It’s that time of year again! NSTA and its sponsors are kicking off another exciting year of rewarding and recognizing high-performing science educators and students through our large-scale, nationally known competitions and grant programs.
Check out the following opportunities listed below.
Disney’s Planet Challenge®
Fourth through sixth grade students have the opportunity to make a difference in their surroundings while using science, math, composition and problem-solving skills. Disney’s Planet Challenge has gone nationwide and now students across the country can participate! Registration is now open and students can win prizes, classroom grants, a trip to Disneyland(r) with their classmates, a chance to be on a TV show and much more! Teachers can use the Challenge with their lesson plans. Sample plans can be found on the website. Disney’s Planet Challenge is a great way to get students involved with their environment in a fun and creative way. Go to http://disney.go.com/planetchallenge/ to get started. Registration closes December 18, 2009.
DuPont Challenge(c) Science Essay Competition
DuPont Challenge(c) Science Essay Competition gets students writing about science! Students in seventh through 12th grade research and write a 700 to 1,000-word essay about a scientific discovery, theory, event or technological application that has captured their interest. Created to honor the Challenger astronauts, students can win savings bonds up to $5,000, and a trip to Walt Disney World and to the Kennedy Space Center. Teachers win too! Along with the trips with their students, teachers can also win $500 grants. Students have the opportunity to be inspired, to be creative, and to tell a story in this essay about any scientific topic. Teachers can use this competition to motivate students to reach beyond themselves and push the limits! To learn more about the competition, check out the website at http://thechallenge.dupont.com . Entries will be accepted from December 1, 2009 until January 31, 2010.
Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge
K-8 students have the opportunity to become “Agents of Change” as they team up with their classmates to create replicable solutions to environmental issues in their classroom, school and community. Student and teacher/mentor prizes, which vary according to grade level, include savings bonds, school grants, exciting trips, TV appearances and much more. Applications are now being accepted. The deadline for elementary level entries is January 31, 2010 (finalists and winners to be announced March 10, 2010); and the deadline for middle school entries is March 15, 2010 (state winners to be announced April 26, 2010, and national winners to be announced May 10, 2010). For more information about the Challenge or to register for the competition, visit www.wecanchange.com.
Spirit of Innovation Awards
Sponsored by the Conrad Foundation, the Spirit of Innovation Awards is an annual competition that challenges teams of high school students to create innovative products for use in one of four categories: aerospace exploration, space nutrition, renewable energy and green schools. Teams and their coaches will compete for more than $100,000 in cash prizes; the opportunity to be designated as Pete Conrad Scholars and have the opportunity to commercialize their products for general market use; and annual memberships to the Conrad Foundation, Sigma Xi, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and the National Science Teachers Association-the Foundation’s official education advisor. For more information about the program, visit http://www.conradawards.com. Applications must be submitted no later than December 15, 2009 to be considered.
Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards Program
ExploraVision is a competition that makes science fun and exciting for students and gives educators an innovative way to present science topics in the classroom. This competition encourages K-12 students of any interest and ability levels to imagine a future technology using present day predicaments. Students can win up to $10,000 in savings bonds for college and cool gifts from Toshiba. Applications are now being accepted; the deadline is February 2, 2010. For more information about the program or to learn how to apply, visit www.exploravision.org.
Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers
The Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program, one of the largest science teacher grant programs in the nation, and is now accepting entries for the 2009-2010 competition. Now in its 20th year, the program offers grants up to $10,000 to K-12 science teachers for innovative projects that enhance science education in their school and/or school district over a one-year period. For more information about the Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program or to learn how to apply, visit http://www.nsta.org/pd/tapestry/. Applications must be submitted no later than January 18, 2010 to be considered.