Colorado Students Earn First and Second-Place Awards in Army’s National STEM Competition

Students in Colorado earn a total of $20,000 in savings bonds for theirwinning eCYBERMISSION projects

May 19, 2011 – Baltimore, Md. – eCYBERMISSION is excited to announce the first and second-place winners in Colorado for the 2010-2011 competition.

eCYBERMISSION is a free, web-based, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competition for students in grades six through nine. Sponsored by the U.S. Army, eCYBERMISSION promotes teamwork and creativity as a way to encourage students to become more involved in STEM education.

The following students demonstrated a strong understanding of the STEM subjects, aptly applying what they have learned in the classroom to a real-life problem in their community.

First-Place Winning Teams:

 Sixth Grade – Team: Pikes Peak 6.2; School: Manitou Springs Middle School; Team Advisor Cindy Myers with students Frank Barton, Jack Bell and Ted Weiss (Sports & Recreation)

 Seventh Grade – Team: Pikes Peak 7.2; School: Manitou Springs Middle School; Team Advisor Cindy Myers with students Winnonna Henline, Zoe Novotny and Hannah Unruh (Food, Health & Fitness)

Eighth Grade – Team: cyber missioners; School: Vikan Middle School; Team Advisor Robert Behrens with students Grant Fair, Taurino Villalobos and Clarissa Williams (Food, Health & Fitness)

 Ninth Grade – Team: The Presidents; School: Pueblo West High School; Team Advisor Robin Bratina with students Matthew Gonzales, Nicholas Hill, Jonathan Kelting and Ben Kreminski (National Security & Safety)
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Second-Place Winning Teams:

 Sixth Grade – Team: Pikes Peak 6.4; School: Manitou Springs Middle School; Team Advisor Cindy Myers with students Blanca Blake, Kethrys Buffa and Meghann Root (Food, Health & Fitness)

 Seventh Grade – Team: The Krew; School: Hemphill Middle School; Team Advisor Amy Cyr with students Lindsey Nichols, Annie Oakley, Spencer Russell and Hailey Tresch (Food, Health & Fitness)

 Eighth Grade – Team: Paper; School: Vikan Middle School; Team Advisor Robert Behrens with students Mikel Dunahoo, Chad Laliberte, John Makepeace and Victor Merritt (Alternative Sources of Energy)

 Ninth Grade – Team: Clementines; School: George Washington High School; Team Advisor Josh Vinlove with students Marina Dart, Shivani Nayak and Teresa Osuna (Food, Health & Fitness)


All students on the first-place winning teams will receive $1,000 in U.S. EE Savings Bonds, and each student on the second-place winning teams will receive $500 in U.S. EE Savings Bonds. The first-place winning teams will move on to the regional competition, where they will compete with teams in their grade across the Northwest region for an additional $2,000 in savings bonds and a chance to attend the National Judging and Educational Event, taking place in Washington, D.C., in June 2011.

“We are extremely proud of these winning teams,” said Mr. Gary Martin, Executive Deputy to the Commanding General of the U.S. Army’s Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM). “Our nation is placing a greater focus on the importance of STEM education, and the dedication and enthusiasm shown by these students demonstrates we are moving in the right direction.”

Colorado had 74 teams register for the 2010-2011 eCYBERMISSION competition, with 64 teams submitting Mission Folders, or final projects. For more information on any of the winning teams, please contact Katherine Smith at 1-866-GO-CYBER (462-9237) or at katherine.smith@ecybermission.com.

About eCYBERMISSION
eCYBERMISSION is a free, web-based, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) competition for students in grades six through nine. Sponsored by the U.S. Army and managed by RDECOM, eCYBERMISSION is designed to share the importance of STEM education with the leaders of tomorrow and encourage them to understand the real-life applications of these subjects. Students compete for state and national awards by working in teams to identify a problem in their community and using scientific inquiry to propose a solution. eCYBERMISSION is an Army Educational Outreach Program (www.usaeop.com).

About RDECOM
RDECOM is the Army's primary source for integrated research, development and engineering capabilities that empower, unburden and protect the Warfighter to enable the dominance of the Army. RDECOM provides the full spectrum of basic research, development, engineering and analysis of Warfighter systems, from concept to capability. RDECOM is headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., with laboratories and research and development centers throughout the country and representatives throughout the world. For more information on RDECOM, visit www.army.mil/rdecom.

For more information, please visit www.ecybermission.com or contact eCYBERMISSION Mission Control at 1-866-GO-CYBER (462-9237) or via e-mail at missioncontrol@ecybermission.com.