Greyson McCluskey of North Carolina Selected as National Winner of Math and Science Competition Wouldn't It Be Cool If... Presented by Time Warner Cable's Connect a Million Minds and i.am FIRST

ST. LOUIS, April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of his 16th birthday, Greyson McCluskey from Indian Trail, North Carolina was named the national winner of Wouldn't It Be Cool If..., a campaign jointly presented by Time Warner Cable's philanthropic science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) initiative, Connect a Million Minds, and i.am FIRST, founded by artist, entertainer and entrepreneur will.i.am. The campaign challenged youth ages 10 - 15 to dream up the coolest idea to make their life, community or the world more awesome, and then to think about how science and math could help bring those ideas to life.  

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Greyson McCluskey, an honor student and aspiring architect, developed his Baby Safe Rider – a mechanism for toddler car seats that would detect the onset of heightened temperatures in babies – as a way to address the rising incidents of vehicular Hyperthermia fatalities in the U.S.  Greyson was inspired to create the Baby Safe Rider after the recent birth of his niece.  He entered the Wouldn't It Be Cool If… contest after his mom saw a national public service announcement featuring will.i.am

"I still can't believe I won," said Greyson McCluskey.  "Time Warner Cable's Wouldn't It Be Cool if... contest has changed my life – from meeting will.i.am to winning the opportunity to travel to New York City to have my idea realized by Fahrenheit 212.  I truly hope my story and those of the other finalists inspire kids just like us to have the confidence to share their own cool ideas with the world."

Greyson was selected along with three finalists to present their ideas at the Wouldn't It Be Cool If... finalist event in St. Louis, held on-site at the FIRST Robotics Championship in front of a live audience of nearly 1,400 youth and supporters. Greyson was voted the winner by a panel of esteemed judges that included Jasmin Hume, PhD candidate at Polytechnic Institute of NYU; Dean Kamen, esteemed inventor and founder of FIRST; Mark Payne, co-founder and President of Fahrenheit 212; and will.i.am, artist and STEM advocate.

"Greyson, the finalists and more than 1,100 youth who entered great ideas proved that kids really do have ideas that can change the world that are based upon math and science skills," said will.i.am.  "Now that Greyson has been selected as the winner of Wouldn't It Be Cool If..., I'm looking to him to inspire even more students to get involved and excited about math and science."

As the national winner, Greyson now receives the ultimate prize: the opportunity to bring their idea to life. Greyson will collaborate with Fahrenheit 212, one of the nation's pre-eminent innovation consulting firms that works with global companies and brands to develop and bring to market industry – or world – changing ideas.  The Fahrenheit 212 team will work with Greyson over the next four months to refine his cool idea, develop a business model and strategy, and explore how to bring the Baby Safe Rider to market.  Ultimately, Greyson will have the opportunity to present his idea to prospective investors.

"The Fahrenheit 212 team is incredibly excited to share the insights and expertise we use with leading global companies with the national winner of Wouldn't It Be Cool If...," commented Mark Payne.  "How cool is it that at the end of our process, the national winner will have seen their idea become so much more real, as a product and a business plan, with the ability to attract actual investors for their idea."

The additional three finalists and their ideas included:

• Kayla Benson (12) from Topeka, Kansas – The i-Stand, an electronic music stand that has your sheet music loaded on a screen with apps that include a tuner, metronome, and recorder.
• Hannah Yusoff (15) and Hon Kwok (15) from Westlake, Ohio – Bone Analyzer Kit, a digital device that can detect body injuries through blood samples.
• Emmie Lopez (12), Eileen Figueroa (12) and Jaime Brens (12) from Bronx, New York – A to Zinc Coffee, a filter that adds vitamins and nutrients to your coffee.

Time Warner Cable has committed more than $100 million to addressing America's declining proficiency in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through Connect a Million Minds, which aims to connect a million more students to hands-on, out-of-school science opportunities. Launched as part of President Obama's "Educate to Innovate" campaign in November 2009, the campaign has encouraged more than 420,000 parents and other adults to pledge to connect a child to STEM education. To learn more about Connect a Million Minds, visit www.connectamillionminds.com.

"Wouldn't It Be Cool If... is a powerful program to build on our commitment to youth and STEM, Connect a Million Minds," commented Glenn Britt, Chairman and CEO, Time Warner Cable.  "Through Wouldn't It Be Cool If..., we have reached new youth audiences and forged new partners with organizations like i.am FIRST, Fahrenheit 212 and the Boys & Girls Club of America. We are so proud that we have played a direct role in helping more than 1,000 youth discover the power of STEM subjects."

Building on this comment, Tessie Topol, Senior Director of Strategic Philanthropy for Time Warner Cable, said, "Wouldn't It Be Cool If... shows that when individuals and organizations invested in our nation's effort to promote STEM education come together, they can leverage their respective networks to make greater and deeper impact.  While only Greyson can be our winner, we hope that all the kids who participated realize that their own creativity and imagination, when combined with math and science, are powerful tools to make a positive difference , and that even more kids will be excited to engage in math and science by their example."

More information about the campaign is available at www.wouldntitbecoolif.com and at www.connectamillionminds.com.   

About Time Warner Cable: Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) is among the largest providers of video, high-speed data and phone services in the United States, connecting more than 14 million customers to entertainment, information and each other.  Time Warner Cable Business Class offers data, video and hone services to businesses of all sizes, cell tower backhaul services to wireless carriers, and through its NaviSite subsidiary, enterprise-class hosting, managed application, messaging and cloud services.  Time Warner Cable Media, the advertising arm of Time Warner Cable, offers national, regional and local companies innovative advertising solutions.  More information about the services of Time Warner Cable is available at www.timewarnercable.com, www.twcbc.com, www.navisite.com, and www.twcmedia.com.

About Connect a Million Minds: Time Warner Cable's (TWC) Connect a Million Minds (CAMM) is a five-year, $100 million cash and in-kind philanthropic initiative to address America's declining proficiency in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), which puts our children at risk of not competing successfully in a global economy. Using its media assets, TWC creates awareness of the issue and inspires students to develop the STEM skills they need to become the problem solvers of tomorrow. TWC's national CAMM partners are CSAS (Coalition for Science After School) and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). Local TWC markets are activating CAMM across the country with community-specific programs and partnerships.

About i.am FIRST: i.am FIRST is will.i.am's initiative to support and get young people excited about STEM education in collaboration with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).  Activities include participation by will.i.am at the annual U.S. FIRST Championships to meet with and speak before teen competitors, parents, team coaches, government officials and sponsors.  As part of the 2011 Championship event, will.i.am executive produced the prime time TV special, "i.am.FIRST – Science is Rock and Roll" an electric hour of highlights from the 20^th Annual FIRST ® Robotics Championship that documented the challenges that the country's best and brightest students faced in the FIRST Regional Competitions leading up to and culminating in the international Championship meeting.

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SOURCE Time Warner Cable Inc.