//2008 Regional Winners
Toshiba and the National Science Teachers Association are proud to announce the 2008 ExploraVision Awards regional winners.
Grades 10-12 / Grades 7-9 / Grades 4-6 / Grades K-3
Grades 10-12
CONNECT: Creation of New Nerve-Ending Connection Technologies applies the science behind the natural growth of developing nerve cells to mature cells to help paralyzed patients suffering from nervous system injury or disease achieve full recovery and live more normal lives. CONNECT uses two microscopic capsule injections to target proteins that inhibit growth, flag damaged nerve cells, and deliver specific growth-prompting enzymes to repair nerve cell damage.
Champlain Valley Union High School, Hinesburg, VT
Left to right: Glenn Fay (Coach), Timothy Reichert, Shirlee Wohl, April Burbank, Mary Ellen Murzyn (Toshiba)
TRAIL–Stimulating Transcription Factor (TSTF) is an advanced, more effective alternative to current cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation that force cell death. In the TRAIL treatment, a tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand binds to only the receptors of cancer cells to induce cell death of diseased cells while preserving a patient's healthy cells, thereby reducing side effects and improving patient treatment outcome.
Northside High School, Roanoke, VA
Left to right: Patricia Stiles (Coach), Mary Nguyen, Gloria Trivitt, Frank Vasquez (Toshiba)
CHIRP: Circuit for Enhanced In-Vivo Regulated Bioplastics Production accelerates the widespread adoption of eco-friendly bioplastics to reduce environmental pollution and combat energy shortages. A complex genetic circuit, a synthetic protein, and an advanced cultivation system work in tandem to combat shortcomings of conventional petroleum-based plastics production methods to enable clean, sustainable and efficient bacterial synthesis of the biodegradable materials in abundant supply for limitless applications ranging from packaging and consumer-based goods to medical life-saving devices.
North Carolina School of Science and Math, Durham, NC
Left to right: Robert Gotwals (Coach), Mark Plummer (Toshiba), Roger Que, Lisa Zhang, Cory Li
Cervical Analysis Test (C.A.T.) provides an effective, affordable, convenient and widely-available test for early detection of and loss-of-life protection from cervical, endometrial, and uterine cancer. The test monitors the levels of Ca2+ ions that indicate the presence of abnormal cells by analyzing epithelial tissue samples taken from the cervical area using tampons specially-fitted with Modified Cellulosic Fibers.
Don Mills Collegiate Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada
Left to right: Monica Segall (Coach), Kyle Chin, Yiwei Hu, Tony Wang, Alexander Martin, Cindy Browne (Principal), Alex Mourra (Toshiba)
In-Vitro Reconstructed Human Epithelium is a safe and effective way to synthetically reconstruct human epithelial tissue as an alternative for researchers, medical personnel, and product safety testers to using human skin and performing product safety testing on animals. The reconstructed skin is produced in laboratories using skin cells harvested from plastic surgery in combination with collagen gel base, water, sugar and essential amino acids and could potentially be used for skin grafts, organ reconstruction and for testing treatments for skin diseases and cancer.
Gentry High School, Gentry, AR
Left to right: Kristen Barrick (Coach), Ayla Smartt, Jaime Christensen, Jory Christensen, Shawn Frost (Toshiba)
M.U.S.C.L.E.: Muscular Utilization through Synthetically Conductive Linear Elastics uses electroactive polymers (EAPs) in the design of an artificial human muscle to restore movement to those suffering from myopathies, or muscle disorders. Dielectric EAPs perform a dual function — working through the attraction of two electrodes to contract in response to electrical current and mimic the attraction force of natural muscle tissue, and acting as an energy-storing device to provide the needed electricity to activate muscular movement in patients — to give patients both strength and capability to move.
InTech Collegiate High School, North Logan, UT
Left to right: Stephanie Kawamura (Coach), Carson Sparks, Sarah Spall, Jeffrey Karren, Nathan Johnson, Stan Beltz (Toshiba)
Grades 7-9
Synthetic Spider Silk Bulletproof Vests made from artificially-manufactured spider silk provide law enforcement officials and soldiers with a revolutionary safer, durable, more comfortable, and non-allergenic bulletproof vest. The process uses transgenic goats to mimic the production of spider silk proteins to create an abundant, inexpensive supply of a flexible, lightweight, biodegradable material strong enough to stop the most powerful bullets used today.
Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School, Scarsdale, NY
Left to right: John Anderson (Toshiba), Paul Shin, Norman Silverman (Coach), Mel Maetzener
Tower Turbine is a revolutionary system that uses Bernoulli's principle of increased flow with decreased flow-area radius to design wind turbines affixed to city buildings to generate a clean energy source from fast-flowing wind between buildings for use by those buildings. The wind turbine would be safe for birds, optimally-sized for city structures, and employ a low-noise design while efficiently creating electricity for energy-consuming skyscrapers.
