The winning students and their teachers of the 2014 DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition show off their awards at Kennedy Space Center.

The winning students and their teachers of the 2014 DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition show off their awards after a ceremony at the Operations and Support Building II at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Center Director Bob Cabana is in the middle. The challenge, now in its 28th year, reaches out to students from grades seven through 12 from all 50 states and Canada. More than 200,000 students entered the competition. The DuPont Challenge aims to inspire students to excel and achieve in scientific writing and pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics STEM. The challenge honors space shuttle Challenger's STS-51L crew members who gave their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery. For more information on the challenge, go to http://thechallenge.dupont.com/sponsors/nasa.php. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett