Students Explore Light, Sleep and Wellness as Second Annual Bright Schools Competition Kicks Off

Registration Now Open for 2016-2017 Program; Up to $5,000 Awarded to Middle School Students for Innovative STEM Project Ideas

ARLINGTON, Va.--()--Registration is now open for the Bright Schools Competition™. Through the competition, which is sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and administered by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), students in grades 6-8 located in the U.S. and Canada will explore the correlation between light and sleep and how it influences student health and performance. Students have a chance to win up to $5,000. Project submissions will be accepted until February 6, 2017 at http://brightschoolscompetition.org/.

“The Bright Schools Competition is a great way to teach students how light exposure influences sleep and impacts health and performance,” said David Cloud, chief executive officer at the National Sleep Foundation. “We are excited for the Competition’s second year.”

“The Bright Schools Competition provides a unique experience that not only allows students to explore science, but lets them participate in the scientific process as it unfolds from idea to fruition while fostering lasting community engagement and learning,” said NSTA Executive Director Dr. David Evans.

Through the competition, teams of two to four students and an adult coach/teacher are asked to identify and investigate an issue within the realm of light and sleep as it pertains to their community and/or young adolescents. After teams choose a topic, they must select one of three exploration options:

  • Developing a prototype;
  • Creating an awareness campaign; or
  • Writing a research proposal.

Teams then create and submit an original project using scientific inquiry or engineering design concepts. The project itself consists of two parts: a three-page written document, detailing the rationale, project description, next steps, and a bibliography; and a three-minute video that articulates the problem, summarizes the written project elements, and includes visuals of the exploration route associated with the project.

The competition website, BrightSchoolsCompetition.org, helps teams get started with a robust resource section that includes information about the correlation between light and sleep, lesson plans and much more. The downloadable lesson plans, developed by NSF and NSTA with guidance from a panel of leading experts, provide the scientific content needed to help students understand and successfully participate in the competition. These concepts include the introduction of how the presence and/or absence of light controls circadian rhythms and how to quantitatively define the amount of light received throughout the day.

“The Bright Schools Competition by far has been the most favorable experience for me as an educator and for my students. I have learned so much,” said an eighth grade science teacher who participated in the competition last year.

Every student whose team submits a completed project will receive a certificate of participation. Student members of the first-place national winning team each receive a cash prize of $5,000. Second-place national winning student members will each receive a cash prize of $2,500 and student members of the third-place winning team will each receive a cash prize of $1,500. The coach/teacher of the first-place national winning team will also receive a prize package, which includes Vernier Middle School Probeware, an all-expense paid trip to an NSTA conference, and an annual membership to NSTA. The coach/teacher of the second-place national winning team will receive an all-expense paid trip to an NSTA conference and annual membership to NSTA and the third place national winning team coach/teacher will receive annual membership to NSTA and a $500 gift certificate to use in the NSTA Science Store.

Registration for the 2016-2017 competition will remain open through the entire submission period. Teams must be registered on BrightSchoolsCompetiton.org in order to participate. Final projects are due February 6, 2017. To participate, students must be U.S. or Canadian citizens or legal residents, living within the United States, U.S. Territories or Canada. Students must be officially enrolled in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade in a public, private or home school.

More information about the competition is available at http://brightschoolscompetition.org/ or by contacting program staff at brightschoolscompetition@nsta.org. Follow the Bright Schools Competition on Twitter at @Bright_Schools or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BrightSchoolsCompetition/.

About the National Sleep Foundation

The National Sleep Foundation is dedicated to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy. Founded in 1990 by the leaders in sleep medicine, NSF is the trusted resource for sleep science, healthy sleep habits, and sleep disorders to medical professionals, patients and the public. For more information visit sleepfoundation.org or sleep.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About NSTA

The Arlington, VA-based National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) is the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. NSTA's current membership includes approximately 55,000 science teachers, science supervisors, administrators, scientists, business and industry representatives, and others involved in science education.

Contacts

NSF
Tom Clifford, 703-243-9156
tclifford@sleepfoundation.org
or
NSTA
Kate Falk, 703-312-9211
kfalk@nsta.org

Release Summary

Registration is now open for the 2016-2017 Bright Schools Competition.

Contacts

NSF
Tom Clifford, 703-243-9156
tclifford@sleepfoundation.org
or
NSTA
Kate Falk, 703-312-9211
kfalk@nsta.org