| Washington, D.C.- Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) presented the Igniting Creative Energy Challenge Award to Thomas-Jay Burgess today at a congressional reception hosted by the National Energy Foundation. Thomas-Jay, a second grader at Weston Elementary School in Imlay City, MI, won the award for inventing a solar powered-oven made from recycled compact discs and tinfoil.
“This competition provides students with an excellent opportunity to utilize their creativity and imagination by bringing their innovations to fruition,” said Kildee. “It is an honor to be associated with this program because it encourages our youth to explore their ingenuity and enables them to share their inventions with the rest of the nation.”
The Igniting Creative Energy Challenge is an educational competition designed to encourage K-12 students to learn more about energy consumption and its impact on the environment. Each student entry has to incorporate the theme “Igniting Creative Energy” and demonstrate an understanding of what an individual, family or group can do to reduce energy consumption to improve their community. After the entries are evaluated, 3 grand prizes are awarded to students with the most creative idea from each grade cluster. This year’s grand prize was a trip to the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The National Energy Foundation is a unique nonprofit educational organization dedicated to the development, dissemination, and implementation of supplementary educational materials, programs and courses. The primary focus of the NEF is to provide teaching and learning opportunities, which promote a better understanding of energy, natural resources and the environment. The NEF is devoted to the implementation of a variety of innovative teacher training and student programs that promote energy efficiency and environmental awareness in schools. |
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