Through K-12 InVenture Prize, students not only learn vital skills, such as problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration, but also gain exposure to industries and entrepreneurial thinking, preparing them for future success. Meet some of our incredible inventors and learn what they created and what they are doing now!
Meet Lara
As an eighth-grade student at JC Booth Middle School, Lara Otico worked with her teacher Kathleen Lanman to develop Plapper. Plapper converts the invasive Kudzu vine into sustainable plastic and paper products. Her invention earned Otico awards at K-12 InVenture Prize State Finals, U.S. Nationals and The Invention Convention Americas 2023 awards ceremony in Mexico.
“At the start, my motivation was that it was a class project, but as I got more and more into the issue, I became more passionate about it ... combining helping to save the environment with my passion for chemistry,” Otico said. “It really helped me keep going, kept me motivated to keep learning about the project.”
For Otico, the path to becoming an inventor and entrepreneur offers clarity. “It helps you see the connections between things and you get to apply the things you learn in school in a real-world setting. Inventing lets you apply all those techniques and knowledge you’ve learned into something tangible ... into something where you can actually see what your knowledge is going into.”
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Meet Rohan and William
High school juniors Rohan Kumar and William Susskind from Paul Duke STEM High School worked with their teacher John Mobley to invent a mechanical-only and a digital lock for classroom doors to mitigate emergency lock down situations and help responders locate perpetrators more quickly using A.I. These young Georgia inventors moved on from their success at last year’s K-12 InVenture Prize State Finals to win the Patent Application Award at Invention Convention Worldwide U.S. Nationals Competition. Now Team Door Bully are pursuing intellectual property and installing their innovative safety solution in nearby school districts.
“Door Bully is a device that lets teachers to actively and quickly lock down their doors and also allows for schools to be able to monitor where locked doors are and provide more information to law enforcement,” said Kumar. “It has progressed past simply schools and now can be used in small businesses to ensure that all the doors in the building are locked.”
“Making a cost-effective and efficient method of saving lives and keeping the future of innovation and creativity alive was something where I felt, ‘We have to do this,’” said Susskind. “We have to expand this and keep on working on it no matter what.”
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Meet Aja
From Conyers, GA, Aja participated in the 2017 K-12 InVenture Prize competition in 12th grade and won 2nd place at State Finals with her invention, Headsafe Headphones. She continued onto the national competition, where she won 1st place! What is she up to now?
"The [K-12] InVenture Prize showed me the creative side of engineering... One of the biggest lessons that I had was the importance of leading with your heart."
- Aja
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Meet Jonathan and Riley
Jonathan and Riley participated in the 2016 K-12 InVenture Prize competition with their invention, The Succulent Solution. They participated when they were in 5th grade, but now as sophomores, what are they up to now?
"One of the toughest parts of the [K-12 InVenture Prize] competition was public speaking but in the end it really helped us build a lot of confidence."
- Riley
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Meet Jessica
Jessica participated in the 2015 K-12 InVenture Prize competition when she was in 5th grade and won 1st place at State Finals with her invention, The Shrinky Binky. What is she up to now?
"What was most exciting about [the K-12 InVenture Prize] competition was being able to solve a problem that was personal to me."
- Jessica
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Meet Claire
Claire participated in the 2016 K-12 InVenture Prize competition with her team when she was in 10th grade and won 2nd place at State Finals and at the national competition with her team's invention, Wedge Tech. What is she up to now?
"In school you take math classes and you take science classes but [K-12 InVenture Prize] teaches you how to apply those concepts outside of the classroom."
- Claire