Regional Qualifiers


Regional Qualifiers

The 2024 K-12 InVenture Prize Regional Qualifiers included Savannah, South Georgia, and Coweta, from which winners and competitors from each region moved forward to compete in the State Finals event.

Savannah Regional Qualifier

Elementary School Division
1st Place ES
SafeT Bike
Students Keith DaCosta, Edward (Levi) Howington
School Virginia Heard Elementary School, Savannah-Chatham County
2nd Place ES
My Little Baby Helper
Students Mia Balram and Zarria Bacon
School Virginia Heard Elementary School, Savannah-Chatham County
3rd Place ES
The Handy Step Stool
Students Addison Pauling and Jermaine Verdree
School Virginia Heard Elementary School, Savannah-Chatham County

Middle School Division
1st Place MS
The Pocket Extender
Students Ali Fry
School Garrison School for the Arts, Savannah-Chatham County
2nd Place MS
TCG
Students Richardo Diaz, Christian Carter-Johnson, and Keenan Swinton
School Garrison School for the Arts, Savannah-Chatham County

High School Division
1st Place HS
MagKnights
Students Madeline Folland and Ryleigh Still
School Effingham College and Career Academy, Effingham County

Specialty Awards
Manufacturing Award
MagKnights
Students Madeline Folland and Ryleigh Still
School Effingham College and Career Academy, Effingham County
Sustainability Award
SafeT Bike
Students Keith DaCosta, Edward (Levi) Howington
School Virginia Heard Elementary School, Savannah-Chatham County

South Georgia Regional Qualifier

Elementary School Division
1st Place ES
Splash Guard
Students Abigail Bone, Ellie Butler, and Katie Bruce
School Cross Creek Elementary School, Thomas County

Middle School Division
1st Place MS
See the Future
Students Janiya Ivey
Affiliation Butler Mason YMCA Thomas, Thomas County

High School Division
1st Place HS
Know Furr-Buddy
Students Tatiana Everhart
Affiliation Thomasville High School, Thomas County

State Finals

The 2024 K-12 InVenture Prize State Finals event was held on Georgia Tech's campus this year with 108 teams competing at State Finals. Judging was conducted live and in judging circles through the RocketJudge platform with 54 judges evaluating student teams. Additionally, this year's State Finals celebrated a Decade of Discovery, the 10th anniversary of K-12 InVenture Prize.


This year, we invited six incredible past educators and student inventors to discuss why patents are an important part of the invention process and answer questions from current K-12 inventor attendees.

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State Finals Panelists

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Panelist Katie Chastain

Katie Chastain is an educator and entrepreneur passionate about how entrepreneurial thinking can improve communities.

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Panelist William Susskind

William Susskind is one of the high school inventors of Door Bully, the mechanical-only and digital lock for classroom doors to mitigate emergency lockdown situations.

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Panelist Rohan Kumar

Rohan Kumar is one of the high school inventors of Door Bully, the mechanical-only and digital lock for classroom doors to mitigate emergency lockdown situations.

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Panelist Nancy Ernstes

Nancy Ernstes is a retired Cobb County teacher and piloted the first iteration of grades 4-8 K-12 InVenture curriculum with her 5th grade students and helped grow the K-12 InVenture program.

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Panelist Kathleen Lanman

Dr. Kathleen Lanman is prior educator and currently an Education Program Specialist at the Office of Education at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

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Panelist Marc van Zyl

Marc van Zyl is an engineering student at Georgia Tech and a veteran K-12 InVenture Prize alumn.

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State Finals Winners


K-2 Division Winners

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1st Place Totally Tubular

Students Mia Gonzalez, Grace Kerns, and Emery Russell
Teacher Valerie King
School Kennesaw Elementary School, Cobb County

We redesigned a toothpaste tube by making a smaller nozzle so only the right amount of toothpaste is dispensed, added a roller to the bottom of each tube so every last drop of paste is used intentionally and added a zipper like piece on the edge so when a toothpaste tube is empty, it can be "unzipped" cleaned out and used to make a tooth fairy pouch.

