Announcing the 2021-2022 eCYBERMISSION National Winners!

Over 8,000 students on more than 2,000 teams from across the United States and DoDEA schools worldwide competed in the 2021-2022 eCYBERMISSION competition. 58 teams moved forward as Regional Finalists, and only 20 of those became National Finalists, joining us in Washington, D.C. for the National Judging & Educational Event in June. Now, we are proud to announce the winners of the 2021-2022 eCYBERMISSION Competition!

6th Grade National Winner

Oh, Deer!

Team Members: Benjamin Manhein, Neel Boteler, Maley Thornhill, Lily Frances Garner

Team Advisor: Ashley Klein

St. Richard Catholic School, Jackson, Mississippi

Deer-vehicle accidents (DVA) cause widespread property damage, bodily injury, and loss of life. They happen a lot in Mississippi, 3,700 times a year, with almost everyone in team Oh, Deer!’s community survey stating they know someone involved in a DVA. After a recent, jarring collision with a deer, the team learned that lesson first-hand. They wanted to prevent these accidents. Existing deer warning devices become ineffective over time. Deer grow accustomed to the sounds of devices, like deer whistles, and learn to ignore them. After studying deer senses, team Oh, Deer! quickly realized targeting hearing and vision provided the best warning because light and sound carry over a distance. Research revealed deer senses differ from human senses in two critical ways. Deer see the blue end of the light spectrum and UV light better than humans do. They also hear best in a frequency range higher than humans. By leveraging the differences between human senses and deer senses, the team created a deterrent for deer with minimal distractions to human drivers. They programmed their device, the Steer Deer Clear (SDC), to produce varying light and sound signals so deer do not become familiar with them. After observing a deer camp with a feed plot, they noticed a substantial number of deer present daily. They tested the SDC there.  When they turned the SDC on, the deer completely stayed away over a full week. When they turned the SDC off, deer came back to eat immediately. The Steer Deer Clear works!

7th Grade National Winner

Plastic Patrol

Team Members: Jett Hurst, Annerson Dooley

Team Advisor: Laura Stary

Southcrest Christian School, Lubbock, Texas

Plastic pollution is threatening ecosystems around the globe and the health of everyone on this planet. Of critical concern is the physical breakdown of plastic into tiny <5 mm pieces known as microplastics. The oceans are powdered with this residue and its negative impacts.

It was time for innovative thinking and alternatives to “trash pick-up days” that are not possible when dealing with microplastics. Reinventing the way to fight this waste resulted in the use of algae as bio-accumulators. Team Plastic Patrol tested ten marine and freshwater species of algae in habitats with microplastics. The algae were fed, multiplied, and observed daily for eight weeks. Microscopy showed two freshwater species (Vaucheria and Lyngbia) and two saltwater species (Polysiphonia and Callithamnion) were able to hyper-accumulate microplastics from water and contain them.

The team’s third investigation measured the temperature of sand with microplastics. The result was a decrease in the sand’s temperature. Reptiles such as sea turtles rely on specific nest temperatures for egg viability and gender determination. Working with The Institute of Environmental and Human Health led team Plastic Patrol to a study of the cellular effects of microplastics on hawksbill sea turtles.

The solution using algae to clean water is a low-tech system designed to be scaled for global application. Algae is a sustainable solution and could rejuvenate natural systems in hot spots. The use of STEM to solve the problem of microplastics means waste management is optimized in an efficient and cost-effective method.

8th Grade National Winner

OMg

Team Members: Nidhi Sagaram, Samil Sharma, Viraj Vyas

Team Advisor: Aruna Rao

Francis Granger Middle School, Aurora, Illinois

According to the World Health Organization, over 75% of Americans fail to reach their recommended magnesium intake. This is due to over-cultivation, use of chemical-heavy fertilizers, and lack of natural ways to replenish the soil with nutrients. Plants absorb micro and macronutrients from the soil. Magnesium is the central chemical of chlorophyll and a lack of it brings down the quality of photosynthesis, leading to stunted plants and discolored leaves/fruits. When the plants don’t have enough magnesium, it doesn’t get passed on to humans who consume it. Since magnesium is only available in plant products, this is an alarming problem needing immediate attention. The indirect costs of diseases related to magnesium deficiency in the US are approximately $712.3 billion. Magnesium deficiencies can cause abnormal heart rhythms, muscle spasms, numbness, anxiety/depression, seizures, diabetes, fatigue, and osteoporosis, amongst others. What team OMg learned during research was shocking! Many in their community were magnesium deficient and doctors were routinely prescribing medicines to fix the issue. They took it upon themselves to get to the root of this problem. The team designed and conducted experiments to study the problem. They potted thirty-one plants and applied several natural magnesium-rich materials like composted manure, Epsom salt, and Dolomitic lime. After several rounds of testing, they determined a cost-effective and eco-friendly combination of composted manure and Epsom salt in a certain proportion to be the right answer for this problem. Team OMg shared their findings with farmers/growers, nutritionists, and soil experts amongst others in their community.

