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HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GET FUNDING FOR
INVENTIONS
THAT SOLVE COMMUNITY PROBLEMS
Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams Grants
Awarded to 10 Schools Nationwide
CAMBRIDGE, MA, October 20, 2003 — More than 180 students
at 10 high schools across the country are getting the chance this
school year to work on teams to create inventions that benefit their
schools or communities. These students, and their teachers and mentors,
are this year's recipients of the prestigious Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams
grants.
"In a time of tight school budgets and a national emphasis
on standardized tests, high schools are hard pressed to fund educational
projects that go beyond the basics of math and science," said
Merton Flemings, director of the Lemelson-MIT Program, which sponsors
the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams grants initiative. "Our aim is
to foster inventiveness in high school students and encourage them
to think outside the confines of a standardized test."
"We want to show students that invention in science, technology
and engineering is a viable and exciting career path," added
Joshua Schuler, InvenTeams grants officer for the Lemelson-MIT Program.
"We're giving students hands-on invention experience and connecting
them with mentors from fields related to their proposed projects."
2004 LEMELSON-MIT INVENTEAMS
Teams from public, private and vocational high schools across the
country have been named this year's InvenTeams. Their proposed inventions
represent the fields of assistive robotics, environmental science,
health and safety, and consumer products. This year's grants recipients
are:
Agawam High School, Agawam, Mass.: Pothole prediction and prevention
device
Arlington High School, Arlington, Mass.: Automatic pedestrian
crossing device
East High School, Anchorage, Alaska: Snow robot to monitor snow
conditions and avalanche hazards
Germantown Academy, Fort Washington, Pa.: Braille-to-voice assistive
device
Gulliver Preparatory School, Miami, Fla.: Inspection-friendly
luggage
Linn-Mar High School, Marion, Iowa: Assistive robotic device
for the disabled
Norfolk Technical Vocational Center, Norfolk, Va.: Ergonomic
student backpack
North Miami Beach Senior High School, North Miami Beach, Fla.:
Bathroom assistive device for the elderly
Paso Robles High School, Paso Robles, Calif.: Remote sensing
environmental (air quality) monitoring device
Perry Hall High School, Baltimore, Md.: Solar-powered water-testing
device
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THE SELECTION PROCESS
High school science, mathematics and technology teachers applied
for the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams grants last spring. In the fall,
25 finalists were asked to complete second-round applications honing
their invention ideas. A panel of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
faculty and alumni, professional inventors and engineers, and Lemelson-MIT
Program staff then reviewed the applications and selected the grant
recipients.
The 10 InvenTeams will spend the next seven months working on
their inventions and completing working prototypes. Each month
they will file updates via the InvenTeams Web site, http://www.inventeams.org
to elaborate on their progress and detail their expenditures and
upcoming financial needs. A final report, including a working
prototype and documentation, is due by June 1, 2004.
In Spring 2004, the 10 InvenTeams will be invited to an event
at the MIT campus to showcase their inventions.
Now in its second year, the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams grants initiative
evolved out of the Lemelson-MIT Program's annual High School Invention
Apprenticeship, a national program that provided a hands-on learning
experience to individual high school students.
ABOUT THE LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM
The Lemelson-MIT Program provides the resources and inspiration
to make invention and innovation more accessible to today's youth.
It accomplishes this mission through outreach activities and annual
awards, including the world's largest prize for invention—the
$500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize.
The Lemelson-MIT Program was founded in 1994 at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology by Jerome H. Lemelson, one of the world's
most prolific inventors, and his wife, Dorothy. It is funded by
The Lemelson Foundation, a private philanthropy committed to honoring
the contributions of inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs and
to inspiring ingenuity in others. More information on the Lemelson-MIT
Program can be found at http://mit.edu/invent.
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