CHICAGO, IL- The Honorable Dave McCurdy, president of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) presented a check for $1 million to the National Science Technology & Education Partnership (NSTEP) at NSTEP's annual awards luncheon today at SUPERCOMM 2005. The luncheon, entitled "Celebrating Tomorrow's Technology Leaders," was held to honor this year's winners in NSTEP'S cutting-edge education program, TechXploreŽ. Corporate sponsors include Corning, Inc., Motorola, Inc., POPULAR SCIENCE magazine and pulver.com.

TechXploreŽ is an innovative online mentoring program and competition that helps young people build the science and technology skills needed for workplace success. TechXloreŽ pairs teams of students with technology industry professionals who serve as mentors to help young people solve real-world science and technology problems and explore careers.

"By reaching out to our schools, our industry leaders and to our communities through programs such as TechXploreŽ, NSTEP is laying the groundwork for the continued success of the U.S. high-tech industry," EIA President Dave McCurdy said in presenting the Alliance's check for $1million to NSTEP.

Calling on high-tech industry leaders to advance NSTEP's agenda, McCurdy added that "by supporting NSTEP, you can help more students receive a better education in math, science and technology, and help create the next generation of American innovators."

Barbara L. Wortmann, NSTEP president said, " NSTEP is pleased to partner with EIA and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and to offer our TechXploreŽ students exposure to the industry's leaders who are here in Chicago for SUPERCOMM. We are grateful for EIA's gift of $1 million and encourage other high-tech companies to support NSTEP. Our mission is to prepare young people for success as adults and to expand the pipeline of U.S. science and technology talent. With the industry's help, NSTEP is making a difference and developing tomorrow's technology leaders."

Jeff Pulver, chairman and founder of pulver.com and co-founder of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider Vonage gave the keynote address at the awards luncheon. Dr. Leon M. Lederman, NSTEP board member and 1988 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics, who also serves as Director Emeritus of Fermilab and Resident Scholar Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) and Pritzker Professor of Physics was Master of Ceremonies.

Exemplary student winners received awards at SUPERCOMM in the top five TechXploreŽ categories:

• Best Electrotechnology Project - presented by NSTEP and IEEE-USA
• Best Approach to Technology Exploration
• Best Application of Scientific Process
• Best Solution to a Real-World Problem
• Best New Application of Technology

This year an all-female team from Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, NJ won in two categories, Best Electrotechnology Project and Best Approach to Technology Exploration. In their project, Health-e2, these students developed a faster and more efficient firefighting monitoring system (fms).

AWARD WINNERS AT SUPERCOMM:

Best Electrotechnology Project - presented by NSTEP and IEEE-USA and awarded to one middle school and one high school team

Project Name: "Health-e2"
School: Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ
Mentor: Donald Newsom, Argonne National Laboratory
Teacher/Facilitator: Evelyn Rios
URL: http://www.bergen.org/techxplore/Health

A faster and more efficient firefighting monitoring system (fms). Operating from inside the fire truck, the fms provides a way to find the locations of the fire victims, assess the heat of the fire, evaluate the risk of structural collapse, and, most importantly, communicate this information to the firefighters while they are inside the fire.

Project Name: "Bar Codes of the Future"
School: North Plainfield Middle School, North Plainfield, NJ
Mentor: Bruce Musolf, ADC Communications
Facilitator: Deanne D'Armiento
URL: http://www.nplainfield.org/npms/barcodesofthefuture/techxplore.html

Using a special scanner and "The Chip," based on the champion chip used in running marathons, the team designed a system that improves checkout lines at shopping centers such as Wal-Mart or Home Depot.

Best Approach to Technology Exploration

Project Name: "Health-e2" (also judged as Best Electrotechnology Project)
School: Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, NJ
Mentor: Donald Newsom, Argonne National Laboratory
Teacher/Facilitator: Evelyn Rios
URL: http://www.bergen.org/techxplore/Health

A faster and more efficient firefighting monitoring system. Operating from inside the fire truck, the FMS provides a way to find the locations of the fire victims, assess the heat of the fire, evaluate the risk of structural collapse, and, most importantly, communicate this information to the firefighters while they are inside the fire.

Best Approach to Technology Exploration

Project Name: "MicroVision"
School: North Plainfield Middle School, North Plainfield, NJ
Mentor: Steve Gelman, Sharp Electronics Corporation
Facilitator: Deanne D'Armiento
URL: http://www.nplainfield.org/npms/microvision/science.html

A cutting edge microwave that includes an LCD TV display.

Best Application of Scientific Process

Project Name: "Voice Command Wheelchair"
School: Blanche Ely High School, Pompano Beach, Florida
Facilitator: Mark Eyerman
URL: http:www.freewebs.com/iass

Research to develop a voice command electric wheelchair.

Best Solution to a Real-World Problem

Project Name: "Virtual Field Trip"
School: Palm Beach Community College, Palm Beach, FL
Mentor: Graham Howard, Eximius Consulting, Inc.
Facilitator: Michael Lively
URL: http://www.pbcc.edu/dacum/virtualfieldtrip

The team used Flash Server Technology to develop a new game that enables a mentor to take a group of students into a virtual environment where team problems are solved.

Best New Application of Technology

Project Name: "The Optical Edge"
School: Governor Livingston High School, Berkeley Heights, NJ
Mentor: John E. Riley, Radiation Safety Consultant, Just-In-Time Industrial Hygiene
Facilitator: Jennifer Martino
URL: http://www.bhs.k12.nj.us/TechXplore

Proposing the next step in high speed data transfer.

For a list of all TechXploreŽ winners, including Merit Award for High Achievement, please visit www.TechXplore.org

About NSTEP: The National Science & Technology Education Partnership (NSTEP) is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that works closely with the telecommunications and technology industries to focus on excellence in math, science and technology education and expand the pipeline of U.S. science and technology talent. Its partners include the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA), Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), IEEE-USA, NanoBusiness Alliance, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), and others. NSTEP is dedicated to helping middle and high school students build science and technology skills to prepare them for success as adults. Its signature program, TechXploreŽ is an innovative, online mentoring program and competition focused on helping young people explore careers and solve real-world science and technology issues. In the past three years, 3,000 students across the country have participated in TechXploreŽ. TechXplore is a registered trademark of the National Science & Technology Education Partnership.

About EIA: The Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) is the leading advocate in Washington, D.C., for the U.S. high-tech industry. The Alliance, which traces its origins to the Radio Manufacturers Association (chartered in 1924), is a partnership of electronic and high-tech associations and companies whose mission is to promote the market development and competitiveness of the $400 billion U.S. high-tech and electronics industries through domestic and international policy efforts. EIA's corporate members - nearly 1,300 - provide products and services ranging from microscopic electronic components to state-of-the-art defense, space and industry high-tech systems, as well as the full range of telecommunications and consumer electronics products. Headquartered in Arlington, Va., the Alliance is made up of the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA); the Government Electronics & Information Technology Association (GEIA); JEDEC; the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA); and leading consumer electronics companies who participate in EIA's Environmental Issues Council. EIA is also heavily involved in cyber security issues through the Internet Security Alliance (ISAlliance), and education issues, through the National Science & Technology Education Partnership (NSTEP).

Contact: Lynn Borkon of NSTEP, 703.725.8182 (cell) or 703.907.4441, LBorkon@NSTEP-online.org;
Neil Gaffney of EIA, 703.907.7792, ngaffney@eia.org