2009 National Winners
Toshiba and the National Science Teachers Association are proud to announce the 2009 ExploraVision Awards national winners.
Grades 10-12 / Grades 7-9 / Grades 4-6 / Grades K-3
Grades 10-12
First Place
HEARTt: sHDL Enabled Atheroma Reverse Transport Technology HEARTt is a specific, cost-effective, easily-administered treatment for atherosclerosis. Synthetic High Density Lipoprotein (sHDL) attached to a protein, ingested and released into the bloodstream, blocks plaque-forming Low Density Lipoprotein interaction with body cells, allowing sHDL to carry away the dangerous cholesterol in the plaque.
University Laboratory High School, Urbana, IL
Left to right: David Stone (Coach), Isaac Chambers, Danny Ge, Daniel Cheng, Tej Chajed, David Ansehl (Toshiba)
Second Place
CHANGE: Counteracting HIV/AIDS through New Gene Enhancement Project Change utilizes innovative gene therapy technology to cure AIDS. Special genes found in some humans and primates that confer a natural resistance to HIV and render the virus harmless are distributed to the population through viral vectors that deliver desirable DNA to cells.
Manalapan High School, Englishtown, NJ
Left to right: Tamura Taylor (Toshiba), Vaidhy Murti, Mojin Chen, Tejas Srinivasan, Jeremy Puthumana, Bharathi Srinivas (Coach)
Grades 7-9
First Place
S.M.A.R.T. Paint S.M.A.R.T. Paint is a decorative and safety coating applied to buildings, roads, Astroturf, and mechanical equipment that warns of black ice on roads, increases fuel efficiency, senses fires, officiates sporting events, and prevents pressure tank explosions. Radio Frequency Identification chips are embedded in the paint and work in conjunction with a multi hop relay circuit, a reader device and a sensor to signal impending danger or record sporting event activities.
West Salem High School, Salem, OR
Left to right:
Emily Curtis, Carl Kreitzberg, Claire Moreland-Ochoa, Madison Jones, Michael Lampert (Coach)
Photo Credit:
Rachael Dame (Toshiba)
Second Place
A Better Method of Testing for Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports: Nanobiosensors - A Lab on a Chip A Lab on a Chip is a discreet non-invasive, tamper-proof drug detection system designed to curtail the growing problem of the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports. A small sweat patch worn on the arm of an athlete contains chemicalspecific nanotube biosensors that emit optical signals when receptor molecules bind with target drug molecules and signal the presence of illegal substances.
North Shore Hebrew Academy High School, Great Neck, NY
Left to right: Masa Fukakushi (Toshiba), Phyllis Serfaty (Coach), Bradley Garczynski, Mackenzie Berman, John Anderson (TAF)
Grades 4-6
First Place
Ener-bahn Ener-bahn generates electricity from asphalt in paved roadways and thereby reduces greenhouse gases and the dependency on fossil fuels. Energy from the sun absorbed by the asphalt travels to a series of liquid-filled pipes and nanotubes that carry the energy, in the form of heat, to a turbine which collects the pressure energy and forces the liquid into a thermo-electric generator that captures the heat energy and converts it into electricity.
Guy B. Phillips Middle School, Chapel Hill, NC
Left to right:
Rob Frescoln (Mentor), Lisa Joyner (Coach), Derek Brown, Benjamin Senior, Allison Mahaky (Assistant Principal)
Photo credit:
Cary Butler (Toshiba)
Second Place
J.E.T. Stand The portable J.E.T. Music Stand improves the success of practice by organizing music lesson plans and notes, teaching music theory through musical games, recording practice sessions and offering feedback to improve the musician’s performance. The notebook-sized instrumental practicing system has a flexible, earth-friendly electro chromic display powered by solar energy.
Northside Elementary , Palmyra , PA
Back Row (left to right):
Charlie Giunta (Toshiba), Tony Rose (Coach), Valerie Plato (Mentor),
Front Row (left to right):
Elizabeth Holzman, Julia Plato, Taylor Carroll
Photo Credit:
Tracy Blunt
Grades K-3
First Place
Project CTRIC Pathways CTRIC Pathways uses wireless electricity and alternate recyclable sources of energy to power automobiles. System grids with vibrating magnetic coils are mounted on existing roadway structures and transmit electricity to oncoming vehicles containing “matching” vibrating coil electricity receivers. Energy lost by a vehicle is absorbed and recycled by solar windshield guides that utilize photocells to employ electrical energy conversion.
Westwood Basics Plus , Irvine , CA
Back (L to R):
Sukhee Kang (Mayor City of Irvine), Stan Machesky (Principal), Ninad Chaukkar (Mentor), John Gustafson
(Coach), Chris Harrington (Toshiba), Laura Talbert (Toshiba)
Front (L to R):
Anika Chaukkar, Rahul Mohankumar, Roshan Mandayam, Dhruv Limaye,
Photo Credit:
Liz Hernan
Second Place
The EpiWatch The EpiWatch provides a readily-available, more effective alternative to traditional allergy shot systems. The small, wearable, computerized EpiWatch contains special codes and micro needles that instantly deliver painless doses of epinephrine when the wearer suffers from a food allergy reaction and then utilizes cell phone and GPS technology to alert medical officials in the event of a serious allergic reaction.
Home School , Land O Lakes , FL
Left to right:
Jim Sardano (Toshiba), Colby Tomasello, Catie Tomasello, Heather Tomasello (mentor,) Grace Nobles, Marisa Meglino, Richard Hunter (coach)
Photo Credit:
Jerel Tomasello
