Eight Student Teams Named National Winners of 33

Business Wire

05-05-2025

MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toshiba and NSTA today announce eight national winners of the 33 rd annual Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition, the world's largest K-12 science competition. This year's winners have shared innovative proposals to help overcome some of the greatest challenges facing the world today, from healthcare challenges to transportation efforts to protecting the environment.
'For the last 150 years, and for the next 150 years, our goal is to enable a more sustainable, resilient future." Tomoaki Kumagai, Chairman & CEO, Toshiba America, Inc.
The Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition is designed to inspire students to develop the skills emphasized in the Next Generation Science Standards, including problem-solving, critical-thinking and collaboration skills. To participate, students must imagine and produce a system or a technology with the potential to solve the problems of the future. Regional finalist ideas were judged by a multidisciplinary panel of scientists across various sectors of government (e.g., NIH, NASA, NSF), academic researchers, biotechnology scientists and physician researchers.
'At Toshiba, we're proud to inspire the world's future STEM leaders,' said Tomoaki Kumagai, Chairman & CEO, Toshiba America, Inc. 'For the last 150 years, and for the next 150 years, our goal is to enable a more sustainable, resilient future. Key to that is nurturing the development of today's students. Through our ongoing partnership with NSTA, we're thrilled to be able to further encourage the STEM engineers of tomorrow as part of our commitment to the future and to the people who will shape that future.'
Some of the winning solutions included:
Environmental Technology Innovations: Several of the winning projects focused on protecting the environment to encourage pollination (Electro-Buzz) to fighting wildfires (Drone Ranger).
Medical Technology Advancements: From glasses that translate sign language (Eye Understand) to seizor prevention and detection (Seizor) to heart-attack prevention (Nano Artertract Plaque Seeker), winning projects across grades sought to address today's most pressing health challenges.
Transportation Inventions: Students aimed to create safer roads by inventing concepts for improved road surfaces (Biomimetic Surfaces) that prevent crashes.
'I'm always impressed with how attuned young minds are to the needs of our society,' said NSTA President Alicia Conerly, Ed.D. 'Their projects demonstrate the remarkable understanding of the of the challenges of tomorrow and I was inspired to see such creative solutions. Our future is in good hands with these future scientists and innovators at the helm.'
ExploraVision Prizes
The eight national winning teams are comprised of a first-place winner and second-place winner from four groups based on grade level. Members of first place nationally winning teams each receive a $10,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond (at maturity). Members of second place nationally winning teams will each receive a $5,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond (at maturity).
The national winners of ExploraVision 2025 are invited to participate in an award ceremony on Friday, June 13 in Washington, D.C. During this event, students will have the opportunity to present their winning ideas to Bill Nye 'the Science Guy,' a renowned scientist, engineer, author, and inventor, who is a strong advocate of STEM education and the ExploraVision program. The event will conclude with an awards ceremony where the winning teams will be formally recognized for their creativity and accomplishments.
For 33 consecutive years, sponsored by Toshiba and administered by NSTA, ExploraVision has helped children to expand their imagination and have fun while developing an interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education at an early age.
For more information or to access an application for the 2025-26 program, visit www.exploravision.org or email [e-mail]. For updates on the ExploraVision program, follow on X at https://x.com/ToshibaAmerica or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ToshibaAmerica.
Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision 2025 National Winners
2025 First-Place Winners
Grade K-3: Eye Understand: Glasses for People who use Sign Language
A.D. Henderson University School
Boca Raton, FL
Project Storyboard here
Grade 4-6: ElectroBuzz: Redefining Pollination for a Resilient and Sustainable Future
Willow Springs Elementary School
Fairfax, VA
Project Website here
Grades 7-9: Drone Ranger for Fighting Wildfires
Twin Grove Middle School
Buffalo Grove, IL
Project Website here
Grades 10-12: Seizor
Victoria Park Collegiate Institute
North York, Ontario
Project Website here
2025 Second-Place Winners
Grades K-3: BlazeBlock: The Hep Revolution That Stopes Fires Cold
Don Campbell Elementary School
Red Deer, Alberta
Project Poster here
Grades 4-6: Lost Then Found
Heritage School
Salem, OR
Project Website here
Grades 7-9
Biomimetic Surfaces
STEM School Highlands Ranch, Highlands Ranch, CO
Project Website here
Grades 10-12
Nano Artertract Plaque Seeker (NAPS)
Downtown Magnets High School
Los Angeles, CA
Project Website here
About Toshiba
As Toshiba Group celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2025, it is enhancing its management structure, streamlining operations, and investing in forward-looking businesses to build foundations for new growth. This will allow it to continue to support advances toward a sustainable future with products and services developed by its wide range of businesses in the energy, infrastructure, and electronic devices domains. Guided by its corporate philosophy, 'Committed to People, Committed to the Future.,' Toshiba brings industry-leading capabilities in green transformation (GX) and digital transformation (DX) to solutions for companies addressing the many challenges faced by modern society. By leveraging the power of data derived from its constantly evolving products and solutions, the Group is determined to help to achieve carbon neutrality and a circular economy. In fiscal year 2023, Toshiba Group generated annual sales of 3.3 trillion yen, and had 105,000 employees around the world. For more information, visit https://www.global.toshiba/ww/top.html or follow Toshiba Corporation on LinkedIn.
About Toshiba America, Inc. Founded in 1965, Toshiba America, Inc. (TAI) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Toshiba Corporation and the holding company of three Toshiba operating companies that offer a broad range of products and solutions for the commercial, energy and industrial sectors. The three companies, which along with TAI are known collectively as Toshiba America Group, are Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (Semiconductor & data storage solutions), Toshiba America Energy Systems, Corp. (Power generation solutions), Toshiba International Corporation (Industrial, power electronics & transmission & distribution solutions), and a Toshiba America Company, Toshiba America Business Solutions (Multifunction printers, label and receipt printers, digital signage, managed print services, and cloud solutions).
About NSTA
The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) is a vibrant community of 35,000 science educators and professionals committed to best practices in teaching science and its impact on student learning. NSTA offers high quality science resources and continuous learning so that science educators grow professionally and excel in their career. For new and experienced teachers alike, the NSTA community offers the opportunity to network with like-minded peers at the national level, connect with mentors and leading researchers, and learn from the best in the field. For more information, visit www.nsta.org, or follow NSTA on X, formerly known as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.