with world-class capabilities
in information processing, digital and AI technologies. These
distinctive strengths support Toshiba in building infrastructure
that everyone can enjoy, and a connected data society, and in
achieving the Company’s ultimate goal, a future that realizes
carbon neutrality and a circular economy. Guided by the Basic
Commitment of the Toshiba Group, “Committed to People, Committed to
the Future,” Toshiba contributes to society’s positive development
with services and solutions that lead to a better world. The Group
and its 110,000 employees worldwide secured annual sales of 3.4
trillion yen (US$25.1 billion) in fiscal year 2022.
About Toshiba America, Inc.
Founded in 1965, Toshiba America, Inc. (TAI) is a subsidiary of
Tokyo-based Toshiba Corporation and the holding company of three
Toshiba operating companies that offer a broad range of products
and solutions for the commercial, energy and industrial sectors.
The three companies, which along with TAI are known collectively as
Toshiba America Group, are Toshiba America Electronic Components,
Inc. (Semiconductor & data storage solutions), Toshiba America
Energy Systems, Corp. (Power generation solutions), Toshiba
International Corporation (Industrial, power electronics &
transmission & distribution solutions), and a Toshiba America
Company, Toshiba America Business Solutions (Multifunction
printers, label and receipt printers, digital signage, managed
print services, and cloud solutions). For more information, visit
www.toshiba.com, or follow Toshiba America on X, formerly known as
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
About NSTA
The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) is a vibrant
community of 35,000 science educators and professionals committed
to best practices in teaching science and its impact on student
learning. NSTA offers high-quality science resources and continuous
learning so that science educators grow professionally and excel in
their career. For new and experienced teachers alike, the NSTA
community offers the opportunity to network with like-minded peers
at the national level, connect with mentors and leading
researchers, and learn from the best in the field. For more
information, visit www.nsta.org, or follow NSTA on X, formerly
known as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240507279980/en/
Toshiba: Samantha Smoak: toshiba@pancomm.com NSTA: Kate Falk:
kfalk@nsta.org