McLean High School, McLean, VA
Left to right: Claire Silva (Coach), Natalia Jorbenadze, Leah Gonzalez, Andrea Omonte, David Watt (Toshiba)
Micro-Fiber Nerve and Muscle Activator is a breakthrough medical technology that marries micro- or nano-fiber technology with electric micro-current therapy and grid technology to aid patients needing muscle regenerative therapy. A nanocomputer activates low-volt electrical pulses along textile polymers to safely simulate naturally occurring bioelectric currents in the body to aid in tissue healing and repairing brain, muscle and nerve communications in patients who have suffered from brain, spinal cord, or athletic injury; stroke; or degenerative diseases.
Sola Fidelis Symposium, Augusta, GA
Left to right: Kristina Scott (Coach), Lisa Birdsong (Mentor), Mary Claire Birdsong, Katherine Birdsong, Eric Liederman (Toshiba)
Strabismus Glasses provide auto-corrective treatment for people with the inability to align both eyes when focusing due to imbalance of the muscles of the eyeball. Sensors mounted on the frame of specially-designed glasses measure the difference in electrical charge between the front and back of the eye that defines eye movements and then activate LCD-fitted lenses in the glasses to adjust the binocular vision of the eyes.
West Hills Middle School, West Bloomfield, MI
Left to right: Paul Sanchez (Mentor), Amy Burke (Coach), Ahsan Mahmood, Enzo Fantin-Yusta, Timothy Zako, Thomas Heenan (Toshiba)
The Radar Hunter enhances safety for hunters by reducing accidental shootings and deaths. The system is outfitted with a radar sensor attached to the hunter's gun barrel that triggers an instantaneous beeping noise in the hunter's companion earpiece if the barrel is pointed at another hunter wearing a detection device. The system is also equipped with a distress button to warn of the onset of trouble and includes GPS-fitted glasses to identify relative locations of hunters in the field.
Scotus Central Catholic Jr/Sr High, Columbus, NE
Left to right: Joan Lahm (Coach), Levi McPhillips, Nathan Wangler, John Swisher (Toshiba)
The Four-Way Catalytic Converter advances current automobile technology by transforming earth-harming CO2 emissions from cars into electrical energy that can be used to power the vehicle, thereby reducing energy consumption and pollution. The environmentally-friendly converter facilitates a chemical reaction between low-cost magnesium "alternative fuel" and the CO2 , generating electrical energy and recyclable by-products that can be put to other beneficial uses.
Palisades Charter High, Pacific Palisades, CA
Left to right: Sarah Crompton (Coach), Josh Korn, Brandon Chow, Kelly Ohriner, Michelle Nguyen (Toshiba), Marc Rubic (Toshiba)
Grades 4-6
Chatter Box is a surgically-implanted artificial voice box made from natural and artificial tissue and capable of formulating speech in a natural and intelligible way for people suffering from Aphonia, or inability to speak. A nanochip in the new larynx transmits nerve impulses from the laryngeal nerve to control and replicate natural movement in the replacement muscles and vocal cords and create a human-sounding voice rather than the robotic-sounding voice replication offered by current technologies.
Country Day School of the Holy Union, Groton, MA
Alisa Morgan (Mentor), Mary Hamelin (Coach), Matthew Fischetti, Rebekah Paxton, Shannon Forest, Mary Ellen Murzyn (Toshiba)
T.H.E. Shelter (Temporary Housing Emergency) provides a safe, readily-available full size temporary housing unit for people whose homes are destroyed by accident, war or natural disaster. The portable backpack-sized package is inflated with pressurized plastic that expands, fills "packaged" walls, and hardens when released from a scuba-type tank to create a material-thin, yet strong unit accommodating a family of four for two years.
Malcolm Elementary, Waldorf, MD
Left to right: Marie Wiggins (NSTA), Michael Mellon (Toshiba), Sandra Brehon (Principal), Craig Atkinson, Adam Sachsel, Billy Burch, Timmy Olsen, Jeffrey Sachsel (Mentor), Connie Mouton (Coach)
Holo(edu)graphy uses a revolutionary type of transmission holography to project life-like images in classrooms to create "living lessons" and enhance teaching and learning. Subject-matter reference beams intersecting laser lights to project lesson content images are stored on microchip-size CDs in ceiling projectors simulating juke boxes and are controlled using a single-button remote to activate a new type of radio wave signal transmitted between the holographic remote and specially-designed holography software.
Greenfield Hebrew Academy, Atlanta, GA
Left to right: Steven Hevenstone (Mentor), Sarah Topper (Coach), Adam Brasch, Stella Maslia, Douglas Littrell (Toshiba)
Instant House for Disaster Relief is an easily transportable and readily constructed temporary house that can be shipped in bulk to any location for people displaced from their homes after a natural or man-made disaster. The Instant House building unit materials are stored in compact packages filled with two separated chemicals that instantly expand in the bag when combined to form a variety of brick-like structural units that can be assembled using special "super glue" and illustrated instructions.
