U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) Recognizes 20 Student Teams for Tackling Important Local Issues and Creating Solutions that Could Help Effect Real Change

ARLINGTON, Va.--Twenty student teams have been selected as regional first-place winners in the 12th annual eCYBERMISSION competition. The web-based science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) program, sponsored by the U.S. Army and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), encourages students in grades sixth through ninth to develop solutions to real-world challenges in their communities. The teams will advance to the competition's National Judging and Educational Event (NJ&EE) taking place in June in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. At the event, students will present their projects to a panel of judges and a national winning team from each grade level will be chosen.

"We congratulate our regional winning teams for the great accomplishments they've made with their eCYBERMISSION projects and I look forward to meeting each team at the National Judging and Educational Event," said Louie R. Lopez, Program Manager for eCYBERMISSION. "The U.S. Army commends the students for accepting the challenge to improve their communities and invites them to continue their educational journey with the opportunities offered by AEOP."

The following teams have been named as the 2013-2014 eCYBERMISSION regional winners:

6th Grade
North Central: Quake Safe, Gahanna Middle School East, Gahanna, OH
Team Advisor: Haruna Cofer
Team Members: Ashton Cofer, Julia Bray, Luke Clay

North East: iGerms, All Saints Regional Catholic School and Stafford Intermediate School, Manahawkin, NJ
Team Advisor: Marlene Motsch
Team Members: Mark Motsch, Christopher Marinelli, Jack Healy, Andrew Beck

South Central: Trailblazer, Science Rocks U, Whiteface, TX
Team Advisor: Laura Wilbanks
Team Members: Brett Wilson, Lane G. Wilson, Jeffrey N. Fortner

South East: Raging Waters, Providence Day School, Charlotte, NC
Team Advisor: Barbara Morrow
Team Members: Rishi Kulkarni, Louis Jorge, Felicity Keyzer-Pollard

West: NANOS, Hyde Park Middle School, Las Vegas, NV
Team Advisor: Amy Wetjen
Team Members: Katie Wiesner, Craig Hammond, Pranathi Tallapragada

7th Grade
North Central: G4's, Kennedy Junior High, Lisle, IL and Madison Jr. High School, Naperville, IL
Team Advisor: L. Ramu Ramachandran
Team Members: Aditya Ramachandran, Prateek Dullur, Senthooran Kalidoss, Adarsh Mattu

North East: CyberRams, Rocky Run Middle School, Chantilly, VA
Team Advisor: Felipe Gutierrez
Team Members: Diego Gutierrez, Rishabh Krishnan, Ravi Dudhagra, Adityasai Koneru

South Central: Ants Go Marchin' 2 by 2, Science Rocks U, Whiteface, TX
Team Advisor: Laura Wilbanks
Team Members: Davis J. Smith, George F. Wiebe, Hudson S. Sanders, Christina R. Crawford

South East: Designer Genes, Charlotte Latin School, Charlotte, NC
Team Advisor: Sharon Oats
Team Members: Toluwani Olatunde, Gavin Gwaltney, Sarah Coston, Chloe Ciucevich

West: Neurosteins 2.0, Hyde Park Middle School, Las Vegas, NV
Team Advisor: Edward Patricks
Team Members: Vidhushan Ramakrishnan, Anik Patel, Ashish Kalakuntla, Moulin Patel

8th Grade
North Central: Bro x 4, Wheatland Middle School, Wheatland, WY
Team Advisor: Miken Harnish
Team Members: Haiden Moody, Joey Madson, Jacob Stafford, Christian Moody

North East: Zero Waste Team, Charter Oaks Academy, Hockessin, DE
Team Advisor: Martine Long
Team Members: Maxwell Huhn, Aaron Knestaut, Eric Long, Elizabeth Nestle

South Central: Knightettes of the Twisters, Jenks Middle School, Jenks, OK
Team Advisor: Manju Kaul
Team Members: Rebecca Mackey, Riya Kaul, Hayden C. Hilst

