Virginia Tech, the lead organization in the consortium formed by the U.S. Army’s Youth Science Cooperative Outreach Agreement (YSCOA), will host an industry day to seek proposals for a consortium member to manage the U.S. Army's eCYBERMISSION program.

Representatives from interested academic institutions, non-profits, or industry are invited to attend Industry Day.  The purpose is to provide those who may wish to submit proposals with information about the eCYBERMISSION requirement and the request for proposal (RFP) process. The full solicitation for eCYBERMISSION will be made available today online. 

The industry day will take place on April 25, 2012, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Virginia Tech in Falls Church, Northern Virginia Center, Room 100, 7054 Haycock Road, Falls Church, VA 22043.

Participants are asked to RSVP to Dana Cruikshank via email or 540-231-3812 by April 23, 2012. Those who are unable to attend may participate via teleconference. Instructions for the teleconference will be provided upon RSVP.

Video recordings of the event and a Frequently Asked Questions summary will be available at online shortly after the event.

eCYBERMISSION provides virtual learning experiences to students in grades six through nine across the United States and Department of Defense Educational Activity (DoDEA) school sites.  The goal of eCYBERMISSION is to engage students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), to spark their interest through online collaborative learning and problem solving challenges, and to keep them engaged in these subjects throughout their kindergarten through 12th (K-12) grade tenure.  

The eCYBERMISSION objectives also include expanding the program’s reach to underserved populations in building the national pool of STEM literate students entering postsecondary education.  In eCYBERMISSION, students are challenged to investigate local community problems through scientific inquiry and then propose solutions using the scientific method or the engineering design process.  Since 2002, eCYBERMISSION has registered more than 100,000 students and provided more than $8 million dollars in U.S. Series EE Savings Bonds to students for use towards enhancing their educational opportunities.  For more information, visit the program website.

Successful administration of eCYBERMISSION will require the achievement of the following

  • Outreach: Develop and execute annual marketing, promotion, communications, and outreach plan, to be executed throughout all phases of the program, in support of program goals.
  • Competition Management: Develop and execute all phases (state, regional, and national) of the eCYBERMISSION competition.
  • Content Management: Manage all aspects of the eCYBERMISSION website and database content.
  • Program Development: Enhance or develop and implement initiatives to scale up reach, impact, and partnership.
  • Evaluation: Identify metrics and develop and implement assessment tools to measure program success. 

eCYBERMISSION is an Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) funded under the direction of the Assistant Secretary of the Army’s Acquisition, Logistics and Technology (ASA/ALT) and administered by the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM).  Army-funded AEOP programs are supported and executed by a consortium of organizations from universities, non-profits, and government under the Youth Science Cooperative Agreement (YSCOA).  Under the direction of the Government’s Cooperative Agreement Manager, the YSCOA aims to:

  • Increase the number of STEM graduates to address the projected shortfall of scientists, and engineers in National and Department of Defense (DoD) positions
  • Expand the involvement of students in ongoing DoD research
  • Provide STEM educational opportunities for students at all stages of their K-12, undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate education
  • Entice students into college-level DoD Programs
  • Inform students about military or civil service career opportunities in STEM

The YSCOA will identify a consortium member in support of the U.S. Army eCYBERMISSION Program by the first week of July 2012.  Pending annual budget approval and subject to availability of funds, eCYBERMISSION has an annual approximate budget of $3,000,000.  The timeline for solicitation and selection is outlined below:

  • April 16, 2012 – Publication of the RFP
  • April 25, 2012 – eCYBERMISSION Industry Day
  • May 14, 2012 – White Papers (Letter of Intent) Due
  • June 15, 2012 – Full Proposals Due
  • July 5, 2012 – Announcement of Awardee

For more information on the Army Educational Outreach Programs visit the website.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

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