September 21: What is ExploraVision and How Can I Use It?

Presenters, including ExploraVision Ambassadors who are past winning teachers, will give an overview of the ExploraVision competition and some tips and guidelines for a successful beginning. The presenters will provide information about the basic elements of the ExploraVision competition and what teachers can expect. ExploraVision Ambassadors will share their personal experiences with entering teams in the competition while addressing the general guidelines for application and preparation.

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October 18: Why Didn't I Win in ExploraVision?

Presenters, including ExploraVision Ambassadors who are past winning teachers, will give an overview of the ExploraVision competition and focus specific attention on the elements required to have a successful team outcome. The presenters will provide information about the basic elements of the ExploraVision competition and what teachers can expect. Ambassadors will share their experiences with team advisors, project components and how to create high-quality projects. Presenters will also talk about the elements that are particularly important to the judges and where participants want to place the bulk of their time and resources.

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November 17: ExploraVision Online Resources

Presenters, including ExploraVision Ambassadors who are past winning teachers, will give an overview of the ExploraVision competition and instructions on how to use the website to register teams. The presenters will provide information on the basic components of ExploraVision program with an emphasis on using the ExploraVision website to access information about past competitions, register teams for the upcoming competition and how to access resources for the classroom.

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January 18: How to Avoid Disqualification in ExploraVision

Presenters, including ExploraVision Ambassadors who are past winning teachers, will give an overview of the ExploraVision competition and specific tips on how to avoid disqualification. The presenter will provide information on the basic components of the ExploraVision program with an emphasis on the most common items that cause disqualification. Ambassadors will share their experiences as mentors in the program, to give participants the "insider's view" of the competition.

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Congratulations to the ExploraVision Ambassadors!
Ambassadors are listed in alphabetical order.

2011 Ambassadors

Kathryn Baham Fairmont Private School, Anaheim, CA

Kathryn (left) with her 2010 winning team

"ExploraVision does take a little extra time and work but can be used to your advantage. You can incorporate the National Science Education Standards into your class. You can motivate your students. You can teach your students to organize. And they can learn to communicate. I've watched as my students have learned how to problem-solve and work as a team. When my teams start the project, they are overwhelmed. But they take off when they gain confidence and realize that they can do this."

Jonathan Gastel Stuyvesant High School, New York, NY

Jonathan (right) with his 2010 winning team

"I first got involved in ExploraVision last year, but the school has been involved since the inception of the contest. The kids who participate in the contest in my school are assigned the project and are required to do the work after school. You have to have some system to review your class projects towards the end."

Stacey Lamb Willow Grove Elementary, San Diego, CA

Stacey (left) with her 2010 winning team

"I've been a second grade teacher for eight years. I discovered ExploraVision and have been doing it ever since. There are different ways to approach the program, so whatever works for your classroom, it is possible. It's a little more difficult at the youngest grade levels to assign roles, but at the upper grade levels, it is very easy to assign different roles in the project. As a classroom teacher, you are going to be sponsoring your students, getting them moving, facilitating the operation of the project and just making sure they are on task, talking and working together."

Louise McMinn Scofield Magnet Middle School, Stamford, CT

Louise (middle) with her 2010 winning team

"A great thing about the competition is that by having the different grade categories, it makes it competitive at all levels. A key point of the contest is that the kids need to be able to get along. I've had students evaluate complex landmines to things as simple as medicine cabinets. Sometimes I've started as an afterschool club or presented the competition as extra credit, but it just depends on the logistics of your school."

2010 Ambassadors

Michael Lampert West Salem High School, Salem, OR

Michael (right) with his 2009 winning team

"ExploraVision is worth it. I've been coaching almost since the inception. I've coached kindergarteners, middle and high school students. We work as a cooperative group and the ideas just fly back and forth. I can't stress enough the beauty of the cooperative learning groups in ExploraVision. Kids have fun doing this project. I have kids coming up to me all of the time asking to do this."

Karen McClennen Merion Mercy Academy, Merion Station, PA

Karen (second left) with her 2009 winning team

"In a given year, I usually have up to six teams in the 7 – 9 grade category and up to six teams in the 10 – 12 grade category. Submitting online is a great option!"

