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Oct 20, 2009
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2 Arizona high schools awarded Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam grants to tackle real-world problems

Tags: cesar chavez high school, stem education, trevor browne high school

Teens Aim to Make a Difference Through Invention: 15 High Schools Awarded Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Grants to Tackle Real-World Problems

Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:30am EDT 
Grant Applications Now Available for 2010 - 2011 School Year
                  
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(Business Wire)--
                  Today, the Lemelson-MIT Program announced 15 teams of high school students,
                  teachers and mentors selected to participate in the 2009-2010 InvenTeam
                  initiative. The teams will pursue year-long invention projects and be provided
                  with hands-on access to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
                  education. 
                  
                  The Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam initiative is a national grants program designed to
                  excite the next generation of inventors and problem solvers through hands-on
                  learning, while encouraging an inventive culture in schools and communities.
                  Each InvenTeam will receive up to $10,000 in grant funding to create a
                  technological solution to a real-world problem of their choosing. InvenTeam
                  projects this year include a portable, human-powered UV water filtration device,
                  a physical therapy chair designed to reduce muscular atrophy, and a
                  temperature-sensitive color-changing roof to combat global warming. 
                  
                  "This year`s projects show an increased focus on invention as a way to improve
                  the world," says Leigh Estabrooks, the Lemelson-MIT Program`s invention
                  education officer, who manages the InvenTeam initiative. "It`s encouraging that
                  teens recognize the power of invention in solving real-world problems; they`ll
                  be able to translate the skills learned through their InvenTeam experience into
                  careers that focus on inventive thinking while improving society." 
                  
                  InvenTeam students will work through the various stages of design and
                  development to create invention prototypes. In June, they will showcase these
                  prototypes 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. 
                  
                  Students are encouraged to establish mentor relationships with professionals
                  from industry, academia, and municipalities in their communities, in addition to
                  working with fellow classmates and their teachers. In many cases, local
                  companies support InvenTeam projects with additional funding, materials and
                  valuable mentorship insights. This year`s teams tap into the expertise of
                  professors and researchers from associated colleges, universities, museums,
                  hospitals and local businesses. 
                  
                  "Connecting the students with mentors in related fields further encourages them
                  to discover invention and exposes them to a new realm of possibilities, making
                  STEM careers more accessible," said Joshua Schuler, executive director of the
                  Lemelson-MIT Program. 
                  
                  Members of the 2009-2010 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam initiative are drawn from public
                  high schools in rural, suburban, and urban communities across the United States;
                  more than half are from urban schools and for the first time, InvenTeams have
                  been selected from the states of West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina,
                  Arizona and Nebraska. 
                  
                  A prestigious panel of judges composed of educators and researchers from MIT and
                  Harvard University, industry representatives, MIT staff and alumni,and former
                  Lemelson-MIT Program Award winners select the InvenTeams from a national pool of
                  applicants. They are selected based on ingenuity and demonstrated potential in
                  creative thinking. The 2009-2010 grant recipients and their proposed inventions
                  are: 
                  
                  East
                  
                  * Commack High School (Commack, N.Y.): Standby-power usage reduction device 
                  * Staten Island Technical High School (Staten Island, N.Y.): Comfort control
                  wheelchair seating 
                  * Washington County Technical High School (Hagerstown, Md.):
                  Temperature-sensitive, color-changing roof to combat global warming
                  
                  Central
                  
                  * Omaha Benson High School Magnet (Omaha, Neb.): Outdoor, self-sustaining, solar
                  powered hydroponic gardening system 
                  * Science Museum of Minnesota (Saint Paul, Minn.): Portable watercraft transfer
                  device for people with disabilities 
                  * University Laboratory High School (Urbana, Ill.): Effluent removal apparatus
                  for sustainable aquaculture
                  
                  South
                  
                  * Columbus High School (Columbus, Ga.): Portable, inexpensive device to predict
                  high-probability conditions for lightning strikes 
                  * Cypress Bay High School (Weston, Fla.): Portable, human-powered, UV water
                  filtration device 
                  * Greenbrier West High School (Charmco, W.Va.): Wetland assessment system for
                  multi-spectral photography, moisture sensing and data retrieval 
                  * Hillside New Technical High School (Durham, N.C.): Residential green roofing
                  system for sloped surfaces 
                  * Hopewell High School (Hopewell, Va.): Ergonomic, interactive student desk 
                  * Oak Ridge High School (Oak Ridge, Tenn.): Micro-scale hydroelectric water
                  purifier
                  
                  West
                  
                  * Cesar Chavez High School (Laveen, Ariz.): Motorized physical therapy chair to
                  reduce muscular atrophy 
                  * Trevor Browne High School (Phoenix, Ariz.): Simple, human-powered drill tiller
                  
                  * Woodrow Wilson Classical High School (Long Beach, Calif.): Air resistance and
                  energy conversion system to increase energy efficiency of trains
                  
                  In addition to the 15 new InvenTeams this year, continuation grants of up to
                  $2,000 will be awarded to select teams interested in pursuing projects from the
                  previous year. Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam applications for the 2010-2011 school year
                  are now available at http://web.mit.edu/inventeams/. Teams of high school
                  students and mentors are encouraged to apply. 
                  
                  About the Lemelson-MIT Program
                  
                  The Lemelson-MIT Program recognizes outstanding inventors, encourages
                  sustainable new solutions to real-world problems, and enables and inspires young
                  people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention. 
                  
                  Jerome H. Lemelson, one of U.S. history`s most prolific inventors, and his wife
                  Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of
                  Technology in 1994. The Lemelson Foundation, which funds the program, is a
                  private philanthropy that celebrates and supports inventors and entrepreneurs to
                  strengthen social and economic life.
                  
                  Cone
                  Julie Staadecker, 617-939-8427
                  jstaadecker@coneinc.com
                  or
                  Lemelson-MIT Program
                  Ilana Schoenfeld, 617-258-0632
                  ilanasch@mit.edu