As teachers, one of our most important tasks today is kindling a passion for science within young learners. In order to help you do that, the United States Army has created eCyberMission, a national science fair competition that
* gives students ready access to professional scientists and engineers via the Internet
* targets students in grades 6 through 9
* correlates to National Science Education Standards
* is available to students at no cost
* offers young scientists a number of great prizes
The objective of the program is to foster interest in science among students across America. The Army sees eCyberMission becoming "the premier, inclusive science fair for the nation."
It is very easy for students to become involved in eCyberMission. Students in the same grade form into teams of three or four, select an adult advisor, and register online at the eCyberMission website located at www.ecybermission.com. Each team will then develop a science fair project in one of the following four broad areas: Health and Safety; Sports and Recreation; Environment; or Arts and Entertainment. Unlike a traditional science fair project, all work and experiments done in conjunction with eCyberMission will be submitted online.
The members of each team will have ready access to Army scientists and engineers who have volunteered their services to eCyberMission. These so-called "CyberGuides" will be available to answer students' questions and offer advice via private e-mail, chat sessions, and threaded discussion groups.
Once each team submits its completed project online, Army judges will evaluate entries based on stringent criteria and award prizes at the regional level. Top regional winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC to compete on the national level.
Registration for the next eCyberMission competition begins September 15, 2003. For more information about how your students can take part in this exciting new experience in science education, contact either Ms. Karin Santos at Karin.Santos@forscom.army.mil or by phone at (404) 464-6410 OR Mr. Francis Mazzochi at mazzocchifrancis@forscom.army.mil or (404) 464-5435. You may also visit the website at www.ecybermission.com to look at last year's winning entries.
