Charles Smith (Ottumwa) won 2nd place in the 3rd-grade division, as well as Best Video Presentation, for his E.F.A.F. (Emergency Floor plan App for First responders). Jason Ahn (Ames) won a Patent Application Award and Best Logbook for his ARE Board (Auto Rolling & Erasing Whiteboard). Those who are interested can view the complete list of winners or watch the award ceremony replay.
In the oral presentations, Amara Orth (Lewis Central High) won 2nd place in the Life Sciences category, for an $8,000 scholarship! In the poster competition, Jasmyn Hoeger (Beckman Catholic High School) won 3rd place in the Biomedical Science category and a $350 scholarship. A full list of winners is posted here.
Are you a teacher who works with students during the invention process? Invent Iowa will return in a virtual format on April 18, 2022. Now is a great time to make sure your budding inventors and entrepreneurs are getting started on their projects!
We are excited to announce a new platform from our colleagues at Invention Convention Worldwide. InHub is a collection of professional development, curriculum resources and information about experiences and field trips. This is a free resource to learn and share with other inventive educators and students.
If you are a student or have a student who would like to participate in Iowa’s State Invention Convention, be sure to mark your calendars for these important dates:
January 20, 2022: Registration opens
February 22, 2022: Competition materials are due
March 22, 2022: Students are notified of their qualification status
March 28, 2022: Qualifying students must commit to State Convention
On April 19, the Belin-Blank Center announced the 2021 Invent Iowa State Invention Convention winners who will advance onto the National Invention Convention. Young inventors from schools across Iowa submitted their inventions to the state competition. We were impressed to see so many creative inventions to everyday problems!
Winners qualified to compete at the virtual National Invention Convention. The Belin-Blank Center awarded the top 5 inventions with all expenses paid to advance to the next level of competition. Check out this Google Earth tour of the winning inventions!
Congratulations to our 2021 Winners:
1st place: The B.O.S.S. (The Beneficial On-Site Skin Scanner) by Charles Smith from Ottumwa
Firefighters have a higher risk of cancer because they are exposed to carcinogenic chemicals in fires. There is not an on-site method to locate the toxins on the skin, which greatly increases their cancer risk. The B.O.S.S. (The Beneficial On-Site Skin Scanner) is a dermal scanner that will allow firefighters to locate the carcinogenic chemicals quickly, enabling them to remove the toxins while on-site. This helps decrease the chemical absorption through their skin, which would reduce their cancer risk and could save lives.
2nd place: SSS (Smart Sensing System) by Sujan Vijayraj Shadrak from Marion
The SSS is a system that can be used in an automatic sliding door. The SSS runs through a Rasberry pi 4 and is coded in NODERED. The SSS will use Artificial Intelligence and human image detection to first take a picture of the person standing outside, then process it, and if the picture resembles a human the door will open. This invention will prevent animals from entering public places and can also act as a filter by tracking who enters and leaves the area. We have made the SSS prototype along with a visual example of a sliding door.
3rd place: Ring Around the Dog Collar by Carolyne Jorgenson from Treynor
Leather dog collar that has multiple D-rings for easier leash attachment.
4th place: Aqua Cleaner by Manasvi Devi Reddy from Marion
It solves the problem of oil spills making the oceans and rivers clean. This in turn helps the ecosystem.
5th place: Reptile Pedicure by Mason Smith from Dyersville
The purpose of the Reptile Pedicure is to make it easier to get the toe shed off your reptile’s toes. This allows your reptile to be comfortable during the process and the owner to have more control. Those that own reptiles know that the shed on the toes is the hardest for the reptile to get off on their own. This results in deformities and their toes to fall off. It also changes their walking pattern.
Finally, we want to say a big thank you to our generous sponsor McKee, Voorhees & Sease, P.L.C. Congratulations to all who competed, and keep inventing, Iowa!
Welcome back to another year of inventing, Iowa! We are excited to announce that we will be hosting the Invent Iowa State Convention on April 19, 2021. Due to the ongoing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, students will participate virtually.
Invent Iowa state finalists have a strong track record of going on to win big at the National Invention Convention! For the past four consecutive years, Iowa students have brought home national prizes. Your future inventor could be next!
At the 2020 National Invention Convention, Charles Smith (1st grade, Ottumwa Community School District) won 1st place in the 1st grade division for the H.E.R.B. (Home Emergency Responder Beacon). Sujan Vijayraj Shadrak (7th grade, Linn-Mar Community Schools) won the Energy Industry Innovation Award for the Cool on the Go.
Our website has been updated to reflect dates and deadlines for the 2020-2021 academic year. If you plan to participate, be sure to mark your calendars for these important dates.
The free National Invention Convention curriculum can be accessed here.
Please feel free to pass along the information below to other educators or parents who may be interested in learning more about invention education.
Questions? We’re here to help at inventiowa@belinblank.org!
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