Captain Everett Norton Applied Mathematical Concepts Competition 2008-2009

VRML: The Web’s 3-D World

Entry Form - Click Here

Download: Criteria Tool Kit

The Robert H. Mollohan Family Charitable Foundation, Inc. and the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation are proud to sponsor the 2008 - 2009 Captain Everett Norton Applied Mathematical Concepts Competition, a statewide competition that encourages junior and senior high school students to think outside the box. This contest challenges high school students to investigate and utilize math and technology to solve real-world problems and create innovative projects with some of the newest technology tools available.

This year’s Captain Everett Norton Applied Mathematical Concepts Competition centers on one of the hottest trends in the technology industry, namely 3-D graphics. Participants in the contest will use Virtual Reality Modeling Language. By harnessing the capabilities of virtual reality modeling language, every personal computer connected to the web can provide a thrilling three-dimensional experience. Winning applications will demonstrate a depth of well documented research, complexity of skill, original code, designs, implementation, and creativity. Participants are encouraged to be resourceful, innovative, and imaginative and may submit a wide range of VRML-based applications including, but not limited to: games, buildings, models, and simulations.

In the spirit of virtual reality modeling language and the World Wide Web, all aspects of the competition will be conducted online. Applicants will submit their VRML application along with instructions for its execution, plus any additional data required for a verification test. Source code for the application must also be submitted; the code will be judged for its engineering quality and informative documentation.

Whereas a traditional science fair would require a presentation poster to accompany a project submission, this competition requires students to adopt the modern business practice of making presentations via telephone conference calling accompanied by electronic media (e.g., a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation or an interactive web site). The presentation must describe the VRML application, reasoning behind the application, difficulties encountered during its development, known limitations and suggested future enhancements or research direction.

Prize Information

First, second, and third place prizes will be given. The winner of this contest will receive a cash prize of $1,000 and a state-of-the-art computer. The second place winner will receive a cash prize of $750, while the third place winner will receive $500. Internships may also be available for the winners. In order to encourage student participation and teacher promotion, the first place winner’s high school technology department or supporting teacher will receive a $1,000 award. Prizes will be awarded and winners will be recognized at a formal event in the spring.

Rules

1. Participants must be West Virginia juniors or seniors in high school.
2. Students must submit an entry form to the Robert H. Mollohan Family Charitable Foundation which is to be postmarked by Monday, January 12, 2009 indicating their participation in the competition. This form will provide the Foundation with important contact information to keep all competitors updated on any changes that occur or other important information.
3. Students may work in teams. Important Notice: Although a group of students may choose to work together, it should be noted that there is still only one prize for first, second and third place. Students who work in groups will have to figure out how to split the prize fairly. The Robert H. Mollohan Family Charitable Foundation, Inc. and the West Virginia High Tech Consortium Foundation will not be responsible for determining how the award is split.
4. Submitted applications must be executable by the judges. No credit will be awarded for code that cannot be executed by the judges, regardless of the project’s other merits.
5. Students may receive outside help on the project, but all sources of aid must be listed in the final project presentation. This includes parents, teachers, community members, friends, online resources, books, etc. Failure to list sources will result in disqualification.
6. Applications that do not exercise VRML using the Cortona browser will be disqualified.
7. All projects must be completed by March 6, 2009. Hardcopies of the presentation should be postmarked by that date. Students will be contacted by the Mollohan Foundation to be scheduled for presentations the week of April 6.

Judging Criteria

1. Clear, succinct communication, both in prose and in code, will be highly valued throughout all phases of the judging. Project presentations should be sufficiently self-explanatory to allow the judges to become familiar with the project before the oral presentation (via conference call). However, the oral presentation should augment the slide presentation. Do not "read the slides."
2. The VRML application provided must be clearly stated along with the rationale for why VRML was required.
3. As mentioned in the rules, submitted applications must be executable by the judges. No credit will be awarded for code that cannot be executed by the judges, regardless of the project’s other merits. (Start small and develop a skeletal version of your application running by drawing heavily from tools and sample applications found through research; then you can build upon that functional application framework.)
4. Applications that feature creativity, imagination, and a demonstration of research and skill will be favored over those that do not. As noted in the rules, applications that do not exercise VRML using a Cortona browser will be disqualified.
5. Readable, well-documented code will be valued. However, excessive comments will be penalized. The combination of code, comments and supporting documentation should explain the workings of the code sufficiently to allow a software engineer who is unfamiliar with the project to "take over" the project, ideally without further input by the project’s author.
6. Judges will ask questions during the oral presentation to ascertain the depth of knowledge possessed by the applicant on VRML and three-dimensional graphics, the domain of their application and software engineering best practices.
7. Extra credit will be awarded to projects having societal value versus those that are instructive (e.g., all else being equal, a tool for demonstrating security weaknesses in a school would be favored over the creation of a video game to find a chest of gold coins).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who should participate?
A: Any West Virginia junior or senior high school student interested in math, software engineering, and/or computer science should participate. Those students who have graphic design experience will be at a slight advantage over those who do not.

Q: Is there a cost to participate in the contest?
A: No. There is no cost to download the tools needed as a participant in the Captain Everett Norton Applied Mathematical Concepts Competition.

Q: How do I get started?
A: Students interested in competing in this contest should submit an entry form and declare their official entrance in the competition no later than January 12, 2009. Entry forms are attached to this contest information, available online at www.mollohanfoundation.org, and with your math/computer science teacher. Forms can be emailed, faxed or mailed. Contact information for the Mollohan Foundation is available on the website as well as on the application.

Once the entry form has been received by the Mollohan Foundation, participants will be contacted by email. Once this confirmation email is received, students are encouraged to download the Citera VRML tool and begin designing their three-dimensional application.

Entry Form - Click Here

Q: What software is required to use the VRML?
A: TThe only software you need is the Citera VRML tool kit. To download the Citera VRML tool kit, visit www.mollohanfoundation.org, click on student programs and then click on contests. There will be a link for the Citera VRML took kit that can be downloaded along with tutorial examples and helpful tips.

Download: Criteria Tool Kit

Q: How do I select a project topic?
A: Once you have registered to participate in the contest, you will be able to download the Citera VRML tool kit and have access to the Grid. The Citera VRML tool kit offers tutorials that should spark a few project ideas. If, after completing the tutorials, you are still unsure of a project topic, feel free to contact us for additional resources to research ideas. Project topics should be finalized by February 13, 2009.

Q: What if I need help?
A: At any time during the contest if you have questions, get stuck or need assistance please contact Aime Shaffer, at (304) 333-6783 or ashaffer@wvhtf.org. If you are sending an email, be sure to put NORTON CONTEST in the subject line.