U.S. Army-Sponsored eCYBERMISSION Launches Third Competition

The U.S. Army announced the kickoff of the third annual eCYBERMISSION competition, a free Web-based science, math and technology competition for 6th through 9th grade students. This highly successful program was designed to increase students' interest in science, math and technology disciplines, and is now accepting student registrations at www.ecybermission.com. Participation in eCYBERMISSION last year culminated in the 2004 National Judging and Educational Event, where 16 first-place teams, four from each region and grade, participated in an array of educational activities, presented their projects to a panel of professional judges and were honored at a prestigious awards banquet hosted by the U.S Army.

"The success of the 2003-2004 eCYBERMISSION competition demonstrates that our Nation's children are interested in making a difference, contributing to their communities and exploring a variety of science, math and technology disciplines," said Kelly Stratchko, eCYBERMISSION Program Manager. The structure of eCYBERMISSION allows students to identify a community problem and then use science, math and technology to solve it. During the competition, teams conduct research and experiments to test their hypotheses, reach out to community leaders and communicate with online CyberGuides - Army personnel who are experts in science, math and technology. Teams must identify how their solution affects the community and what their plans are for implementation and next steps.

Registration for eCYBERMISSION began Sept. 1, 2004, and is open through Dec. 13, 2004. The competition is open to all students in grades 6 through 9 across the United States and to students enrolled in DOD Education Activity schools throughout the world. The deadline to submit completed projects is Feb. 21, 2005. For more information about eCYBERMISSION, go to www.ecybermission.com.

In addition, volunteers are needed to help spread the word about eCYBERMISSION and encourage students of diverse backgrounds and proficiency levels to participate. Over the past 2 years, eCYBERMISSION volunteers have included hundreds of Active and Reserve military personnel and DOD civilians with security clearances serving as CyberGuides and ambassadors. CyberGuides must be able to spend 4 hours per week interacting with students online to provide guidance and support. Ambassadors promote the competition to their local schools and community groups, contributing 15-20 hours per month between August and November.

For additional information, contact either the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Public Affairs Office at (410) 436-4345 or public.affairs@ apgea.army.mil or the eCYBERMISSION Mission Control at 1-866-GO-CYBER or missioncontrol@ ecybermission.com. To register as a volunteer, go to www.ecybermission.com.

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