Students Try to Sustain Family Farming Using Wind Energy to Reduce Fuel Costs

AUBURN, NY—April 27, 2007—Bright ideas, solid research and teamwork won three students from Whiteface Elementary School in Whiteface, TX, a spot as finalists in the Christopher Columbus Awards, a nationwide program that challenges middle-school students to explore opportunities for positive change in their communities. Seventh-graders Jacob Friesen, Kassidy Gandy and Jake Johnson, and their coach, Laura Wilbanks, made it to the semifinals earlier this month, and now are one of eight finalist teams in the country to compete for the grand prize—the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant.

Concerned about the plight of local cotton farmers struggling to keep pace with rising fuel prices, this group of students decided to get involved in a solution that would potentially benefit the entire community. They interviewed farmers, agriculture officials and other experts, and conducted Internet research about alternative fuel sources.

Working with researchers at Texas A&M University in Canyon, TX, they tested various wind patterns and speeds at ground level and higher elevations and concluded that wind turbines would be an ideal energy source in the Cochran County, TX region because of the wind's patterns and its virtually endless supply. The team estimates that just one turbine could supply enough energy to power several hundred homes and farms.

A panel of community leaders, scientists and experts in science education judged this idea as one of the top eight entries in the U.S. Over 1,200 students and coaches participated nationwide.

The team and their coach win an all-expense-paid trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort, where they will compete in the Christopher Columbus Awards National Championship Week, June 17-22, 2007, plus a $200 grant to further develop their project.

Each member of two Gold Medal winning teams will receive a $2,000 U.S. Savings Bond, and one team will receive the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant as seed money to help bring its idea to life in the community. The Grant winning team will receive support from the Christopher Columbus Awards staff and continued guidance from their coach and community leaders.

The finalists will also attend the Christopher Columbus Academy, a custom-designed educational program. Conducted by scientists, engineers and educators, the program reveals the science and technology behind the thrills and excitement of Epcot® and the Magic Kingdom.®

The Christopher Columbus Awards challenge teams of middle-school students to explore and discover opportunities for positive change in their communities using science and technology. The program is now in its 11th year, and has attracted more than 15,000 students from diverse backgrounds all across the U.S. The program is sponsored by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation (www.columbusfdn.org) with support from the National Science Foundation, and is endorsed by the National Middle School Association. Past winners have included: a group of Native American girls who built a study hall out of straw bales on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, and a team from Pennsylvania who developed a video/motion sensor device to deter motorists from trying to illegally pass stopped school buses.

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation is an independent Federal government agency created by Congress in 1992 to encourage and support research, study and labor designed to produce new discoveries in all fields of endeavor for the benefit of mankind. The Foundation has established Frontiers of Discovery—Work in Progress and Discover the Future, programs that recognize "cutting edge" innovations, innovative ideas of America's youth, and honor teachers. These programs include the Homeland Security Award, Christopher Columbus Awards, National Gallery for America's Young Inventors and the $10,000 Freida J. Riley Teacher Award.

For more information on the Christopher Columbus Awards, call 1-800-291-6020 or visit www.christophercolumbusawards.com.