South East: Tiim, White Station Middle School, Memphis, TN
Team Advisor: Chris Clapsadle
Team Members: Connor Hofeditz, Rachel Fan, Grace Ma, Alex Chung

West: ABCD, Serrano Intermediate School, Lake Forest, CA
Team Advisor: Andi Suter
Team Members: Jackson Machesky, Dylan Chao, Zach Hill, Caleb Dodd

9th Grade
North Central: The Ravenclaws, Metea Valley High School, Aurora, IL
Team Advisor: Jonathan Ogrodnik
Team Members: Kalpa Anjur, Kavya Anjur, Lori Kipp

North East: The Essential Elements, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA
Team Advisor: Amanda Hurowitz
Team Members: Amee Kapadia, Seorin Jeong, Nora Thompson

South Central: Crabyotics, Taos Middle High School, Taos, NM
Team Advisor: Laura Tenorio
Team Members: Anthony J. Archuleta, James M. Valerio, Andrea G. Chin-Lopez, Julia A. Johnson

South East: The Nighthawks, Marshall County High School, Benton, KY
Team Advisor: Lisa Devillez
Team Members: Hunter Peck, Max Chambers, Will McGee

West: Mene Einsteins, Moanalua High School, Honolulu, HI
Team Advisor: Theresa Tomimbang
Team Members: Madison Badua, Kaye Anne Labtingao, Nainoa Chun, Jonas Allen Maestro

During the competition, teams of three or four students choose a topic related to one of seven mission challenges that affect their community, including:

*alternative sources of energy;

*the environment;

*food;

*health and fitness;

*force and motion;

*national security and safety;

*robotics; and

*technology.

After teams select their mission challenge, they apply the scientific practices or engineering design process to propose a solution. Each team then submits a mission folder, the official write-up of their project, through the eCYBERMISSION website.

The regional winning teams were chosen from a select group of 80 finalists. A panel of judges consisting of U.S. Army scientists and engineers, educators and STEM professionals selected the regional winners on the basis of several criteria, including the students' virtual presentations and a question and answer session with the judges. As a regional winner, each team member will receive a $2,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond and an all-expenses paid trip to NJ&EE to compete for the first-place national award.

"Congratulations to this year's regional winners for their outstanding work. I wish them the best of luck as they advance to the finals," said Bill Badders, NSTA President. "We also congratulate the Team Advisors for their efforts to promote STEM education and mentor students to succeed in the competition."

The NJ&EE is a week-long event that focuses on educational opportunities and team building exercises. This year's event features a STEM Challenge, where students will participate in STEM demonstrations and hands-on activities. They will also go on field trips to the National Mall and museums and conclude with an awards luncheon with U.S. Army leadership, where the national winning team from each grade will be announced.

In addition to the national awards, the AEOP is funding STEM-in-Action grants to selected eCYBERMISSION national finalist teams to implement solutions in their local communities based on the results of their projects. A $5,000 grant will be awarded to five teams across all grade levels in the competition. The grants, which are independent of the selection of the national winners, will be presented at the eCYBERMISSION National Judging and Educational Event.

For more information, visit www.ecybermission.com or contact eCYBERMISSION Mission Control at 1-866-GO-CYBER (462-9237) or via email at missioncontrol@ecybermission.com.

About Army Educational Outreach Program

The AEOP Cooperative Agreement was formed by the U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) and includes Virginia Tech as the lead organization, the Academy of Applied Science, American Society for Engineering Education, the Technology Student Association, the University of New Hampshire and NSTA. AEOP is charged with addressing national needs for a STEM literate citizenry through a portfolio of educational opportunities which includes unique experiences, competitions, and high school internships that aim to spark an interest in STEM and encourage participants to pursue college and careers in STEM fields. The Army is committed to increasing the STEM talent pool in order to ensure our national security and global competitiveness. For more information on AEOP, visit www.usaeop.com.

About RDECOM

RDECOM has the mission to develop technology and engineering solutions for America's Soldiers. It is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations. If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC provides it. For more information on RDECOM, visit www.army.mil/rdecom.

About NSTA

The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association 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 55,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.