[May 08, 2023]

National Finalists, Regional Finalists, and State Winners Named in the 21st Annual eCYBERMISSION STEM Competition

eCYBERMISSION announced the State Winners, Regional Finalists, and National Finalists for its 21^st annual competition. eCYBERMISSION challenges sixth- to ninth-grade students to form teams and select a community problem to investigate with science or solve with engineering. More than 1,800 teams took part in this year's competition, with the top three per grade in each region continuing to Regional Judging and only 20, five per grade level, advancing to the National Judging & Educational Event (NJ&EE) this summer.

"The U.S. Army is proud to provide opportunities like eCYBERMISSION to help develop and mentor the next generation of STEM talent," said AEOP Cooperative Agreement Manager, Christina Weber. "The fortitude of these students to identify community problems and act as change makers seeking to remedy them is exactly what this Nation needs for a secure and successful future."

"The caliber of projects developed by the students this year has been high," said NSTA Executive Director Erika Shugart, Ph.D. "I'm excited about the future of scientific discovery when I see this level of innovation and enthusiasm. Congratulations to all the winners thus far and best of luck to the National Finalists moving on in the competition."

eCYBERMISSION State Winners were decided based on the scoring by volunteer Virtual Judges, who spent two weeks evaluating team submissions, called Mission Folders. The top scoring teams from each region per grade level advanced to Regional Judging, which took place virtually from April 24-28. After Regional Judging, the top teams per grade level from each of the five regions were selected to advance as National Finalists. These 20 teams will compete in Hunt Valley, Maryland during NJ&EE, taking place June 26-29.

eCYBERMISSION awards U.S. EE Savings Bonds totaling up to $1,696,000 at maturity ($848,000 at time of purchase) to State Winners, Regional Finalists, and National Finalist teams to be split amongst the students based on their award placement. At the conclusion of NJ&EE, National Winners, the highest scoring team per grade level, will receive additional U.S. EE Savings Bonds worth up to a cumulative $96,000 at maturity, $48,000 at purchase date, split amongst the students.

Below lists the National Finalist teams advancing to NJ&EE. For a full list of State Winners, Regional Finalists, and National Finalists, visit www.ecybermission.com/winners.

Projects for the 2023-2024 eCYBERMISSION competition may begin now, and registration and project submission opens in the fall. For more information, visit www.ecybermission.com.

National Finalists

North Central

6^th Grade - MISSing Monarchs - April Yao, Annie Wei, Olivia Kim, Elizabeth Moody, and Team Advisor Richard Gash - Bay Village, Ohio

7^th Grade - Toxic CHLORO Fighters - Addison Graham, Orion Riddell, Becket Tumney, Riley Campbell, and Team Advisor Richard Gash - Bay Village, Ohio

8^th Grade - Remote Reality! - Saanvi Thammineni, Khanak Parikh, Kartika Palani, and Team Advisor Venugopal Thammineni - Aurora, Illinois

9^th Grade - Urica - Nidhi Sagaram, Samil Sharma, Viraj Vyas, and Team Advisor Bhavna Sharma - Naperville, Illinois

North East

6^th Grade - Aqua Pups - Clara DuPlesie, Elliana Shahan, and Team Advisor Beth DuPlessie - Foxboro, Massachusetts

7^th Grade - The Ripple Effect - Caitlin Holmes, Mika Kunigonis, Bailey Rider, Jacqueline Warner, and Team Advisor Patricia Killian - Corning, New York

8^th Grade - Cardio for Chemo - Elizabeth Vetzev, Rebecca John, and Team Advisor Kelly McDonald - Andover, Massachusetts

9^th Grade - Soundsations - Zaheen Ahmed, Akshay Jilla, Shrey Agarwal, Armaan Jain, and Team Advisor Ravi Sesetty - Clarksburg, Maryland

South Central

6^th Grade - 1 Peter 5:7 - Sydney Kubala, Olivia Roach, Rylee McReynolds, Leah Sadler, and Team Advisor Laura Stary - Lubbock, Texas

7^th Grade - H2O Bros - Lucas Higgins, Lincoln Dooley, Jaxson Ferran, Brex Stephens, and Team Advisor Laura Stary - Lubbock, Texas

8^th Grade - HydroAid - Annerson Dooley, Jett Hurst, Billy Jewell, and Team Advisor Laura Stary - Lubbock, Texas

9^th Grade - Invincible Inventors - Meg Beck, Gabriella Harlow, Julie Harbert, Vivian Lawhead, and Team Advisor Laraine Blake - Kansas City, Missouri

South East

6^th Grade - Gladiators 1 - Natalie Sanchez-Ortega, Malyia Boone, Brooklynn Smith, Daelyn Griffin, and Team Advisor Chaka Carter-Picha - Memphis, Tennessee

7^th Grade - Mad Scientists - Arush Sajja, Ghanishth Awashthi, Jagreet Choudhury, Navaneeth Roshan, and Team Advisor Tachina Jones - Memphis, Tennessee

8^th Grade - Disarmed Arms - Eoin Samuel, Saicharan Karthikeyan, Sajith Gogineni, Naren Pai, and Team Advisor Thenmozhi Kandasamy - Raleigh, North Carolina

9^th Grade - Little MAAKs - Kherington Phillips, Mia Riley, Ava Call, Avery Jones, and Team Advisor David Phillips - Evans, Georgia

West

6^th Grade - The Pack Pals - Aria Rahmani, Kavya Bhattacharya, Hunter Vockell, Alexander Mikalsky, and Team Advisor Bailey Mittelstadt - Scottsdale, Arizona

7^th Grade - Trailblazers 2.0 - Malachi Chaya, Natalia Rowe, Kimberly Watson, and Team Advisor Lora Gibbons - West Jordan, Utah

8^th Grade - Water Warriors - William Parsons, Eric Wang, Charles Skidmore, Aditya Vashistha, and Team Advisor Audrey Skidmore - Scottsdale, Arizona

9^th Grade - Apollo2 - Weston Bruderer, Rockland Stout, Makaela Gibbons, Malia Chaya, and Team Advisor Lora Gibbons - West Jordan, Utah

About eCYBERMISSION

eCYBERMISSION is a free, virtual science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) competition for students in grade six to nine that promotes teamwork, self-discovery, and the real-life applications of STEM. Students work in teams, with the help of an adult Team Advisor, and select a problem in their community to explore with science or solve with engineering. With eCYBERMISSION, students experience STEM firsthand and learn how they can use it to change the world while interacting with STEM professionals and competing for state, regional, and national awards. eCYBERMISSION students have applied for and received patents, expanded their projects into businesses, and achieved further national recognition, including the first ever TIME's "Kid of the Year". eCYBERMISSION is part of the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) and administered by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA).

About the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP)

The United States Army has long recognized that a scientifically and technologically literate citizenry is our nation's best hope for a secure, rewarding, and successful future. For over 50 years, the U.S. Army has supported a wide range of educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for our youth, college, and graduate students, as well as our valued teachers. Through AEOP, the U.S. Army continues its long tradition and strong commitment to the advancement of STEM education and literacy. Leveraging its most valuable assets - world-class scientists and engineers and research facilities - AEOP offers our nation's youth and teachers a collaborative, cohesive portfolio of opportunities that effectively engage future workforce generations in meaningful, real-world STEM experiences, competitions, and paid internships. For more information about AEOP, please visit www.usaeop.com.

About the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA)

The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) is a vibrant community of 40,000 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 Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

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