eCYBERMISSION

Each year, Regional Finalist teams are invited to apply for an AEOP STEM-In-Action grant. This grant awards funds to selected teams to implement their eCYBERMISSION project solutions into their community. These awards are independent of the selection of eCYBERMISSION National Finalists.

The STEM-In-Action Grant will be awarded to teams selected by judges based on the evaluation of the teams' proposed implementation plans. Each of the selected teams will receive an award of up to $5,000 and will be invited to the National Judging & Educational Event (NJ&EE) in June. Evaluation of STEM-In-Action awards will remain separate from the teams' overall project scores. The grants will be awarded across all grades to the teams whose implementation plans prove that their projects provide the greatest possible impact within their communities. A team does not have to be a National Finalist team for this grant opportunity. It is open to any regional finalist team.

All eCYBERMISSION Regional Finalist teams will be permitted to expand their proposed community benefits, which then become their implementation plan. This optional activity enables teams to develop a concrete plan to further develop their project into a mature and scalable solution, and effectively implement these solutions into their local communities. Students are encouraged to closely work with a U.S. Army Scientist or Engineer CyberGuide when creating their implementation plan. You can see the rubric used by the judges here.

Winning teams will be required to submit reports on their progress throughout the year.

STEM-In-Action Grant Timeline:

Mid-April – Stem-in-Action Grant (SIAG) application due from qualifying teams
Early May – SIAG grantees notified and announced
Late June – NJ&EE
Mid-September – Initial Report due
Early October – Team Blog #1 due
Early January – Mid-Year Report due
Early March – Team Blog #2 due
Following May - Online survey
Following June – Final Report due