FALLSTON, Md. -- Four Fallston Middle School students are among America’s brightest aspiring scientists.
Eighth-graders Richaun Dickens, Kristina McComas, Hannah Sample and Emily Smith earned first place in Maryland in the U.S. Army’s eCYBERMISSION competition. The program promotes science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, education among middle-school students.
Science teacher Donna Motsay, the team’s adviser, introduced eCYBERMISSION to her students after an Army presentation at a Harford County science teachers meeting.
“The students learned how science applies to real life. It’s not just isolated in the classroom,” Motsay said. “They were able to take our science foundations and carry them over into real-problems solving where they could make a difference.
“Any exposure they have to science and its real applications make it more real for them; therefore, they can see the follow-through. They see the full picture more clearly now.”
Gary Martin, U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command executive deputy to the commanding general, presented a plaque and $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond to each student June 17 during the school’s eighth-grade awards assembly.
“Six years ago, the Army recognized that the government really needed to help the nation in building a bench of scientists and engineers,” Martin said, referencing the brief history of eCYBERMISSION. “The students put a lot of hard work into it, they have a great mentor in their teacher, and I’m sure they have support from their parents.”
Martin said 13,000 students and 3,200 teams from across the country participated this year. The Fallston team placed in the top 4 percent nationally.
McComas credited her teachers with building her passion for science.
“I love science,” McComas said, adding that she looks forward to studying physics and chemistry in high school and college. “We learned about working together and figuring out problems with the environment. We used glow-in-the-dark paint because people have problems seeing in the rain.”
Judges recognized the Fallston team for its research and experimentation to improve road safety. The team distributed surveys and experimented with several types of paint to reduce the number of accidents caused by drivers not being able to see road markings in the rain. The team determined that a glow-in-the-dark paint could allow drivers to see more clearly.
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