Roses to Derek Brown and Benjamin Senior, a pair of sixth-graders at Phillips Middle School whose scientific acumen and ingenuity recently earned them savings bonds, a trip to Washington, D.C. and a lot of admiration.

Challenged by gifted specialist Lisa Joyner to develop a project on energy for a nationwide science contest called ExploraVision, Derek and Benjamin came up a novel idea.

They had noticed that the asphalt surface of roads becomes very hot in the sun. Nothing particularly special there; we all know that. But unlike most of us, they took that simple fact and applied it to an important problem.

All of that baking roadway is just wasted energy, the boys reasoned. What if, they thought, you ran heat-conducting liquid through carbon nanotubes planted under the surface of the road? The hot asphalt would heat the liquid, which would become pressurized. Direct that pressurized liquid through a turbine generator, and presto -- electricity!

According to the boys' calculations, just two percent of the nation's roadways implanted with their system would produce enough energy to fuel the nation.

Is such a process -- Derek and Brian call it the "EnerBahn" -- really feasible?

We have absolutely no idea. But the judges of the ExploraVision competition thought it was innnovative and promising enough to award the boys first place among fourth- through sixth-graders. They each won a $10,000 savings bond and meetings with members of Congress and Bill Nye, the Science Guy.

Roses to Kathryn Eriksen, who last week was named the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Teacher of the Year.

She's a social studies and AVID teacher at Carrboro High School; it's good to see the award go to someone from the newest high school in the district. And she's a relative newcomer herself -- she's been teaching for just five years.

Eriksen was selected from a field of 17 local teachers, and she will now go on to represent the district in regional and state competition.

The district presented her with the award at its annual recognition reception. Dozens of other teachers and staff members earned accolades, as well, including two honor teachers: Bert Wartski of Chapel Hill High School and Karen Reid of Morris Grove Elementary. Roses to them, as well.

We've sung the praises of great teachers here before, and we will do so again. Given how much they do for our children, and how little compensation they receive -- at least of the kind that pays the bills -- it's the least we can do.

Roses to coach Mike Fox and the UNC baseball team, which trounced East Carolina 9-3 on Sunday to earn a fourth straight trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

The Tar Heels, 46-17, will try again to bring home the ulimate prize. They have come close -- sometimes agonizingly close -- in recent years, only to wind up just shy of the trophy.

In some ways, they bring to mind the Carolina men's basketball team, which made good runs at the title only to come up just short in 2007 (Georgetown in the regional final, ouch) and 2008 (Kansas in the Final Four, very ouch) before finally sealing the deal this year.

Go Heels!

Please send suggestions for Roses & Raspberries to Dave Hart, associate editor, at dhart@nando.com.