Wednesday, May 07, 2025
Toshiba and the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) have announced the eight national winners of the 33rd annual Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition—the world’s largest K–12 science competition. This year’s winners submitted innovative proposals addressing some of the most pressing global challenges, including healthcare, transportation, and environmental sustainability.
Among the 2025 first-place winners was A.D. Henderson School’s K–3 division team that developed Eye Understand: Glasses for People Who Use Sign Language. The team consisting of Jael Zeeb, Erandi Horn-Gomez, Rebecca Brandt, and Mia Rodriguez worked under the guidance of Mrs. Jenny O’Sullivan. Their proposed technology is a pair of smart glasses designed to bridge communication between deaf and hearing individuals. Using a built-in camera and app, the glasses detect and translate sign language into spoken words, enhancing accessibility and understanding.
To learn more about the project, visit the team’s storyboard.
The ExploraVision competition encourages students to develop skills outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards, such as critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving. Participants are tasked with imagining future technologies that could help solve real-world problems. Finalist entries were evaluated by a multidisciplinary panel including scientists from government agencies, academia, biotechnology, and medicine.
“At Toshiba, we’re proud to inspire the world’s future STEM leaders,” said Tomoaki Kumagai, Chairman & CEO of Toshiba America, Inc. “For the last 150 years—and for the next 150—our mission has been to build a more sustainable, resilient future. Supporting today’s students is essential to that mission.”
Each member of a first-place national team receives each a $10,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bond. Winning teams will also travel to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony on June 13. There, students will present their projects to Bill Nye “the Science Guy”, the scientist, engineer, and STEM advocate who has been a longtime supporter of the ExploraVision program.
For more than three decades, ExploraVision, sponsored by Toshiba and administered by NSTA, has helped students expand their creativity while fostering a lasting interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).