Eight Student Teams Named National Winners of 32nd Annual ExploraVision Competition

Toshiba and the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) honor student innovation with prizes and award ceremony in Washington, D.C.

MCLEAN, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#ExploraVision–Toshiba and NSTA today announce eight national winners of the 32^nd 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,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.

Contacts

Toshiba:

Samantha Smoak: toshiba@pancomm.com

NSTA:

Kate Falk: kfalk@nsta.org