Tony Rose Northside Elementary, Palmyra, PA

Tony (back center) with his 2009 winning team

"A bonus to the idea of ExploraVision is that it is free to enter but the rewards are enormous, not just for teachers but for mentors and students. This competition allows for students at different ability levels to thrive. There is a certain type of student you're looking for that will persevere through the process of this competition. Science is not just something done on an individual basis, but it's through the collaboration within groups where the best breakthroughs can occur."

Phyllis Serfaty North Shore Hebrew Academy High School, Great Neck, NY

Phyllis with her 2009 winning team

"I've been doing ExploraVision for eight of the last 11 years, and I've sponsored 30 – 35 teams. I find that when students are really interested in something, regardless of their education level, they will explore it. It is that desire to find out that answer, to look for solutions, that spurs their interest and keeps them motivated."

David Stone University Laboratory High School, Urbana, IL

David (left) with his 2009 winning team

"I teach freshman biology and I sometimes coach students I don't have in class. I've been coaching ExploraVision since 1997 and I meet with my teams for about an hour a week. ExploraVision is a great opportunity for me to play with ideas and be creative with my kids. It's a great opportunity as a teacher to work with students on an informal basis."

2009 Ambassadors

Nancy Carter Mediapolis Community Schools, Mediapolis, IA

Nancy (second from right)

"I have been coordinating the program for gifted and talented students at Mediapolis Community Schools in Mediapolis, Iowa since 1993. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education in biology and chemistry and am endorsed to teach gifted and talented students in grades K – 12. My students have participated in ExploraVision for a number of years and the experience has been quite rewarding."

Diana Celle Holmes Elementary School, San Diego, CA

Diana (left) with her 2005 team

"I teach third grade at Holmes Elementary School in San Diego, California. ExploraVision has challenged many of my students over the years. I was fortunate to coach four national winning teams. All of my young ExploraVision participants enjoyed the fun learning process as they came up with their futuristic inventions. I've seen many changes in the contest over the years, but one thing remains the same: ExploraVision challenges students to be scientific and innovative team players."

Mary Harris John Burroughs School, St. Louis, MO

Mary (right) with her 2007 winning team

"I teach physical science at the middle-school level and chemistry to high school students at John Burroughs School in St. Louis, Missouri. I am also a Polymer Ambassador, so I write and present activities/laboratories for any grade level to help teachers incorporate polymers into their existing curriculums. I won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in 2002 and I have published various journal articles — the most recent is in the Journal of Chemical Education, October 2008, entitled 'Polymers in the Field and Track.' I have had students compete in ExploraVision since 1997. I coach one or two teams each year, from the eighth or ninth grades, and our school has won seven national awards. I really enjoy coaching small groups of students, as we all learn interesting science topics together!"

Deborah Kennedy Wando High School, Mt. Pleasant, SC

Deborah (left) with her 2007 ExploraVision winning team

"I teach mathematics and pre-engineering at Wando High School, a public high school in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. I began teaching 10 years ago after working as a structural engineer for several years. I am a national board-certified teacher in mathematics, a Project Lead the Way master teacher in Civil Engineering and Architecture and a registered professional engineer. Last year I was awarded the Barbara H. James Award for Outstanding Career and Technology Educator in South Carolina. Two years ago, while searching the Internet for a group project idea for my design class, I discovered the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards competition, a multi-disciplinary, research-based, open-ended problem-solving opportunity. Of the four groups I coached, three submitted entries. Two of the groups were awarded honorable mentions in our region. The third group eventually became the Grades 10 – 12 Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision national winners in 2007."

Serena McCalla Jericho High School, Jericho, NY

Serena with her 2009 ExploraVision winning team

"By trade, I've been a biology teacher for 10+ years and I understand how difficult it is to add things to a busy curriculum but this competition is pretty simple and is very easy to incorporate it into the framework of your studies. I never participated in ExploraVision before winning, so being a newbie in ExploraVision and submitting 27 entries was exciting."

Diane Pollitt Heatherstone Elementary School, Olathe, KS

Diane (left) with her 2006 winning team

"I've been teaching elementary school gifted and talented students for almost two decades, and currently teach in Olathe, Kansas. I've been involved with ExploraVision for 16 of the program's 17 years. Over the years I have coached regional winning teams in second, third, fifth and sixth grade. One fifth grade team won the ExploraVision national award in 2006 and numerous teams have earned honorable mention recognitions. I feel that through the use of a variety of hands-on, project-based learning experiences and a process of questioning, exploration and discovery, students acquire learning skills they'll use their entire lives."