America Chooses Jared Fuchs as Grand Prize Winner in National 4-H Council and HughesNet "Inspire a Future Scientist" Video Contest

CHEVY CHASE, Md., Aug. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Jared Fuchs of Helena, Ala. has won the grand prize in the "Inspire a Future Scientist" video contest. He wins $1,000 and a trip to 4-H National Youth Science Day (4-H NYSD) in Washington, DC. Jared's 15-second video shows how science, from sub-atomic particles to the structure of the universe, explains who we are and where we are going. All 10 finalists won a 4-H NYSD "Rockets to the Rescue" kit as an award for sharing their love of science.

National 4-H Council and HughesNet^®, the nation's #1 satellite Internet service from Hughes, created the contest as part of their commitment to introduce more American youth to the excitement of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). A panel of judges, including U.S. Olympic speed skater and video enthusiast J.R. Celski, then narrowed down the entries to 10 finalists. The finalists' videos were posted online, along with their answer to the question, "How would you use $1,000 to further your love of science?"

It was left up to the public to choose the winning videos. Nearly 20,000 total votes were received over the 18-day public voting period.

The opportunity for students with high STEM aptitudes has never been greater. According to one study, 2.8 million STEM jobs will be created and ready for skilled employees by 2018. "Inspire a Future Scientist" was designed to spark interest in STEM learning and careers by helping young people use creativity to connect science to everyday things they experience and enjoy.

"Congratulations to Jared for creating a compelling and imaginative video that shows his love of science," said Jennifer Sirangelo, president & CEO, National 4-H Council. "We are thrilled at the amazing number of people who watched all of the videos and cast their votes to pick their favorite young scientist, and we encourage all young people to visit www.4-h.org and find their local 4-H club, so they can be a part of this year's 4-H National Youth Science Day."

"As a leader in providing superior satellite broadband Internet service for small, local, rural and ex-urban communities in America, we congratulate Jared, as well as all of the young people who submitted videos for this contest," said Mike Cook, senior vice president, Hughes North American Division. "We are committed to promoting STEM education among our nation's young people, and these young scientists are excellent examples to their peers. They can also take pride in the fact that they will become the future scientists of tomorrow.'"

About 4-H
4-H, the nation's largest youth development and empowerment organization, cultivates confident kids who tackle the issues that matter most in their communities right now. In the United States, 4-H programs empower six million young people through the 109 land-grant universities and Cooperative Extension in more than 3,000 local offices serving every county and parish in the country. Outside the United States, independent, country-led 4-H organizations empower one million young people in more than 50 countries. National 4-H Council is the private sector, non-profit partner of the Cooperative Extension System and 4-H National Headquarters located at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Learn more about 4-H at www.4-H.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/4H.

About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes) is the world's leading provider of satellite broadband for home and office, delivering innovative network technologies, managed services, and solutions for enterprises and governments globally. HughesNet is the #1 high-speed satellite Internet service in the marketplace, with offerings to suit every budget. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 4 million systems to customers in over 100 countries, representing approximately 50 percent market share. Its products employ global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A, and GMR-1.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes operates sales and support offices worldwide, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), a premier global provider of satellite operations and digital TV solutions. For additional information about Hughes, please visit www.hughes.com.

Hughes and HughesNet are registered trademarks of Hughes Network Systems, LLC, an EchoStar Company.

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