Alok's team, comprising two Australians, was picked from an initial pool of of 2,289 teams. The 238 semi-finalist teams, comprising 660 students, was further whittled down to 34 finalist teams.

``This is the first time I'll be going to America, and I am really excited. I had teamed up with Ashleigh Green and Alice Whittington to create our entry for the contest,'' said Alok. The website, `True Values - Our Natural Heritage' on http://library.advanced.org/16571 includes a large database on the animal kingdom, articles, and forums for discussion on issues related to theenvironment. ``We had ourselves clicked most of the pictures of animals and landscapes ourselves when out travelling. The website is also interactive, and other net surfers can add on their own veiwpoints,'' informed Alok.

He was hooked onto the net ever since it was first introduced in India in 1995, and soon, he was immersed in the world of cyber technology. ``We built the web site in two months, and it cost us very little as as the net itself offers all the tools required," said Alok. He will fly on an all expenses paid trip to the US of A next week to compete for the top individual prize money of $ 15000.

``During the finals, we will undergo a personality test and the judges will also see us in action designing web pages,'' he informed.