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2nd Place 2 in 1 Heat Cutter and Sealer

Students Ethan Havens, Angela Nguyen, and Joseph Williamson
Teacher Amber Woolley
School Tritt Elementary School, Cobb County

People are experiencing growing frustration due to their inability to open or close food packaging. Introducing the 2 in 1 Heat Cutter and Sealer, a revolutionary solution that will effectively seal your food packages. Say goodbye to cumbersome clips and hello to hassle-free packaging!

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3rd Place The Unspillable Cup Lid

Students Khadijat Otunba-Aliu, Le'Azia Green Olivia, and Rogers-Beckley
Teacher Audrey Jinks
School Powder Springs Elementary School, Cobb County

A lid that can be put on any size cup to prevent spills. Don't worry about forgetting your sippy cup when you visit friends the Unspillable Cup Lid. This lid can be used with any size up and is easy to transport.

Elementary Division Winners

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1st Place Micro-Fill

Students Avyanna Bihani, Krisha Tripathi, and Aaradhya Singh
Teacher Kelly Radaszewski
School Sawnee Elementary School, Forsyth County

A drain storage device that can store all the micro beads that come in the water as it passes down the drain using ferrofluid with non-toxic iron oxide powder that can be used to remove microplastics from water, since it’s a magnetic liquid.

Two smiling students holding certificates
2nd Place H2 Whoa

Students Peyton McClendon and Vivian Wheaton
Teacher Jennifer Studdard
School Lillian C. Poole Elementary School, Paulding County

The H2 Whoa is a portable water filtration system. With its features, people all around the world will stay safely hydrated with clean water.

A smiling teacher holder two certificates
3rd Place tie Firepron

Students Emerson Teilhet and Shaambhavi Kartik
Teacher Julia Varnedoe
School Sope Creek Elementary School, Cobb County

2,775 people die in house fires every year. People are dying because of small fires. They panic, and don't know what to do. While they are running around, trying to find a solution, the fire spreads causing more problems. The Firepron solves that problem. It puts out small house fires. All you have to do is lay it on the fire. It has multiple layers, so you don't burn yourself.

Three smiling students holding certificates
3rd Place tie ECO Ball

Students Anna Fisher, Royce Herrin, and James Martin
Teacher Kristen Moore
School West Side Elementary School, Marietta City Schools

Only 24 % of public schools in America recycle. We believe the reason for this is it is too expensive, requires too much time and energy, and may be due to lack of education surrounding recycling. ECO Ball is a game that keeps score of trash reduction efforts by allowing students to participate in recycling in a fun and rewarding way. ECO Ball is accompanied by a group of ECO Ball club members who are responsible for developing educational content aimed at addressing common misconceptions related to recycling and monitoring scores to reward grade levels for their efforts and participation.

Middle Division Winners

Three smiling students holding certificates, prizes, and a plaque
1st Place Allergen Avenger

Students Michael Baker, Andrew Steskal, and Danny Johnson
Teacher Scott McCord
School Mabry Middle School, Cobb County

Using a vacuum, our product exposes air-born protein particles to molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) to detect allergens in food.

Three smiling students holding certificates
2nd Place Recyling Pro

Students Mithra Murphy, Anna Farah, Benjamin Hansen, and Soren Pates
Teacher
School Mabry Middle School, Cobb County

Recycling Pro is an app dedicated to fixing the issue of plastic pollution and recycling.

Three smiling students holding certificates
3rd Place Magnetie

Students Claire McKenzie, Jocelyn Barrere, and Julia Nalin
Teacher Kelly Zern
School Bass Middle School, Coweta County

High Division Winners

A smiling student holding a plaque and certificate
1st Place WaterCleanse: Engineering of Automated Water Purification and Testing Machine

Students Roderick Sneed
Teacher Scott Robinson
School Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology, Rockdale County

The prototyped machine can provide real-time, accurate data on water conditions, empowering individuals and authorities to proactively address water safety concerns. Encompassing prototyping and rigorous testing, ensuring the device's accuracy and reliability. Calibration procedures have been fine-tuned to accommodate variations in water sources, ensuring versatility and applicability across diverse environments. Safeguarding our most precious resource – water.

