Sally Ride Science Invites Imaginative Kids to Enter Fifth Annual TOYchallenge Engineering Design Competition

(San Diego, CA) - Toys are a great way to learn about science, engineering and the design process. Sally Ride Science™ is giving girls and boys in grades five through eight the chance to step out of their classrooms and experience engineering as a fun, creative, collaborative process, relevant to everyday life by creating their dream toy or game for the fifth annual TOYchallenge™.

The mission of this fun-fueled toy- and game-design competition is to motivate kids, especially girls, to get involved in engineering design and recognize that there's engineering in everything.

“We designed TOYchallenge to engage youth in a fun, cool and relevant experience that will change their perceptions of math, science and technology,” said Sally Ride, founder of Sally Ride Science. “It is a great tool for keeping middle school-age kids, especially girls, in the ‘technical pipeline,’ thus helping to create a diverse new generation of scientists and scientifically literate citizens.”

Creative kids can easily join in the fun. The competition is open to fifth through eighth graders in the U.S., its territories, or possessions, and Canada during the Fall 2006/Spring 2007 school year. Team size can range from three to six members, half of which must be girls. To get started, teams must: find an adult coach (18 years of age, or older) and sign up by December 15 (fee is $45 per team); then choose from themed-toy categories including “Games for the Family,” “Get out and Play,” and “Toys That Teach” and start brainstorming.

Further TOYchallenge information is available at www.TOYchallenge.com. All submissions will be judged on originality, creativity, engineering, feasibility, design process description, team participation and clarity of communication.

Last year’s grand prizes included a Kennedy Space Center Weekend VIP Tour Package with air travel courtesy of Southwest Airlines and a trophy. The grand prize winning teams also took home a Ward’s™ Natural Science microscope. There will also be awards in each toy category, and special awards for best adaptable for groups with special needs, design, educational, engineering, inspirational, originality, presentation and team spirit.

TOYchallenge (www.TOYchallenge.com) is designed to engage middle school-age students, especially girls, in science and engineering and to inspire them to pursue careers in those fields. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women comprise only 11 percent of the engineering workforce. However, studies show that, in elementary school, equal numbers of girls and boys are interested in--and good at--math, science and technology. Unfortunately, beginning around the sixth grade, more girls than boys drift away from these subjects. While open to all U.S. and Canadian students in grades five through eight, TOYchallenge focuses on catching girls’ attention in these subjects in order to keep them in the engineering “pipeline.” Northrop Grumman Foundation returns as the competition’s co-sponsor. Southwest Airlines is the official airline of TOYchallenge for the third year in a row.

Sally Ride Science
Sally Ride Science™ was founded by astronaut Sally Ride to support the large numbers of girls who are, or might become, interested in science, math and technology. The company creates innovative science experiences for girls that empower them, engage them, and encourage their interests. Current programs include Sally Ride Science Festivals, TOYchallengeTM, Sally Ride Science Camps, and Sally Ride Science—After-school clubs. Current publications include a science careers book series, a space book series, a science newsletter, and other science materials. To learn more about Sally Ride Science, visit www.SallyRideScience.com or call 800.561.5161.