18 HIGH SCHOOLS AWARDED
LEMELSON-MIT INVENTEAMS GRANTS

Grant Applications Now Available for 2006 - 2007

CAMBRIDGE, MA, October 25, 2005 — The next ingenious invention may not come from a giant corporation, but from a local high school.

Teams of students and teachers from 18 high schools across the country were recently awarded InvenTeams grants up to $10,000 each by the Lemelson-MIT Program to invent prototype devices that address problems they have identified. The proposed inventions range from a cell phone locker to a portable hydraulic press.

A prestigious panel of judges that included educators and researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and Tufts University; representatives from industry; and MIT staff and alumni selected this year's InvenTeams from a national pool of applicants.

"The sophistication of the InvenTeams' proposed inventions and the quality of their applications is extremely impressive year after year," said Joshua Schuler, the Lemelson-MIT Program's InvenTeams Grants Officer.

Merton Flemings, Director of the Lemelson-MIT Program, explained that InvenTeams aims to inspire creative thinking and innovation among high school students by giving teachers the opportunity and resources to provide a hands-on, real-world invention experience.

"It's critical that we equip young people to define problems clearly and invent creative, innovative and practical solutions to them," Flemings said. "Our nation's ability to remain competitive in the global marketspace depends on it."

"At its core, InvenTeams is about invention, but there is so much more to the experience," added Schuler. "Not everyone who participates needs to be a science or math whiz. Students also learn leadership, teamwork, project management, communication, budgeting and marketing skills. These are universal and transferable to any type of career."

This year's Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams come from public, private and technical magnet high schools in urban, suburban and rural communities across the United States. The grant recipients and their proposed inventions are:

EAST

• Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, Washington, D.C.: Cell-Phone Locker
• John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, Roxbury, Mass.: Automatic Blackboard Eraser
• St. Paul's School, Concord, N.H.: Sensor for the Elderly
• Sussex County Technical School, Sparta, N.J.: Service Dog Treat
• Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Va: Neural-Directed Wheelchair
• Upper Darby High School, Drexel Hill, Penn.: Omni-Directional Wheelchair

SOUTH

• Alabama School of Mathematics and Science, Mobile, Ala.: Anti-Mine Robot System
• Columbus High School, Columbus, Ga.: Vibration Sensor
• Eureka Springs High School, Eureka Springs, Ark.: Wrist-Band Health Monitor
• Felix Varela Senior High School, Miami, Fla.: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Alert

MIDWEST

• Bayfield High School, Bayfield, Wis.: SCUBA Light
• Johnson High School, St. Paul, Minn.: Portable Hydraulic Press
• Manufacturing Technology Academy, Traverse City, Mich.: Mouse Glove
• Nerinx Hall High School, Webster Groves, Mo.: Portable Water Treatment

WEST

• Moscow Senior High School, Moscow, Idaho: Field Burner
• Philomath High School, Philomath, Ore.: Reusable Enzymatic Biodiesel Unit
• Simms High School, Simms, Mont.: Vision Augmentation
• Summit High School, Bend. Ore.: Hybrid Electrical Power Generator

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In June, delegates from each InvenTeam will present their inventions during the InvenTeams Odyssey, a culminating event at MIT.

InvenTeams applications for the 2006-2007 school year are now available at www.inventeams.org.

ABOUT THE LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM

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