News headlines often focus on sports events and well-known athletes. Still, some competitions highlight academic achievements, especially in the STEM field. 

Team Aquafour is a group of four students from Fairfax County Public elementary schools in Herndon and Fairfax that placed among the top 20 teams in the national finals of the 2023-2024 eCYBERMISSION competition held in Chantilly from June 24 to 28. Team Aquafour's members are Mahika Mamidi, Aditya Risbud, and Rishav Thakkar, students from Floris ES, Tanmaya Muthuswamy from Navy E.S., and team advisor Kavitha Thiyaghu. Teams presented their projects at the event.

Initially, over 2,000 teams from locations across the United States and Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools worldwide participated in the 22nd annual National Judging and Educational Event. The competition inspired and motivated the students, presenting them with performance-based challenges that required developing a product or object that effectively addressed a given problem.

Team Aquafour developed the "ShowerSiren," a device that measures and notifies users of their water consumption during a shower, promoting a more responsible approach to water usage.  "We all have older siblings who spend a long time in the shower. That's wasting water. Showering takes up 17 percent of indoor water usage," Rishav said.

The competition also offered engaging experiences and real-world connections for the students. Aditya said she loved the workshops because they exposed the team to different branches of the Army and "how they use STEM to help the country."

Checking in with this year's STEM-In-Action Grant recipient team, now rising Chantilly High School students.

A STEM-In-Action Grant-winning team from Herndon, the STEMper Tantrums, consisting of three rising Chantilly High School students who attended Rachel Carson Middle School in 2023-2024, Ashrita Ashrita Moola, Anika Manda, and Symphony (no last name), has been hard at work the past year advancing their eCYBERMISSION project in their community. Two members, Anika and Ashrita, presented the project to participants at the 2024  national event.

The students showcased their winning regional work, highlighting the environmental and financial threats that disposable diapers pose to community families. This led them to take action toward making a biodegradable, affordable diaper. Team STEMper Tantrums shared grant application details and discussed how they used the funds in their communities. Since receiving the grant, the team has proactively sought advice and feedback. They spoke with professors at NC State and George Mason University, tested the properties of five commercial diaper brands, entered the project into their school's science fair, purchased materials for their diaper, made a plan for creating the diaper, and used feedback to conduct additional research. 

According to the team, their goals include connecting with nonwoven companies to order nonwoven material, completing the diaper's construction, and comparing their diapers to other brands.  The Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) provides STEM-In-Action Grants to eCYBERMISSION teams who want to enhance and execute their community projects. These grants can be up to $5,000 in value.

The eCYBERMISSION competition is a STEM competition for grades 6–9 students. There are no entry fees and a chance to win state, regional, and national awards of varying U.S. Series E.E. Savings Bonds. Each team needs 2-4 students, an adult advisor, and a community problem to explore or solve.

Visit the eCYPERMISSION website at https://www.usaeop.com/program/ecybermission/ to learn more.