Marsh Elementary, Rockford, IL
Front Row, left to right: Toni Parker (Coach), Peter Ju, Lana Anderson, Cristina Cromer, Gerson Colorado
TBMS - Taste Bud Modifier System medicinal spray safely alters taste bud receptors to promote healthy eating and prevent obesity and associated health problems by creating an aversion to unhealthy food and an affinity toward nutritional food. Ligands in the spray bind to targeted receptors to change taste transduction and coding mechanisms in which taste bud receptor cells transform food chemicals and activate nerve fibers that eventually send messages to the brain about taste.
Discovery School, Edinburg, TX
Left to right: Esther Flores (Coach), Karen Lozano (Mentor), Douglas DeLeon , Emilio Mendiola, Lindsay Ozcelebi, George Vidal, Jodie Glaze (Toshiba)
Wavemaster relies on Faraday's principle of electric induction by harnessing energy in ocean waves and converting it to useable electricity to help solve the world's energy problems. A "wave farm" is designed with a windmill-type feature, advanced composite materials that could withstand the sea's salinity and fierce nature, and underwater generating equipment housed inside a seabed-mounted post for stability in order to generate renewable energy.
Veneta Elementary, Veneta, OR
Back row, left to right: Michelle Beller (Coach), Scottie Barnes (Mentor), Ron Partch (Toshiba)
Front row, left to right: Cooper Barnes, Connor Magid, Steven Parker, Tucker Barnes
Grades K-3
The Pet Dream Automatic Pet Door and Tattoo Pen uses a magnetic metallic pigment suspended in a liquid ink to apply a permanent tattoo-like stain on a pet's ear that can be detected by a metallic sensor to unlock a pet door when the animal approaches the door. The system eliminates the need for a pet collar and increases freedom for pets and owners by allowing automatic entry and exit for pets.
George L Cooke School, Monticello, NY
Left to right: Linda Randall (Coach), Maura Muller (Mentor), Truth Muller, John Paul Mauer, Bob Triscari (Toshiba)
The Flavoring Machine, also known as "Micro Flavor," uses microwave technology to heat and flavor food simultaneously without losing nutrients to make food taste better and allow parents to encourage their children to eat more healthfully. Similar to the way that heating time and power are selected in microwave cooking, buttons on the oven would allow a user to select a desirable food flavor to be "cooked" into the food without adding any unhealthy ingredients.
Broadneck Elementary, Arnold, MD
Left to right: Bill Goodwin (Toshiba), Katie White, Ashley Rambo, Samantha Cooke, Terry Brown (Coach), Daryl Cooke (Mentor)
Stethoscope 1000 is an advanced, compact medical tool that provides improved heartbeat sound clarity, efficiency, and comfort for both a patient and doctor during examinations. The new stethoscope uses flexible metal affixed to hinges to extend its reach and portability; mini rechargeable batteries to power a heated diaphragm to eliminate the cold touch to the patient; a music wave microchip to send entertainment to the patient during examinations; and a special cable system to deliver enhanced heartbeat sound to the examiner listening through earpieces designed for comfort.
Rachel Freeman School of Engineering, Wilmington, NC
Back row, left to right: Brandy Metzger (Coach), David Guerrero and Benjamin Mears
Front row, left to right: Elizabeth Miars (Principal), Paul Nichols (Mentor), Robert Jones (Toshiba)
ViBall allows visually-impaired people to play a real game of football by receiving directions, signals, and messages from coaches and teammates through a specially-designed ball and helmet. The football consists of solar power-charged metal rubber, pigskin that transmits Braille messages on its surface generated from the coach's programmable keyboard, and a wire system that sends signal vibrations; the helmet is equipped with an antenna and GPS system to guide the player.
Mediapolis Community Schools, Mediapolis, IA
Left to right: Julie Burgus (Mentor), Garrett McGhee, Caleb Siegle, Justin Massner, Katelyn Orr, Nancy Carter (Coach), Kennedy Cross (Toshiba)
The I-Finder is an automatic mobile metal-detecting device covered with tiny laser scanners designed to seek mini barcodes on personal items to locate items when they are lost. The programmable I-Finder allows the user to scan and record item codes in advance and then moves with small legs to search for the items when they are misplaced inside or outside of the home, signaling found items with a beep.
Indian Creek Elementary, Olathe, KS
Stephanie Butler (Mentor), Diane Pollitt (Coach), Colton Laptad, Lamark Jackson, Lily Gray, Paul Cox (Toshiba)
The Vitamixer designs and manufactures the perfect vitamin for each individual upon demand. A store-based system outfitted with a touch screen, scale and breath analyzer records a person's age and weight and then analyzes the breath to determine the body's health requirements and deliver an optimum combination and dosage of needed vitamins, such as iron to combat anemia or Vitamin C to fight an existing cold.
Adobe Bluffs Elementary, San Diego, CA
Back row, left to right: Lindsay Lamb (Mentor), Stacey Lamb (Coach), Marty Millington (Toshiba)
Front row, left to right: Nathan DeWeese, Mattie Sanseverino, Sanna Abedian
