JERRY SEIFFERT FOR CONGRESS issued the following announcement on March 6.
Young inventors from around the state converged on the University of Idaho campus Friday and Saturday to present their creations and find out which students would qualify for the National Invention Convention in Michigan later this spring.
The strange and clever inventions — from “toilet tattler” to “human surge protector” and “sushi slicer” — earned some of the students ribbons, science and robotic kits, titles of Best in Show and High School Grand Champion, two $1,000 scholarships to UI and a spot at nationals. Of the young inventors, 19 were chosen to move onto the National Invention Convention at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation from May 31 to June 3 in Dearborn, Mich.
Invent Idaho State Director Beth Brubaker said the students represent the future of the country.
“Invent Idaho is a celebration of creativity,” Brubaker said. “What these young inventors have learned about the creative problem-solving process is what’s really most important because will we all grow up to be inventors? Well, we can hope so but probably not. But will we all grow up to need to solve problems? Absolutely.”
Since 1989, Invent Idaho has challenged K-12 students to identify a problem and come up with a solution. Inventions are judged in categories including Adaptations, Games and Gadgets, Jules Verne, Working Models and Nonworking Models.
The inventions ranged from an app to help with chores, to a remote recycling gizmo that cleans up people’s litter, to a pad that beeps if a parent leaves their child behind in the car seat. Other inventions included an automatic bed maker, a GPS bullet that traces deer and elk after they’re shot and a sidewalk sweeper that allows its user to tidy up the neighborhood while getting exercise on a bicycle.
Daniel Gourley, a seventh-grader at North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, said the inspiration for his invention came from his observation that many young people lack financial knowledge.
“It is taught in schools, but it doesn’t help enough,” he said. “Students don’t internalize the fact that it’s super important; they think it’s just another class.”
Without an understanding of personal finance and how to balance a budget, he says, young adults are ill-equipped for their futures. To address the discrepancy, Gourley created a financial learning tool called My Future Finance. He won an award in the Games and Gadgets category.
The game, designed for people ages 12-18, asks players a series of questions to track earning, spending and how much money they’re saving.
“I went through a beta test with people and it went really well,” Gourley said. “They liked it and had fun. It was difficult, which is one of my main things, but it was also very realistic and engaging.”
Jenny Ford, business relationship officer at Idaho Central Credit Union, said she hopes to continue sponsoring the invention program in the future.
“The skills that Invent Idaho is instilling in our youth is invaluable,” Ford said. “A friend of mine here at the University of Idaho always tells me that life’s a pitch; and if he’s right, then these youngsters sure have a leg up.”
Original source can be found here.
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