2nd Place Yuno: AI-Powered Research Organization

Students Vineeth Sendilraj and Ryan Du
Teacher
School Lambert High School, Forsyth County

What if you could research without 30 browser tabs and overwhelming note docs? Try Yuno, a streamlined method to snip anything from anywhere and effortlessly build a searchable knowledge base, transforming your scattered searches into organized, shareable notes.

A smiling student holding a certificate
3rd Place BioGrow

Students Nysha Reddy
Teacher Orla Thomas
School Northgate High School, Coweta County

Specialty Award Winners

A smiling student holding a certificate next to a smiling IronCAD representative
IronCAD Award HS Division WaterCleanse: Engineering of Automated Water Purification and Testing Machine

Students Roderick Sneed
Teacher Scott Robinson
School Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology, Rockdale County

The prototyped machine can provide real-time, accurate data on water conditions, empowering individuals and authorities to proactively address water safety concerns. Encompassing prototyping and rigorous testing, ensuring the device's accuracy and reliability. Calibration procedures have been fine-tuned to accommodate variations in water sources, ensuring versatility and applicability across diverse environments. Safeguarding our most precious resource – water.

Four smiling students holding an IronCAD bag
IronCAD Award MS/ES Division The Vortex

Students Emory Landrum, Boden Bergmans, and Daniel Cheeves
Teacher Andrew Nase
School Evans Middle School, Coweta County

Two smiling students holding certificates
Manufacturing Award Firepron

Students Emerson Teilhet and Shaambhavi Kartik
Teacher Julia Varnedoe
School Sope Creek Elementary School, Cobb County

2,775 people die in house fires every year. People are dying because of small fires. They panic, and don't know what to do. While they are running around, trying to find a solution, the fire spreads causing more problems. The Firepron solves that problem. It puts out small house fires. All you have to do is lay it on the fire. It has multiple layers, so you don't burn yourself.

A smiling student holding a certificate
Constellation Energy Award Biomass Battery: Using Camellia sinensis in Fuel Cell Electrodes

Students Keira Lee
Teacher Seth Bishop
School McIntosh High School, Fayette County

This battery is made from tea! The graphite anode (place where electricity flows) is replaced with a more sustainable carbon derived from tea leaves. This carbon solves three problems at once- climate change, food waste, and graphite mining impacts!

Three smiling students holding certificates and prizes
Health and Medical Award Allergen Avenger

Students Michael Baker, Andrew Steskal, and Danny Johnson
Teacher Scott McCord
School Mabry Middle School, Cobb County

Using a vacuum, our product exposes air-born protein particles to molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) to detect allergens in food.

A smiling student holding a certificate
Agriculture and Food Award BioGrow

Students Nysha Reddy
Teacher Orla Thomas
School Northgate High School, Coweta County

Two smiling students holding prizes and certificates
Consumer Goods and Fashion Award Julacen Backpack Comforters

Students Gracen Smith and Julia Seiger
Teacher Jessica Kirkham
School Union Elementary School, Paulding County

Our device is a stylish, comforting addition to any backpack. It helps add padding to the shoulder straps to alleviate strain. We also plan on varying styles and patterns for a stylish element.

Two smiling students holding certificates and prizes
Animal Care and Pets Award Cool Dog Coller

Students Ivy Clapper and Isla Farlow
Teacher Bhavika Singletary
School Crosscreek Elementary School, Thomas County

Hot weather can be very dangerous to dogs when they are outside. The risk from too much sun exposure can cause seizures, heat stroke, or burned paws or skin. The Cool Dawg Collar helps dogs of all ages cool down in the unforgiving summer heat.

Three smiling students holding certificates and prizes
Environmental and Sustainability Award Micro-Fill

Students Avyanna Bihani, Krisha Tripathi, and Aaradhya Singh
Teacher Kelly Radaszewski
School Sawnee Elementary School, Forsyth County

A drain storage device that can store all the micro beads that come in the water as it passes down the drain using ferrofluid with non-toxic iron oxide powder that can be used to remove microplastics from water, since it’s a magnetic liquid.

