Hundreds of Middle School Kids from around the Country to Compete in T

    Business Editors/Toy Industry Writers

    SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 21, 2005--

    Former NASA Astronauts Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, the first American Woman to Walk in Space, and Dr. Tamara E. Jernigan to Address Student Toy Design Teams

    Sally Ride, Smith College, Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS), Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society and Sony announced today that TOYchallenge(TM) 2005 National Showcases will be held at the San Diego Aerospace Museum, Balboa Park on April 30 and at the Sigma Xi Center in Research Triangle Park, N.C. on May 7. Former astronaut Tamara Jernigan will be the West Coast event's keynote speaker and Kathryn Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space, will speak at the East Coast showcase. The fun-fueled toy- and game-design competition is intended to motivate middle school-age kids, especially girls, to pursue science engineering education and careers.
    For the competition's Preliminary Round, teams comprised of at least 50 percent girls, submitted written descriptions and visual presentations of their original toy or game concepts based on themed categories including Games for the Family, Get Out and Play, and Toys that Teach. 207 Preliminary Round finalists were invited to advance to the National Showcases. The submissions were judged on originality, creativity, engineering elegance, feasibility, design process description, team participation and clarity of communication. The top 60 teams were awarded funds to use towards finalizing their creations (which must cost less than $200 to develop, including donated materials) and travel costs. Southwest Airlines, the official airline of TOYchallenge, has generously supplied many complimentary tickets to enable teams to travel to the National Showcases.
    "Enjoyment, adventure and a sense of accomplishment are vital to keeping middle school kids, especially girls, involved in science and math," said Sally Ride, founder of Sally Ride Science(TM). "We could not be more pleased with the growth and success of TOYchallenge over the past three years."
    "At Hasbro, our heart and soul goes into making all of our products, but a key element of a truly fun toy or game is the intricate design and engineering behind it," said Alfred J. Verrecchia, president and CEO of Hasbro, Inc. "We are pleased that TOYchallenge continues to help kids understand the mechanics of product development, and allows them to have fun while using and developing important skills."
    Teams participating in the West Coast National Showcase at the San Diego Aerospace Museum will be treated to an exciting speech given by former astronaut Tamara E. Jernigan, Ph.D., now with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Dr. Jernigan spent 15 years as a NASA astronaut and flew five space shuttle missions. Her last flight was a 10-day mission in 1999 during which the crew executed the first docking to the International Space Station. Dr. Jernigan performed a space walk of nearly eight hours to attach equipment to the exterior of the station.
    "This is a phenomenal experience for these students -- the chance to apply creativity to their technical skills while being encouraged and inspired by America's astronaut role models is something they'll never forget," said Bruce Bleakley, San Diego Aerospace Museum Executive Vice President.
    A highlight for the teams competing at the East Coast National Showcase at the Sigma Xi Center will be an inspiring talk by former astronaut Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D. In 1984, Dr. Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space. She and Sally Ride were crewmates on that historic mission. A veteran of three space flights, Dr. Sullivan was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of fame in 2004. She has maintained a lifelong commitment to education and is the president and CEO of the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio.
    "We're expecting a wonderful turnout of highly creative and motivated students for the East Coast TOYchallenge National Showcase at the Sigma Xi Center on May 7," according to Executive Director Patrick D. Sculley. "Nearly 90 teams will compete here, and it will be a memorable experience for everyone involved. Sigma Xi is pleased to be a sponsor once again for this innovative effort to encourage young people, and especially young women, to excel in science and technology."
    Winners will be named in each toy category. All category-winning teams will be featured on the TOYchallenge website and each team member will receive a Hasbro toy and game package, autographed books, or other similar prizes. Prizes include trips to Space Camp(R) and the creation of personalized Hasbro figures in each team member's likeness, Thames & Kosmos(R) Fuel Cell Car and Experiment Kits and a Meade ETX-90AT Telescope. All teams will receive certificates of participation. There will also be special awards for design, most educational, engineering, originality and team spirit.

TOYchallenge Preliminary Round Entry Top 10 Finalists:

Highlanders Toys that Teach: Around the World (Arcadia, Calif.) Geography board game where players travel the world answering history questions in each city along the way. To win they must travel by boat and plane paths and be first to pass through 10 cities and one continent.

California Aquatics Get Out and Play: Underwater Xtreme (Irvine, Calif.) A cool pool toy that is similar to underwater laser tag. It comes with an UXtreme Light Pack, a flashing red light mechanism you wear on your swimsuit and UXtreme Goggles that block out the flashing red light completely unless you are looking directly at it.

Micro Magik Games for the Family: Oh No, School's Out (San Jose, Calif.) Creative board game where players go into classrooms, based on their class schedules, and answer questions. The object is to get as many correct answers, as quickly as possible, in order to advance in hopes of being the first one to get out of school.

Redwood Innovations Games for the Family: Global Grub (Thousand Oaks, Players travel the world and answer questions Calif.) (and learn!) about international foods specific to various regions. Whoever gets around the world first, wins.

Mad Scientists Games for the Family: Ma-Har-Shala-Hash-Bash (Preston, Idaho) (Destruction is Imminent) An educational board game that teaches players about Natural Disasters. Players can gain or lose buildings depending on the cards they pick. The winner is the person with most buildings at the end.

