New Orleans Students Win Regional Award for Science Project Inspired by Katrina; Student Team from St. Andrews Episcopal Will Advance to Finals in Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards Program, One of World's Largest K-12 Science Competitions.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Four 2nd grade students from St. Andrews Episcopal School in New Orleans are Regional Winners in the Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision Awards, one of world's largest science and technology competitions. The students will be honored at a special ceremony at their school on Thursday, March 30, 2006 at 10:30 AM (for credentials please contact Martha Pulido at 212-388-1400 ext. 19). They have used their firsthand experience of Hurricane Katrina to create a science project aimed at trying to help prevent future tragedies. The students, Natalie Batey, Caitlin Clarke, Christian Clarke, and Isabel Gibson, are among only 24 regional winning teams chosen from a total of 4,503 team entries in the 14th annual ExploraVision Awards program, representing the participation of 13,942 students from the United States and Canada. The students' winning project, titled "Cotton Cane: The Enemy of Hurricanes" proposes a "naturally sweet" way to prevent hurricanes.

Following Hurricane Katrina, the students from St. Andrews Episcopal School all had to evacuate their homes and move to New Roads, LA for a month. After they returned they surveyed their class and learned that 13 out of 35 students knew someone who died in the Hurricane, and many knew families who had to move out of the area permanently. Coached by their teacher, Liz Amoss, the students then went to work to envision a novel method of weakening or even stopping hurricanes before they start. They propose that sugar cane stalks, known as bagasse, could be injected into clouds at the earliest stage of hurricane development. It would absorb water in the clouds, breaking the water cycle, and prevent storm maturation.

ExploraVision, sponsored by Toshiba and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) asks students to imagine ideas for future technologies that could exist in 20 years. This year's regional winning teams envisioned a broad range of technological innovations with the goal to improve the quality of life in the future. Winning ideas ranged from contact lenses that change with your prescription to a solution for helping prevent toxic Mercury from entering the environment, plus new treatments for Glaucoma, paralysis and Tourette's Syndrome - even a robotic fruit picker!

At the regional level, a panel of 60 judges, including science educators, scientists and engineers evaluated the written entries and selected the regional winning teams. The projects were judged on innovative ideas that combine imagination with scientific principles.

For the next phase of the competition, the winning team, along with students from the other 23 regional winning teams, will create working web sites to convey their ideas. Eight finalist teams will be selected in May (four first- and four second-place winners). Students on each of the four first-place teams will each receive a $10,000 US Savings Bond (series EE Savings Bonds issued at $5,000). Students on second-place teams will receive a $5,000 US Savings Bond (series EE Savings Bonds issued at $2,500). First-and second-place Canadian winning teams will each receive Canada Savings Bonds of comparable issue price respectively (based on current exchange rate at time of purchase). All eight finalist teams, along with their coaches and families, will be invited to attend the ExploraVision Gala Awards Weekend in Washington, D.C. in June in addition to receiving their prizes.

For more information or an application for 2006, call 1-800-EXPLOR-9 or visit www.exploravision.org.

About Toshiba

The Tokyo-based Toshiba Corporation, now celebrating its 130th anniversary, is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products, spanning information and communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and materials, power systems, industrial and social infrastructure systems, and household appliances. Toshiba America, Inc., is the holding company for five Toshiba operating companies in the United States, including more than 10,000 employees in the U.S.

Toshiba's U.S.-based companies and some of their chief products are as follows: Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (Semiconductors, Flash Memory-Based Storage Solutions, LCD); Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (portable computers, projectors, DVD/CD recordable products and hard disk drives, telephony products); Toshiba America Business Solutions, Inc. (Copiers, Facsimiles, Printers); Toshiba International Corporation (Motors, Motor Controls, Power Electronics, Power Generation Equipment, Automation); Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. (MRI Systems, CT Scanners, Ultrasound, X-ray, Nuclear Medicine Equipment); Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C.(Flat Panel TVs, DVD Products, Portable Digital Audio Products); Toshiba America Foundation (Supports science and mathematics education across the United States) and Toshiba of Canada, Ltd. (Made up of four operating divisions).

About NSTA

The National Science Teachers Association is the largest professional organization in the world committed to promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership includes more than 55,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, business and industry representatives, scientists, and others involved in science education.