Teams Will Compete to Win Up to $9,000 in U.S. Savings Bonds at the Competitions’ National Judging & Educational Event

Arlington, Va. – The U.S. Army announced that the Raptor One team from Roosevelt Middle School has been selected as one of 20 national finalists in the 14th annual eCYBERMISSION competition. Students on the team are Roosevelt students Colin Koot, Luke Onderick, Miah Phalen and Payton Weber. The web-based science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) program—sponsored by the U.S. Army and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)—is designed to cultivate student interest in STEM by encouraging students in grades six through nine to develop solutions to real-world problems in their local communities.

The national finalist teams will advance to eCYBERMISSION’s National Judging and Educational Event (NJ&EE), taking place in Washington, D.C. metropolitan area June 20-24.

Raptor One was selected from a competitive group of 60 regional finalists by a panel of judges consisting of U.S. Army STEM professionals. Each team presented a live, four-minute presentation on their project and then participated in an in-depth Q & A. The regional judges looked at how well teams effectively identified problems in their community using STEM to propose a solution.

“The U.S. Army is pleased with the amazing pool of talent displayed nationally from the national finalists in this year’s eCYBERMISSION competition,” said Louie R. Lopez, AEOP Cooperative Agreement Manager. “Congratulations to all of the visionary and hardworking national finalist teams. I look forward to meeting each team at the National Judging and Educational Event.”

“These outstanding students recognized challenges that exist in their local communities and explored ways to solve them,” said Dr. David Evans, NSTA Executive Director. “We applaud the teams on their innovative projects. Their work is impressive.”

Raptor One’s project focused on solutions for mitigating reed canary grass, an invasive species of grass that is a threat to natural wetlands. As a national finalist team, each team member will receive an additional $2,000 in U.S. Series EE Savings Bonds and an all-expenses paid trip to NJ&EE to compete for the first-place national award in their grade.

The NJ&EE is a week-long event providing educational opportunities and team-building exercises for the students. This year’s event features a live-streamed national showcase and awards luncheon, tour of Washington, D.C., and a STEM Challenge featuring demonstrations and hands-on activities.
Three other Roosevelt teams were recognized at the state level for their projects. Sixth-grade teams Raptor 2 and Raptor 4 placed second and received an honorable mention, respectively. Seventh-grade team Charlamberly placed first at state.

About AEOP

The Army Educational Outreach Program is comprised of Army-sponsored research, education, competitions, internships and practical experiences designed to engage and guide students as well as teachers in STEM. Led by Battelle, the AEOP consortium is made up of nine organizations, including NSTA, representing all individual programs and consortium-wide efforts. The idea of the consortium is to exceed the individual work of existing programs by joining forces. The Army is committed to increasing the STEM talent pool in order to ensure our national security and global competitiveness.

About NSTA

The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA’s current membership includes approximately 55,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.