Schools
Santa Cruz Students Win At National Invention Convention
They were among nearly 500 award-winning K-12 inventors from across America who were celebrated at a virtual awards ceremony held on July 2.
Press release from Raytheon Technologies:
July 17, 2020
(Dearborn, Mich. – July 6, 2020) – Two Santa Cruz 6th graders were honored recently for their ingenuity at the 5th annual Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, presented by Raytheon Technologies. They were among nearly 500 award-winning K-12 inventors from across the nation who were celebrated at a virtual awards ceremony held on July 2.
Invention Convention Worldwide is a global K-12 invention education curricular program mapped to national and state educational standards that teaches students problem-identification, problem-solving, entrepreneurship and creativity skills and builds confidence in invention, innovation and entrepreneurship for life. More than 120,000 K-12 inventors from across the United States competed at local affiliate events for a chance to participate in the Invention Convention 2020 U.S. Nationals.
Oliver Willet (pictured left) and Jonah Guyers won the Originality Award for their invention, Splash Bag, a watertight "dry bag" used for a CADD-MS3 pump for people who have Pulmonary Hypertension so that they can do water based activities.
"My cousin has a lung illness called Pulmonary Hypertension or PH, and, like someone with diabetes, she has to wear a pump," explains Oliver. "This pump cannot get wet. This prevents her from participating in activities and things that we take for granted (such as taking a shower). We designed the Splash Bag to protect her pump against any harmful water."
"Our design is a modified cell phone dry bag to hold the CADD MS3 pump, the one that Oliver's cousin has," Jonah added. "We burned a hole in the seal of the dry bag with a hot nail so that the medical tubing can exit the bag while still maintaining complete watertightness. Overall, our invention solves Oliver's cousin's problem by allowing her pump to still pump medicine through her medical tubing without letting water in."
Watch their video.
“While many things have been disrupted due to the pandemic, innovation and invention continue and are needed now more than ever,” said Patricia Mooradian, president and CEO, The Henry Ford. “We need to move forward, to create, to problem-solve and with programs like Invention Convention, we are seeing our young people, our young innovators and inventors, lead the way.”
“Ingenuity and agility are being demonstrated by students around the world. Seeing this year’s convention ― and its participants ― shift their inventive spirit and excel in this virtual showcase is heartening,” said Randy Bumps, executive director, Corporate Social Responsibility, Raytheon Technologies. “We hope that our support of programs like Invention Convention will continue to encourage student problem-solving, next-generation innovations and a passion for lifelong learning.”
Prizes and opportunities this year include pro-bono patent awards from law firms including Wilmerhale, Cooley and Cantor Colburn, and invention experiences with partners like Koch Industries, where students can visit with marketers, product designers, and engineers to help advance their inventions to the next stage.
The mission of Invention Convention Worldwide is to bring Invention Education to every student everywhere. Organizations interested in bringing the year-long program to their region can get more information at www.inventionconvention.org.
About The Henry Ford:
Located in Dearborn, Michigan, The Henry Ford, a globally-recognized destination, fosters inspiration and learning from hands-on encounters with artifacts that represent the most comprehensive collection anywhere focusing on innovation, ingenuity and resourcefulness in America. Its unique venues include Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Benson Ford Research Center and Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school. Together with its online presence at thehenryford.org, its national television series, The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation and Invention Convention Worldwide, the growing affiliation of organizations fostering innovation, invention and entrepreneurship in K-12 students, The Henry Ford inspires individuals to unlock their potential and help shape a better future.
About Raytheon Technologies:
Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. With 195,000 employees and four industry-leading businesses ― Collins Aerospace Systems, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense ― the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics, and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
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This press release was produced by Raytheon Technologies. The views expressed here are the author's own.
