Students Gather as Winners of World’s Largest K-12 Science Challenge

National Winners of 30th Annual Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Science Challenge to Be Commended at Awards Celebration

Today, the national winners of the 30th annual ExploraVision program, the world’s largest K-12 science challenge, gathered in Washington, DC to be formally recognized for their winning projects. ExploraVision is sponsored by Toshiba and administered by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). This challenge is designed to help students develop skills emphasized in the Next Generation Science Standards, including problem-solving, critical-thinking and collaboration skills. To participate, students were challenged to imagine and come up with an idea for a tool or technology of the future with the potential to solve the world’s critical problems.

On June 3, the eight winning teams will present their projects during the ExploraVision Science Showcase. In attendance will be Bill Nye the Science Guy, Justin “Mr. Fascinate” Shaifer and special guests from Toshiba and NSTA, who will help honor the teams’ creativity and achievements.

Fostering young minds’ interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) is at the core of Toshiba—a company committed to raising the quality of life for people around the world. This commitment drove the company to partner with NSTA to create the ExploraVision competition in 1992. For 30 consecutive years, ExploraVision has helped children to expand their imagination and have fun while developing an interest in STEM education at an early age.

Science Showcase

During the Science Showcase on June 3, the eight winning student teams will showcase their prototypes and self-designed project websites. The students will present to members of the press, their peers, parents, educators, NSTA board and council members and leaders in education policy, including Bill Nye the Science Guy; Justin “Mr. Fascinate” Shaifer; Ryuji Maruyama, chairman and CEO, Toshiba America, Inc.; Joyce Ward, director, office of education and outreach, United States Patent and Trademark Office; Dr. Elizabeth Mulkerrin, president, NSTA; and Isaac Elias, M.D., consult pediatrician and past ExploraVision winner.

More Than Just a Science Competition

Nearly 2,000 teams entered projects in the 30th Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition comprised of nearly 6,000 students from across the United States and Canada. This year’s winners have gone above and beyond to think critically and creatively about the biggest problems facing our world, from healthcare challenges to sustainability efforts to energy efficiency. Winning-projects include:

• The Nightmare-No-More-Pajamas project aimed at creating a peaceful night’s rest utilizing sleep monitoring sensors and electrodes to aid in the balance of the sleep/wake cycle to detect wake-up strokes (Greenfield Elementary – Philadelphia, Pa.).
• The Diabetic Balance Shoe sought to eliminate foot ulcers caused by diabetes (Sonny & Joanne McSpedden Elementary School – Frisco, Texas).
• The Replenishanator project helps with deforestation using technology to improve planting methods (A.D. Henderson University School – Boca Raton, Fla.).
• The A.L. 3000, utilized drone technology to create remotely operated vehicles that collect and degrade microplastics (Academies of Loudoun – Leesburg, Va.).
• CRISPR Technology was also showcased to help combat bee mortality and protect the future of modern agriculture (Westminster High School – Westminster, Calif.).
• The Fungi Plastivore Purifier project showcases an innovative use of advanced LIDAR technology for detecting plastic in areas and harnessing solar energy to protect the environment (Queen of Peace – Salem, Ore.).
• The Coronary Cure Bot is a nanobot that can detect and eliminate heart disease before it takes a life (Seattle Preparatory School and Holy Names – Seattle, Wash.).
• iSpyStroke can detect any irregular brain wave activity and alert medical professionals/emergency contacts through a connected app if a wake-up stroke is detected (University of Illinois Laboratory High School – Urbana, Ill.).

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 national winning teams each receive a $10,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond (at maturity). Members of second place national winning teams will each receive a $5,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond (at maturity).

For more information or to access an application for the 2022/2023 program, visit www.exploravision.org or email exploravision@nsta.org. Follow ExploraVision on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/ToshibaAmerica or join the ExploraVision Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/ToshibaAmerica.

About Toshiba

Toshiba Corporation leads a global group of companies that combines knowledge and capabilities from over 140 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’s continued evolution toward becoming an Infrastructure Services Company that promotes data utilization and digitization, and one of the world’s leading cyber-physical-systems technology companies. 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 120,000 employees worldwide secured annual sales of 3.3 trillion yen (US$27.4 billion) in fiscal year 2021.

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), and Toshiba International Corporation (Industrial, power electronics & transmission & distribution solutions).

About NSTA

The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) is a vibrant community of 40,000 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.

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