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WASHINGTON, D.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2001-- According to some forward-thinking students, in the not-too-distant future, people will ``zap'' cavities before they occur, locate lost library books from under couches and behind chairs, and wear contact lenses that double as both binoculars and a magnifying glass. These are just a few of the innovative ideas proposed by the winners of the ninth annual Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) ExploraVision Awards Program, one of the world's largest K-12 student science and technology competitions. The eight winning ExploraVision teams selected technologies that exist today and envisioned what they would be like in the year 2021. The ideas offer a glimpse of how students see the future and how science and technology can improve people's lives. The eight finalists were selected from nearly 4,000 teams, representing more than 12,000 students from public, private, parochial, and home schools in the US and Canada.

Many Students Envision Better Quality of Life Through Health & Medical Advancements

Many of the ExploraVision student winners envisioned advancements in medical and biological technologies. Winning projects include: P.E.E.P.: Photo-Electric Eye Prosthesis, a substitute eye for visually impaired persons that uses technology from digital cameras; All Wrapped Up: Bandages Through Time, microchip-equipped bandages that not only stop bleeding, but also diagnose serious illnesses, clean wounds, and relay vital signs to a database; The Cardio-Mate, a device implanted in the coronary artery of a high-risk patient that detects heart failure, applies remedies, and alerts health care personnel using a miniaturized GPS system; and Eagle Eyes: Contacts of the Future, lenses that not only function like conventional contacts, but also act as binoculars or a magnifying glass at the command of the wearer. Proving that they can be just as innovative as their older peers, a team of first- and second-graders envisioned the Cavity Zapper, a device that uses photonic energy to eliminate bacteria before they cause cavities! (See the attached sheet for a complete list of winning entries.)

Environmentally Friendly Transportation and More

Students also found ways to make the world of the future a cleaner, more convenient place to live. A team of twelfth-graders envisioned ELPS: Electro-Lipid Propulsion System, a hybrid combustion/electrical engine that uses lipids, or fats, instead of gas, to create an engine that reuses half of its explosive force and requires fewer cylinders.

SCUBA divers will have more time to swim with the fish, thanks to Take a Deep Breath of O2cean: The AquaGill. Wet suits made with artificial hemoglobin tubing attract free oxygen molecules from the water, giving divers an unlimited source of air for longer dives.

Finally, a group of third-graders found a way to eliminate costly library fines. The Book Beeper and Tracker employs a small alarm system to remind you when it's time to return library books, and it uses radio waves to help locate lost books from under couches and behind chairs!

Promoting Both Technological Thinking and Technology Literacy

No one would dispute the dominant role that technology plays in today's society. ExploraVision encourages students to see the impact that science and technology have on our society and how innovative thinking can change the future. ExploraVision also promotes the use of technology. In the final stage of the competition, students are asked to design and produce Internet web sites to convey their technology vision.

Students on each of the four first-place teams will each receive a $10,000 US Savings Bond (series EE Savings Bonds Issued at $5,000). Student of second-place teams will receive a $5,000 US Savings Bond (series EE Savings Bonds issued at $2,500). First-and second-place Canadian winning teams will each receive savings bonds of comparable issue price respectively (based on current exchange rate at time of purchase). Schools and teachers of the eight finalist teams will each receive selected Toshiba products.

The Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards program, funded by the Toshiba Corporation, the Toshiba America Group Companies, and the Toshiba America Foundation and administered by the National Science Teachers Association, is open to all K-12 U.S. and Canadian students who are citizens or legal residents.

Deadline to submit entries for the 2002 ExploraVision competition is February 2002. For more information or an application, call 1-800-EXPLOR-9, or e-mail exploravision@nsta.org. Information is also available on the World Wide Web at www.toshiba.com.

Founded in 1944, the Arlington-based National Science Teachers Association seeks to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. Its 53,000-plus members include science teachers of all grade levels, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.

