WASHINGTON –  Four sixth-graders from the Tates Creek Middle School in Lexington, Ky., received an “Innovation, Originality and Creativity” award in this year’s national eCYBERMISSION competition. With this award, each team member will receive a $2,000 U.S. EE savings bond and a certificate of recognition from the U.S. Army.

 

eCYBERMISSION is a U.S. Army-sponsored, web-based science, math and technology competition that allows students in grades six through nine to compete for regional and national awards while working to solve problems in their community. 

 

Team “Omega,” comprised of students Jaylen Beatty, Richard Ellis, Kyle Guffey and Mary Mullins was recognized by judges for their research and experiments on a possible link between obesity rates and the number of recreational parks and facilities available in a community. The team compared obesity rates in seven states to the number of recreational outlets available in each state. The team hopes their research will motivate their local government to build more parks and facilities and that local citizens will exercise more often.

 

The team was led by Team Advisor Anisha Beatty-Adams and assisted by Katherine White, both from Tates Creek Middle School.

 

“We congratulate the Omega team for their fantastic accomplishment in this year’s eCYBERMISSION competition,” said Mike Doyle, U.S. Army eCYBERMISSION program manager. “These students were selected from thousands of their peers and truly set an example for leadership in science, math and technology among our nation’s youth. The U.S. Army hopes to continue to motivate and inspire students’ interests in these areas.” 

 

Now in its fifth year, eCYBERMISSION has awarded more than $3.5 million in prize money in support of the science, math and technology leaders of tomorrow. Since its inception, more than 35,000 students from across the country and in U.S. territories and Department of Defense Education Activity schools worldwide have participated in the competition.

 

This year, 1,847 teams, comprised of 6,652 students, submitted their research for judging – a 65 percent increase over last year’s submissions.

 

Registration for next year’s competition opens Sept. 1. For a complete listing of the 2006-2007 winners or for more information, visit www.ecybermission.com.