The Christopher Columbus Award is a national, community-based science and technology program for middle school students. The program challenges the students to work in teams of three to four, with an adult coach, to identify a problem in their community and apply the scientific method to create an innovative solution to that problem.

Awards: Eight finalist teams and their coaches will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Walt Disney World® to attend National Championship Week and compete for valuable U.S. Savings Bonds and the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant, plus a $200 development grant to further refine their idea. These eight teams will also participate in the Christopher Columbus Academy, an interactive behind-the-scenes look at the science and technology at Walt Disney World®.

Entry deadline:  Feb. 12, 2007.
Website:
www.christophercolumbusawards.com

If you are interested in providing your students with meaningful technology integration, consider involving them in the ThinkQuest competition. Students, ages 9-19, form a team and recruit a teacher to act as coach. The students then work together to create an innovative website on any topic within a broad range of educational categories. Coach resources are provided to assist with the website design process.  Entry deadline is April 16, 2007.

Website: www.thinkquest.org/

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