The Toshiba Corporation, based in Tokyo, is a world leader in products involving electronics and energy. Toshiba America, Inc., is the holding company for Toshiba's six operating companies with more than 10,000 employees in the United States. The Toshiba America Foundation supports science and mathematics education across the United States.

                       2001 First Place Winners

GRADES K-3

French Road Elementary School, Rochester, NY

Students: Nimisha Patil, Harvest Zhang
Coach:    Susan Salzman
Mentor:   Sabrina Diol

    The Book Beeper and Tracker
    No more fines at the library! The Book Beeper is a small alarm
that reminds you when to return your books. The Book Tracker uses
radio waves to help you find them.

GRADES 4-6

Rogers Park Elementary School, Anchorage, AK

Students: Shayna Jot Cott, Travis Gingerich, Isaac Park, Graham
          Nelson
Coach:    Michelle Johansen
Mentor:   Anthony Makar

    Eagle Eyes: Contacts of the Future
    Reacting to electronic orders directly from the brain, Eagle Eye
contacts - equipped with a microscopic battery and adjustable lens --
will function like contacts, binoculars and a magnifying glass at the
command of its wearer.

GRADES 7-9

DeForest Cooperative Middle School, DeForest, WI

Students: Ben McGinely, Steven Steinhoff, Carl Hoel
Coach:    Sheri Baird
Mentor:   Julia Edwards

    P.E.E.P.: Photo-Electric Eye Prosthesis
    Integrating technology from digital cameras, CCD sensors will
collect light that enters the eye, then transmit it directly to the
largest section of the cerebral cortex - making sight possible for
people suffering with nearly all types of vision deficiencies.

GRADES 10-12

Providence Academy, Katy, TX

Students: Leonard Decker, Benjamin Hefner, Matthew Spena, Ryan
          Zimmerman
Coach:    Dr. David Shormann
Mentor:   Kathrine Spena

    Take a Deep Breath of O2cean: The AquaGill
    Dive suits will be made with artificial hemoglobin tubing to
attract free oxygen molecules in the water. This unlimited source of
air will allow for longer dives.

                       2001 Second Place Winners

GRADES K-3

Metairie Park County Day School, Metairie, LA

Students: Benjamin Amoss, Jackson Rawlings, Catherine Worley,
          Becca Lapeyre
Coach:    Amie Miller
Mentor:   Elizabeth Amoss

    The Cavity Zapper
    The Cavity Zapper looks like a toothbrush, but it has fiber optic
bristles that detect cavity-causing bacteria. A screen shows you where
to brush and floss.

GRADES 4-6

Barrett Elementary Center, Cresco, PA

Students: Courtney Stasi, Lauren Reinhardt, Zachary Ziobro
Coach:    Tony Rose
Mentor:   Susan Reinhardt

    All Wrapped Up: Bandages Through Time
    Equipped with microchips, bandages will not only stop bleeding,
but will diagnose serious illness, clean the wound, and relay vital
signs to a worldwide database.

GRADES 7-9

St. Luke Lutheran School, Santa Rosa, CA

Students: Roland Nadler, Jonathan Pinkston, Brett Gallagher
Coach:    Ronald Martin

    The Cardio-Mate
    Inserted in a coronary artery, the Cardio-Mate will detect heart
failure and apply remedies - both medicinal and electronic. If all
else fails, it will alert health care personnel using a miniaturized
Global Positioning System.

GRADES 10-12

Don Mills Collegiate Institute, North York, Ontario

Students: Terence Fong, Elliott Owen
Coach:    Rani Takhar

    Electro-Lipid Propulsion System
    This hybrid combustion/electrical engine uses lipids (namely
glycerol) instead of gas to create a powerful engine that reuses half
of its explosive force and requires fewer cylinders. The accompanying
electric motor is recharged by the engine.

     Dobbin/Bolgla Associates
     Sharron Silvers, 212/388-1400
     E-mail: ssilvers@dba-pr.com
                 or
     National Science Teachers Association
     Cindy Workosky, 703/312-9248
     E-mail: cworkosky@nsta.org