FWAC Delta Academy, Toys That Teach - Preschool: Bedtime Monkey Team #2 (Landover, Md.) Educational bedtime toy which contains a parent pre-recorded message. Squeeze one hand and a story is read. The other will tell the child about bedtime procedures.

Techno Toads Get Out and Play: Hop to It! (Brighton, Mich.) Like Jump Rope, except with a frog, a turntable and infrared light that spins around and which player jump over. Just hope you don't hear "Hop", which means you missed!

Robo-Bucs Games for the Family: Buccaneer's Bounty (Mt. Morris, Mich.) A challenging and entertaining board game requiring logic to advance to the challenge circle and ultimately win the pirate's treasure!

Tween Twisters Toys that Teach - School Age: TWISTED! (Chesterfield, Mo.) A fun board game that teaches about food and exercise while using a DVD for physical challenges.

Toy-Tastic Games for the Family: Matches & Patches (Franklin Lakes, N.J.)A matching game where cards with socks are put into a plastic clothes dryer, shuffled and dealt. Players deal sock cards to one another to match all socks in their hand and avoid the "old, smelly sock" that has no match.
    TOYchallenge (www.TOYchallenge.com) was developed by Sally Ride, and Smith College's Picker Engineering Program as an outreach activity to engage middle school-age students, especially girls, in science and engineering and to inspire them to pursue careers in those fields. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women comprise only 11 percent of the engineering workforce. However, studies show that, in elementary school, equal numbers of girls and boys are interested in--and good at--math, science and technology. Unfortunately, beginning around the sixth grade, more girls than boys drift away from these subjects. While open to all U.S. and Canadian students in grades five through eight, TOYchallenge focuses on catching girls' attention in these subjects in order to keep them in the engineering "pipeline." Hasbro has been the program's presenting sponsor since its inception. Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society serves as a principal sponsor for the second year in a row and Sony has joined TOYchallenge this year as a principal sponsor. Southwest Airlines is the official airline of the competition.

    Sally Ride Science

    Sally Ride Science(TM) was founded by astronaut Sally Ride to support the large numbers of girls and young women who are, or might become, interested in science, math and technology. The company organizes quality events, programs and activities for girls that empower them, engage them and encourage their interests. Current programs include Sally Ride Science Festivals, Sally Ride Science Camps, TOYchallenge(TM), and the Sally Ride Science Club(TM) - a national Club created to keep middle school girls engaged in science adventures by connecting them to people, information and attitudes that will nurture their relationship with science. The company also presents Sally Ride Educator Institutes - professional development programs for upper elementary and middle school science teachers with a special focus on planetary science and gender equity. For more information on Sally Ride Science programs, please visit: www.SallyRideScience.com, or call (800) 561-5161.

    Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world.

    Smith College is consistently ranked among the nation(1)s foremost liberal arts colleges. Enrolling 2,800 students from every state and 60 other countries, Smith is the largest undergraduate women(1)s college in the country. Smith(1)s Picker Engineering Program, the first such program at a U.S. women(1)s college, is focused on developing broadly educated, engineers capable of assuming leadership roles in corporations, non-profit organizations and technology-related fields.

    Sigma Xi (www.sigmaxi.org), The Scientific Research Society, is the international honor society that recognizes research achievement in science and engineering. The Society is a diverse organization with more than 70,000 members dedicated to the advancement of science and engineering. Sigma Xi publishes American Scientist magazine (www.amsci.org), sponsors a grant program for young researchers, and organizes programs and services in the areas of ethics, science and engineering education, communication of science and engineering and international networking.

    San Diego Aerospace Museum

    Home to the Command Module from the Apollo 9 mission, the San Diego Aerospace Museum celebrates the history of aviation and space flight, educates the public in aerospace technology, and inspires young people of all ages to excel in math and the sciences. The San Diego Aerospace Museum, a non-profit organization and the first aero theme museum to receive accreditation by the American Association of Museums in 1986, is located in the historic Ford Building in Balboa Park, 2001 Pan American Plaza. 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. With admission until 4:00 p.m. (Summer 10am to 5:30pm). The museum is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The Museum Store is open during museum hours. $9 for Adults/$4 ages 6-17 years/$7 Seniors (65+)/$7 Students with valid ID/ Free Active Duty Military and children under 6/ $4 Simulator ride. Behind-the-scenes Restoration Tours are available for an additional $3 per person. (619) 234-8291. www.aerospacemuseum.org.

--30--NC/bo*

CONTACT: Sally Ride Science Toni DiMartino, 858-638-0960 tonidimartino@hotmail.com or Hasbro Julie Duffy, 401-727-5931 jduffy@hasbro.com or Smith College Kristen Cole, 413-585-2190 kacole@smith.edu or Sigma Xi Linda Schmalbeck, 800-243-6534 lschmalbeck@sigmaxi.org or San Diego Aerospace Museum Ruth Chandler Varonfakis, 858-273-0928 rcvaronfakis@aol.com

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: EDUCATION CONSUMER/HOUSEHOLD RETAIL SOURCE: Hasbro, Inc.

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