Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Free Virtual STEM Competition For Your Students

I just heard about a U.S. Army-sponsored STEM competition for middle school students and want to help spread the word: 
Heading into its 10th year, eCYBERMISSION (www.ecybermission.com) is a free, web-based Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics competition for students in grades six through nine. Your students can compete against other students in their graders for state, regional and national awards. Teams consisting of 3-4 students and a team advisor would work to solve problems in their community utilizing the scientific method, scientific inquiry or engineering design process and can win at the state, regional and national levels. To date, more than $8.5 million has been awarded to students throughout the country with more to be awarded in 2012.

Deadline to register: December 16, 2011
Some past winners include:
  • The 6th grade Hardheads team was recognized by judges for their experiments with materials used to support sports helmets. For their project, the students conducted experiments on multiple materials for possible use in sports helmets, with the hope of finding a material that decreases the prevalence of concussions and other head injuries.
  • The 8th grade Landroids team tested the elements necessary to create a device that could detect deer on roads.
  • The 9th grade Chocolate Addiction team investigated how makeup can cause damage to the skin when it has been exposed to certain independent variables, such as heat or water.
  • Other past winners can be found at: https://www.ecybermission.com/public/About/About_Winners.aspx
Here's a video with more information about the competition: