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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 23, 2002
Contact: Ms. Jamie Mishler (202) 675-8333 x 10
CAST Launches Science and Agriculture Essay Contest for Students
Winner to Receive $3000 Savings Bond and Expense-Paid Trip
(Pierre, SD) --- Students in grades six through eight can gain national recognition in an essay competition about science and agriculture. The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), in collaboration with USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) and National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is sponsoring the "Boundless Science for Bountiful Agriculture" essay contest for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students across the nation.
The deadline for student essay submission is November 1, 2002; essays of up to 500 words will be submitted online at www.cast-science.org. Winners will be recognized at the school, Congressional district, state, and national levels. The national winner, along with his/her parents and teacher, will receive an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. from March 20-23, 2003 during National Agriculture Week in addition to a $3,000 savings bond. Scholarships will also be given to state winners.
Topics for the competition include:
· Ag Science in the City: "The Importance of Agriculture for Urban Areas"
· Alternative Fuel Research: "Bioenergy Powering the Future"
· Conservation of Resources: "Working Cooperatively to Ensure a Bounty of Food and Natural Resources"
· Cultivating New Technologies: "Producing Food in Space" or "Using Lasers, Robots, and Computers in Agriculture"
· Dynamic DNA: "Boosting Agricultural Bounty with Genetics"
· Food Science and Nutrition: "Using Science to Create a Safe and Healthy Food Supply"
· Weather and Crop Production: "The Impact of Atmospheric Sciences on World Food Supply"
For further details on the essay contest, visit www.cast-science.org
CAST is an international consortium of 37 scientific and professional societies. It assembles, interprets, and communicates science-based information regionally, nationally, and internationally on food, fiber, agricultural, natural resource, and related societal and environmental issues.
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