MEDIA ADVISORY : M12-27NASA Hosts Conrad Foundation's 2012 Spirit of Innovation SummitMOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – Young innovators from around the world are invited to solve the challenges of the 21st century by creating breakthrough technologies for the Conrad Foundation’s 2012 Spirit of Innovation Challenge. Competition finalists will travel to the Innovation Summit March 29-31, 2012 at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. This year’s categories for team entries are: aerospace exploration, clean energy, and health and nutrition.

The Spirit of Innovation Challenge is an annual Conrad Foundation competition challenging students to solve real-world problems by creating commercially viable science and technology-based solutions to global challenges.

What: 15 finalist teams and their teachers will be joined by well-known entrepreneurs, industry leaders, scientists and government officials for a three-day collaborative forum featuring student presentations, fireside chats, NASA tours, and interactive workshops, such as refurbishing a rocket. The event concludes with a ceremony awarding the coveted Pete Conrad "Spirit of Innovation Award."

When: March 29-31, 2012

Where: Located in the NASA Research Park, the Summit will be held in NASA Ames Conference Center (building 3), 500 Severyns Road, and the interactive workshops will be held in building 596 on Edquiba Road. Security guards at the main gate will provide directions.

Who: In addition to the finalist teams, the event features a roster of high-profile supporters, including:

Thursday, March 29 - Aerospace Exploration

• Opening remarks: 8 - 8:15 a.m. PDT Pete Worden, director of NASA Ames
• Fireside chats: 8:15 - 9 a.m. and 1-1:45 p.m. Vint Cerf, Google representative, and Rusty Schweickart, Apollo astronaut, entrepreneur
• Finalist presentations: 9 - 11:30 a.m.
• Ames facility tours: 1 - 2:45 p.m.
• Interactive workshops: 3 - 5 p.m. in building 596
• Evening entertainment Ozomatli, Los Angeles rock band

Friday March 30 - Clean Energy

• Fireside chats: 8:15 - 9 a.m. and 1-1:45 p.m. PDT Gina Rudan, entrepreneur, author and columnist for The Washington Post and BusinessWeek
• Finalist presentations: 9 - 11:30 a.m.
• Ames facility tours: 1 - 2:45 p.m.
• Bloom Energy tour: 2 - 4 p.m.
• Interactive workshops: 3 - 5 p.m. in building 596
• Evening entertainment by science comedian Tim Lee

Saturday March 31 - Health and Nutrition and Closing Ceremony

• Fireside chats: 8:15 - 9 a.m. and 1 - 1:45 p.m. PDT with Chip Yates, chief executive officer of Flight of the Century, Inc., ePilot and Rickson Sun, Chief Technologist, IDEO
• Finalist presentations: 9 - 11:30 a.m.
• Interactive workshops: 2 - 4 p.m. in building 596
• Closing ceremonies: 4:45 - 6 p.m. Remarks by Dan Bena Senior Director of Sustainable Development PepsiCo, Inc.
• Evening entertainment by air-guitarist Bjorn Turoque

For more information about NASA Ames, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ames
For more information about the Conrad Foundation and an updated schedule, visit:

http://www.conradawards.org

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