Invention Competition Draws K-12 Students to Georgia Tech

K-12 InVenture Challenge @ Georgia Tech Encourages Students to Find and Solve Problems

Mar 28, 2017

The Georgia Tech Student Center Ballroom echoed with the excited voices of young inventors sharing their creations with competition judges and spectators at the 2017  K-12 InVenture Challenge @ Georgia Tech. The annual competition, held on March 15, is the qualifying event for K-12 students to represent Georgia at the National Invention Convention. The goal is for students to identify a real-world problem and devise a solution.

“What is unique about the InVenture Challenge is that students are actually asked to problem find, not just problem solve,” K-12 InVenture Challenge Director Roxanne Moore said. 

“It shows them the value of the math and science they are learning in school and helps them develop into resilient learners who can effectively work in teams and communicate their ideas,” CEISMC Associate Director for Development and Educational Innovation Marion Usselman said.

Eighty-two teams competed from 10 Georgia school districts and a few independent schools. The event, hosted by Georgia Tech’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), drew a crowd of almost 450 people.

The judging panel consisted of industry experts and Georgia Tech faculty members. Judges considered each invention against the following criteria: practicality, design-based thinking, creativity, marketability, manufacturability, and social responsibility.

At the awards ceremony, Kaneva CEO Christopher Klaus gave speech about CREATE-X, a program that gives Georgia Tech students a platform to connect with industry leaders and receive the guidance, support, and capital to launch their own startups. In addition to winners in the elementary, middle school, and high school levels, awards were given for specialty categories and People’s Choice, determined by popular vote. IronCad, TAG Manufacturing, and Georgia Centers of Innovation sponsored some awards. Prizes included GoPro cameras and Snap Circuit science kits.

Here are the winners of the 2017 Georgia Tech K-12 InVenture Challenge and their inventions:

Elementary School Awards

First Place: Illumination Gloves - Due West Elementary School - Grade 5 - Cobb County
Team Members: Jack Cowan, Thomas Wall, and Alex Whiteside
Teachers: Brandye Keasler and Kirsten Perla

Illumination Gloves are running gloves with LED lights that are mounted on the front and back of the fingers and palms. The gloves also have reflective tape on the fingers. Touch-screen-compatible glove fingertips allow smartphone operation.

Second Place: QR Collar - Pickett’s Mill Elementary School - Grade 5- Cobb County
Team Members: Joseph Bamert and Jack Frishmann
Teacher: Cassie Lewallyn

QR Collar is a QR code attached to a reflective cat or dog collar. The QR code can be scanned to identify lost pets and obtain the owner’s contact information and other details.

Third Place: Switcheroo: 5nap - Timber Ridge Elementary School - Grade 5 - Cobb County
Team Members: Hayden Menezes, Sean Ray, and Trey Trotti
Teacher: Shannon Reagan

Switcheroo: 5nap are interchangeable soles for sporting shoes. The soles snap on and off of the shoe, enabling the wearer to use different cleats and bottoms for various sports.

Middle School Awards

First Place: Locker Hammock - JC Booth Middle School - Grade 8 - Fayette County
Team Members: Katie Barry, Olivia Quern, and Esther Ofielu
Teacher: Kathleen Lanman
Award sponsored by Georgia Centers of Innovation

Locker Hammock is a redesign of the standard locker shelf. The shelf consists of suction cups and fabric. The fabric gives the shelf the flexibility to fit neatly in most lockers, while the suction cups allow the shelf to attach firmly to the interior walls.

Second Place: Weight Warrior - Griffin Middle School - Grade 6 - Cobb County
Team Members: Peyton Bedgood and Elise Gildea
Teacher: Faye Yost

Weight Warrior is a neoprene sleeve that can be worn on the forearms or calves underneath clothing. Each sleeve has several zippered pockets to accommodate gel packs of various weights.

Third Place: Let’s Deet This - JC Booth Biddle School - Grade 8 - Fayette County
Team Members: Gracie Weldon, Johanna Nelson, and Raaga Bramhadevi
Teacher: Kathleen Lanman

Let’s Deet is a bug-repelling laundry detergent made from environmentally safe ingredients that accompanies a portable washing machine. Let’s Deet can also be applied to clothes or mosquito nets for an added layer of protection from insects.

High School Awards

First Place: Oil Spill Cleanup Improvement - North Forsyth High School - Grade 11 - Forsyth County
Inventor: Evan Smith
Teacher: John S. Brock
Award sponsored by Georgia Centers of Innovation

Oil Spill Cleanup Improvement proposes using basalt-based filtration systems – made from cost-effective materials – to clean up spills in streams, ponds, lakes, and oceans.

Second Place: Head-Safe Headphones - Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology - Grade 12 - Rockdale County
Inventor: Aja Weary
Teacher: Dametria Williams

Head-Safe Headphones have a higher noise reduction rating than comparable products. They create a calming environment by allowing the user to listen to music at a safe volume level.

Third Place: Pacer Sonix - Collins Hill High School - Grades 11 and 12 - Gwinnett County
Team Members: Michal Szurek, Rubin Park, and Paul Matesevac
Teacher: Bill Daly

Pacer Sonix provides an ultrasonic method for charging internal pacemaker batteries without surgery. Because pacemakers are hermetically sealed, replacing their power source requires surgery about every six years. Pacer Sonix uses piezoelectric energy transfer to slowly charge internal capacitors to prolong the life of a pacemaker. An external component transmits amplified ultrasonic waves, which are received via an ultrasonic piezoelectric transducer within the pacemaker, which charges the battery.

Specialty Awards

IronCAD Award: Xtendlet - Flat Rock Middle School - Grade 8 - Fayette County
Team Members: Ashton Mobley, Mohammed-Faiz Ali Khan, and Thomas Bryan
Teacher: Monica Reckley
Xtendlet is a cord that lengthens the reach of electrical outlets by up to 25 feet. It retracts back neatly to the wall outlet when not in use.

Manufacturing Award: Illumination Gloves - Due West Elementary School - Grade 5 - Cobb County
Team Members: Jack Cowan, Thomas Wall, and Alex Whiteside
Teacher: Brandye Keasler and Kirsten Perla
Award sponsored by TAG Manufacturing

Illumination Gloves are running gloves with LED lights that are mounted on the front and back of the fingers and palms. The gloves also have reflective tape on the fingers. Touch-screen-compatible glove fingertips allow smartphone operation.

People’s Choice Award: Shoe Clipz - Bullard Elementary School - Grade 5 - Cobb County
Team Members: Zoe Chow, Wyatt Frazier, and Angelina Villamar
Teacher: Nikki Brooks

Shoe Clipz allows shoes to remain tied by immobilizing the knot.

Youngest Inventors Award: Training Skateboard - The SAE School - Grade 2 – Independent
Team Members: Mya Boucherl and Johnathan Henderson
Teacher: Tiffany Grant

Training Skateboard is a modified skateboard intended for children. It has handles with extension poles that are mounted at the front and back of the deck for support and balance. The skateboard also includes a braking system.

Top Teacher Awards:
John S. Brock - North Forsyth High School - Forsyth County
Brandye Keasler - Due West Elementary School - Cobb County
Kathleen Lanman - JC Booth Middle School - Fayette County
Kirsten Perla - Due West Elementary School - Cobb County

Written by: Steven L. Taylor - CEISMC Communications