Today, two Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams were among more than a dozen
teams from around the country that presented their winning work at
a White House Science Fair. The fair celebrates the winners of a
broad range of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
competitions, including students from the Cesar Chavez High School
InvenTeam in Laveen, Arizona and the Oak Ridge High School
InvenTeam in Oak Ridge, Tennessee to showcase their inventions to
President Obama. The timing of this prestigious honor coincides
with the Lemelson-MIT Program’s announcement of the 2010 —
2011 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams.
The White House Science Fair fulfills a commitment the President
made at the launch of his Educate to Innovate campaign in November
2009 to inspire boys and girls to excel in math and science. As the
President noted then, “If you win the NCAA championship, you come
to the White House. Well, if you’re a young person and you produce
the best experiment or design, the best hardware or software, you
ought to be recognized for that achievement, too.”
InvenTeams are immersed in science, technology, engineering and
math, or STEM-focused, project-based learning in both classroom and
real-world settings. Teams are encouraged to work with mentors and
establish partner relationships with professionals from industry,
academia and municipalities in their communities. In many cases,
local institutions support InvenTeams with additional funding,
materials and insights.
Each InvenTeam, composed of high school students, teachers and
mentors, receives up to $10,000 in grant funding to create and
pursue yearlong invention projects that provide hands-on access to
STEM education.
As members of the 2009-2010 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam initiative,
the Cesar Chavez and Oak Ridge InvenTeams travelled to the White
House Science Fair with support from The Lemelson Foundation. The
two teams exemplify the goal of the InvenTeam initiative – to
encourage youth to invent technological solutions to real-world
problems. The Cesar Chavez High School InvenTeam invented a
physical therapy chair for medically fragile individuals to reduce
muscular atrophy, and the Oak Ridge High School InvenTeam developed
a water purifier that provides more widespread access to clean
water in rural Appalachia.
“The Cesar Chavez and Oak Ridge InvenTeams’ visit to the White
House is a testament to the power of invention to change the world
and help others. Their altruistic projects have caught the
attention of President Obama. With dedicated teachers and support
from the government, corporations and non-profit organizations,
students can and will build the academic foundation and technical
skills — while gaining confidence — that they need to
become change-makers,” says Leigh Estabrooks, the Lemelson-MIT
Program’s invention education officer, who oversees the InvenTeam
initiative.
The selection of the 2010 — 2011 teams follows a September
report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and
Technology (PCAST), where recommendations were presented to
President Obama to improve K-12 STEM education. One key conclusion
was the creation of opportunities that prepare and inspire students
to engage in STEM activities outside of the classroom, motivating
them to pursue careers in these fields.
A respected panel of judges composed of educators, researchers,
staff and alumni from MIT, as well as former Lemelson-MIT Program
Award winners and innovation industry leaders, selected the
InvenTeams from a national pool of applicants based on the
technical merits of their proposals for useful and unique devices.
Members of the 2010 — 2011 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam initiative
are drawn from public high schools in rural, suburban and urban
communities; those schools and their proposed inventions are:
East
- Berlin High School (Cherry Plain, N.Y.): Alert device for
hearing-impaired athletes - Smithtown High School West (Smithtown, N.Y.): Solar tracker for
a compact, portable, affordable solar charging unit
Central
- Bloom High School (Chicago Heights, Ill.): Collection and
recycling device for vegetable oil at restaurants - Eureka Springs High School (Eureka Springs, Ark.): Search and
rescue cane with GPS, light source and sound mechanism - Green Bay Southwest High School (Green Bay, Wis.): Portable
hydroelectric supply station - Kings High School (Kings Mills, Ohio): Portable, low-cost,
hydroelectric generator for developing countries - Northbrook High School (Houston, Texas): Energy-efficient
cooling blanket - Omaha North High School Magnet (Omaha, Neb.): Sustainable
cooking system for developing countries - Pike Central High School (Petersburg, Ind.): Lightweight,
portable emergency shelter
South
- Carlton J. Kell High School (Marietta, Ga.): Remotely-operated
oil removal watercraft - Suncoast High School (Riviera Beach, Fla.): Durable, efficient
wave energy conversion system
West
- Tehachapi High School (Tehachapi, Calif.): Low-cost, durable
shoes for remote villagers in developing countries - West High School (Salt Lake City, Utah): Autonomous,
solar-powered robot to locate unexploded weaponry - West Salem High School (Salem, Ore.): Pressure sensitive grip
for writing utensils
In June 2011, after working through the various stages of design
and prototype development throughout the school year, InvenTeams
will showcase their projects at EurekaFest, a multi-day celebration
of the inventive spirit, presented by the Lemelson-MIT Program at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus in
Cambridge, Mass.
In addition to the 14 new teams, continuation grants of up to
$2,000 will be awarded to select InvenTeams from the previous year
interested in establishing a sustainable program for invention in
their school curriculums or communities. Both Cesar Chavez High
School and Oak Ridge High School have been selected for
continuation grants.