A select number of winning teams from Georgia Tech’s K-12 InVenture Prize State Finals have been invited to represent the State of Georgia at the Raytheon Technologies Invention Convention U.S. Nationals June 5-7 in Dearborn, Michigan.

Invention Convention U.S. Nationals is a unique multi-day experience for students to present their inventions to educational and industry expert judges as well as other student inventors across the country. Hosted at the Henry Ford in Dearborn, Invention Convention U.S. Nationals invites student inventors to compete at the national level. An affiliate of Invention Convention Worldwide, K-12 InVenture Prize reserves a number of spots to invite select student teams from State Finals to represent Georgia at the U.S. Nationals competition. Qualifying inventions are eligible for industry awards, patent application awards, cash prizes, and scholarships.

“We are so proud of our student inventors who have worked so hard, with the invaluable help of their STEM teachers, to move up and compete on the national stage representing their home state,” said Danyelle Larkin, director of the K-12 InVenture Prize program. “Some members of our team will be travelling to the competition in Dearborn to cheer on our students who are simply amazing. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for student inventors to truly discover their potential as they continue to refine their inventions and presentations. Many of our students go onto apply for patents and develop their ideas into working businesses.”

The teams representing Georgia for this year’s competition are:

• Allergen Avengers, MABRY MIDDLE SCHOOL: Uses a vacuum to detect allergens in food.
• Recycling Pro, MABRY MIDDLE SCHOOL: An app that helps reduce plastic pollution and encourages recycling.
• Micro-Fill, SAWNEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: A drain storage device that removes microplastics from water.
• Cool Dog Collar, CROSS CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Helps keep dogs cool in the summer.
• ECO Ball, WEST SIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: A recycling game.
• Grocery Eyes: SAM D. PANTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL An app that helps sight-impaired people navigate the grocery store and organize shopping.
• Biomass Battery, MCINTOSH HIGH SCHOOL: A sustainable battery made from tea.
• H2Whoa, MILDRED B. POOLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: A portable water filtration system.
• The Corder, KENNESAW MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL: A guitar-like instrument that makes playing fun and easy without music theory.
• BioGrow, NORTHGATE HIGH SCHOOL: A bio-fungicide that organically treats turfgrass.
• MagKnight, EFFINGHAM COLLEGE & CAREER ACADEMY: Detects hidden magnets and alerts users when they are too close.
• Firepron, SOPE CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: An apron that extinguishes small house fires.

The K-12 InVenture Prize, based in the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), challenges kindergarten through high school students to identify real-world problems and design novel solutions through analysis, creativity, and the engineering design process.

For more information on the K-12 InVenture Prize curriculum and competition, please visit k12inventure.gatech.edu or www.k12inventure.org.

—Randy Trammell, CEISMC Communications