Two smiling students holding certificates
Sports, Games, Toys Award The Corder

Students Nathan McKee and William Tyler
Teacher Rex Kienel
School Kennesaw Mountain High School, Cobb County

The Corder is an easy to play, educational string instrument. Our team has worked for the past 3 years to design the Corder to make music more accessible. The current music education system is wrought with unengaging instruments and songs. The Corder solves this issue by offering an instrument that is easy to learn and can play popular songs. This is made possible by our capo system, a system of four buttons that allow you to seamlessly change chords while playing. This year we are utilizing CAD and 3D printing to develop a tuning system to make it easier to play in different keys. It does this with a handle which turns 3 tuning sockets, tuning all 3 strings simultaneously.

Two smiling students holding certificates and prizes
Inclusion Award Team Grocery Eyes

Students Nellie Klodner and Anna Borsh
Teacher Karyn Hunt
School (Sam D.) Panter Elementary School, Paulding County

Help people who are blind become more independent shoppers with the Grocery Eyes App! The app will help make a grocery list and then use GPS to guide the user to the correct aisle. Once in the aisle, the app uses the camera to locate the specific product that the user is looking for. This allows greater independence for people who are blind.

Two smiling students holding certificates
Technology of Tomorrow Award MagKnights

Students Madeline Folland and Ryleigh Still
Teacher Aaron Parker
School Effingham College and Careeer Academy, Effingham County

Hidden magnets pose a threat to a person with a pacemaker/defibrillator, so Magknight would detect these magnets and alert the user when they are too close.

Three smiling students holding certificates and prizes
Best Display Board ECO Ball

Students Anna Fisher, Royce Herrin, and James Martin
Teacher Kristen Moore
School West Side Elementary School, Marietta City Schools

Only 24 % of public schools in America recycle. We believe the reason for this is it is too expensive, requires too much time and energy, and may be due to lack of education surrounding recycling. ECO Ball is a game that keeps score of trash reduction efforts by allowing students to participate in recycling in a fun and rewarding way. ECO Ball is accompanied by a group of ECO Ball club members who are responsible for developing educational content aimed at addressing common misconceptions related to recycling and monitoring scores to reward grade levels for their efforts and participation.

Three smiling students holding certificates
People's Choice Award Splash Guard

Students Abigail Bone, Ellie Butler, and Katie Bruce
Teacher Daneen Ingles
School Cross Creek Elementary School, Thomas County

Our product solves the problem by not letting the dog splash us.

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State Finals Sponsored Awards


State Finals Sponsored Awards

While all participants of the K-12 InVenture Prize State Finals receive a participation medal and certificate, winners in select divisions and categories are also awarded prizes, some of which are sponsored. IronCAD and GIPA are two partners and sponsors whom award specially sponsored prizes. This year, IronCAD and the Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance awarded six incredible inventor teams.

Two smiling adults standing with two smiling students and Buzz, the Georgia Tech yellowjacket mascot
A smiling student holding a certificate and next to a smiling man holding a bag
Three smiling adults standing with a smiling student holding a certificate and plaque and Buzz, the Georgia Tech yellowjacket mascot
Four smiling students standing next to two smiling adults

State Finals Sponsoring Award Representatives

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Panelist Cameron Schriner

IronCAD is a proud partner with K-12 InVenture Prize and sponsor of IronCAD software to participating K-12 InVenture Prize teachers and students over the course of the year. IronCAD also sponsors the IronCAD Award, which is awarded to the top team using IronCAD in their design and prototyping.

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GIPA Representative Michael Frnka

The Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance (GIPA) is a proud partner with K-12 InVenture Prize and sponsor of first place division winners awarded a professional patent search and, if feasible, a patent filing.

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Founders Legal Representative Ed Khalili

Alongside the Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance (GIPA), Founders Legal is a proud partner with K-12 InVenture Prize and sponsor of first place division winners awarded a professional patent search and, if feasible, a patent filing.

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Thank you to our partners and sponsors for another incredible year!

Partners and Sponsors

The following companies support this program.


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The letters G, I, P, A, with an umbrella extended up from the letter I and the words Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance beside the acronym

The words, Founders Legal Bekiares Eliezer LLP

Northside Hospital, written out and centered underneath the intials, N and H

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Graphic of three colored lines and Constellation an Excelon company written underneath it

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The listing of corporate logos on this site does not constitute an endorsement by Georgia Tech.

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Selfie of Roxanne Moore and all participants at State Finals Awards Ceremony
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