9th Grade National Winner

Busy Bee Tech

Team Members: Ambika Rao, Romayssae Saidi

Team Advisor: Shelly Witham

High Tech High School, Secaucus, New Jersey

In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, team Busy Bee Tech’s high school endured through the loss of its bees. The question remains unanswered on why the bees disappeared. Apiarists are unable to have a strict and constant monitoring system for their bees. Restrictions like the weather, less annoyance on the bees, or being incapable to be present are a few obstacles beekeepers encounter. If the school had a smart beehive system, they would be able to identify the issue and take proper action to return the hive to its proper state. Bees are not only important for ecological reasons, but also for social and economic development of rural and urban communities. Smart beehive systems are a solution that already exists. However, how much energy are they utilizing to function? How remote can the sensors provide a reading, and how affordable are they? These are factors that were implemented in Busy Bee Tech’s model. Through their research, they discovered that the four important sensors that should be in a smart beehive should be temperature, humidity, weight, and sound via remote microphone. Their solution and process demonstrates a multi-sensor platform designated to measure key components and make a greater impact inside the colony and the community.

In addition to our National Winners, two more teams received accolades at this year’s National Judging & Educational Event.

Army Values Award

The Army Values Award was voted on by the U.S. Army Non-Commissioned Officer and Scientist & Engineer mentors that were onsite supporting students throughout NJ&EE. They selected one team that they felt best exemplified the U.S. Army Core Values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. The winners of this year’s Army Values Award is:

Vision

Team Members: Weston Bruderer, Makaela Gibbons, Rockland Stout

Team Advisor: Lora Gibbons

Mountain Heights Academy, Tooele, Utah

There are over 45 million people in the United States wearing contact lenses, and those individuals have a nearly nine times greater likelihood of getting bacterial keratitis, which is an infection of the cornea, or the clear dome that covers the eye. Team Vision focused their research on Pseudomonas, which is one of the most common bacteria causing bacterial keratitis. It’s very painful, can lead to blindness, and contact lens use is a major risk. The CDC estimates keratitis can result in over one million doctor visits per year and cost over $175 million dollars in health care expenses. Vision’s mission was to use STEM practices to find a solution to stop this infection caused by Pseudomonas bacteria. They began their investigation using modern technology to isolate nine new bacteriophages specific to Pseudomonas. After isolation, they tested whether these phages would be stable within a contact lens solution. Finally, they identified the host range for the phages that were isolated by testing their effectiveness against other bacteria similar to Pseudomonas. They discovered through many months of investigation that the nine identified bacteriophages were extremely stable in contact lens solution and lost no effectiveness over a month of trial. Seven of the nine phages were specific only to Pseudomonas, making them narrow range and a good fit for the team’s phage contact lens solution. Ultimately, as they share their research and innovation, their hope is that their Vision solution will help the over 45 million people who wear contact lenses.

People’s Choice Award

The final award given out at NJ&EE was the People’s Choice Award. The People’s Choice Award was decided by popular vote after all National Finalist and STEM-In-Action Grant teams presented their projects at the National Showcase. The winners of the People’s Choice Award will all receive iPads, courtesy of the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). The winners of this year’s People’s Choice Award is:

River Revivers

Team Members: Milan Mishra, Margaret Hoffman, Rishab Mishra, Ramya Puttagunta

Team Advisor: Katy Zavesky

Providence Day School, Charlotte, North Carolina

Bacterial pollution is a serious problem that impacts rivers around the world, despite control measures taken by governments and other organizations in wastewater management. The lower river basins are especially affected by pathogenic microbes from industrial, agricultural, and animal waste runoff. The beautiful Catawba River basin of the Carolinas is one such example, where swim advisories have become increasingly common due to high E. coli presence, prohibiting recreationists from swimming and doing other fun activities. While many solutions exist for cleaning river trash, few exist for river water disinfection from bacterial contamination, which involves chemical processing which, although effective, can create other hazards, like producing secondary waste and harming marine life. Team River Reviver’s proposed solution of using UV radiation technology built into a self-navigating, unmanned surface utility vehicle (SUV) can prove to be the answer to a chemical-free, environmentally friendly, economic, and sustainable solution. Research shows that most beneficial bacteria are found near the bottom of lakes and rivers where the marine ecosystem thrives, whereas the fecal bacteria attach themselves to floating particles on the surface waters. UV light is already used for water purification in households, industries, and aquariums, so using it in the right range and wavelength will effectively inactivate the bad bacteria without harming the good bacteria. As team River Revivers continues to work on their mission, they aim to get support from environmental protection advocates so that their prototype can evolve into successful remediation of river water contamination to be used widely.

We are so proud of not only the National Winners, but of every team that participated in this year’s eCYBERMISSION competition. Communities all over the country, and the world, are better because of the positive impact that these thousands of students have made through STEM.

Registration for the 2022-2023 eCYBERMISSION competition opens in August. To learn more, visit www.ecybermission.com.

 

 

Faith Benner
Senior Communications and Marketing Specialist