Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams™ Selected From National Pool of Student Applicants

16 High School Teams Awarded up to $10,000 in Grants to Bring Invention Ideas to Life

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--()--Engaging young Americans in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) continues to be a key strategy to maintaining the United States’ position as a global leader. Yet a 2011 report by the U.S. Department of Commerce found that nearly half of the U.S. workforce – women – continues to be a minority in STEM fields, holding less than 25 percent of jobs1. The same report found that women hold a disproportionately low share of STEM undergraduate degrees, particularly in engineering.

The Lemelson-MIT Program is helping to address this gender gap, awarding – based on technical merit – three all-girl schools up to $10,000 in grant funding as part of the 2012-2013 InvenTeam initiative. Sixteen teams total comprised of students, teachers and mentors will pursue year-long invention projects that address real-world problems. Now in its tenth year as a national grants program, InvenTeams aims to inspire a new generation of inventors by engaging participants in creative thinking, problem-solving and hands-on learning in STEM.

“The gender gap within STEM fields can be attributed, in part, to the need for more female role models in related careers,” said Joshua Schuler, executive director of the Lemelson-MIT Program. “Hands-on learning programs that reach young women and men, like Lemelson-MIT’s InvenTeam initiative, ensure that we continue to grow our future pool of science and technology leaders and icons.”

Proposed by public, private, charter, and home-based school teams from around the country, this year’s inspiring InvenTeam projects include the invention of a life jacket for prolonged search and rescue, a bacteria-powered battery and an ozone water purification system. Through the InvenTeam process, students develop leadership, teamwork and technical building skills, while engaging with professionals from industry and academia in their communities as they develop their invention. Through their InvenTeam experiences, Students gain the skills necessary to be competitive and successful in both their education and careers.

“This year’s projects, from inventions for environmental sustainability to those for health and safety, show that young Americans are not just motivated to invent, but are committed to improving the lives of others through invention,” said Leigh Estabrooks, the Lemelson-MIT Program’s invention education officer. “Our goal with InvenTeams is to help inspire both men and women to be future inventors.”

Meet the 2012–2013 InvenTeams

A respected panel of invention and academic leaders from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the Lemelson-MIT Program, industry and InvenTeam student alumni selected the InvenTeams from a national pool of applicants. The 2012–2013 Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams and their proposed inventions are:

East

  • ACTS Home Education Cooperative (Charlottesville, Va.): Wind turbine for traffic airflow capture
  • Beaver Country Day School (Chestnut Hill, Mass.): Automated robotic vehicular independence system
  • Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School (Groton, Conn.): Compost water heating system
  • John P. Stevens High School (Edison, N.J.): Life jacket for prolonged search and rescue
  • Nashua High School North (Nashua, N.H.): Bacteria-powered battery
  • Natick High School (Natick, Mass.): Ice search and rescue remotely-operated vehicle
  • Newton North High School (Newton, Mass.): Pedestrian alert system
  • Sturgis West Charter Public School West (Hyannis, Mass.): Marine mammal rescue transporter
  • Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Alexandria, Va.): Emotive aid for combating autism

Central

  • LEARN Science and Math Academy (Kansas City, Mo.): Radio frequency identification system for medicine tracking
  • St. Ursula Academy (Toledo, Ohio): Pill dispensing organizational system

South

  • Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders (Austin, Texas): Pressurized produce preserver

West

  • Colfax High School (Colfax, Calif.): Construction layout tool
  • Girls Leadership Academy of Arizona (Phoenix, Ariz.): Drowning prevention device
  • Henry M. Gunn High School (Palo Alto, Calif.): Solar egg incubator
  • Los Alamitos High School (Los Alamitos, Calif.): Ozone water purification system

In June 2013, the 2012-2013 InvenTeams will showcase their projects at EurekaFest, the Lemelson-MIT Program’s public, multi-day celebration of the inventive spirit at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass.

Calling All Young Inventors!

The Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam application for the 2013–2014 school year is now available at http://web.mit.edu/inventeams/. Teams of high school students, teachers, and mentors are encouraged to apply.

ABOUT THE LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM
Celebrating innovation, inspiring youth

The Lemelson-MIT Program celebrates outstanding innovators 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. It is funded by The Lemelson Foundation and administered by the School of Engineering. The Foundation sparks, sustains and celebrates innovation and the inventive spirit. It supports projects in the U.S. and developing countries that nurture innovators and unleash invention to advance economic, social and environmentally sustainable development. To date The Lemelson Foundation has donated or committed more than U.S. $150 million in support of its mission. http://web.mit.edu/invent/

1 U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration. (2011) Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation. Website: http://www.esa.doc.gov/Reports/women-stem-gender-gap-innovation

Contacts

Cone Communications
Julie Kane, 617-939-8346
jkane@coneinc.com
or
Lemelson-MIT Program
Stephanie Martinovich, 617-258-0632
smartino@mit.edu

Contacts

Cone Communications
Julie Kane, 617-939-8346
jkane@coneinc.com
or
Lemelson-MIT Program
Stephanie Martinovich, 617-258-0632
smartino@mit.edu