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

Elementary School Division Middle School Division High School Division
1st Place SafeT Bike
Inventors | Keith DaCosta, Edward (Levi) Howington
Virginia Heard Elementary School, Savannah-Chatham County
1st Place The Pocket Extender
Inventors | 
Ali Fry
Garrison School for the Arts, Savannah-Chatham County
1st Place MagKnights
Inventors | Madeline Folland and Ryleigh Still
Effingham College and Career Academy, Effingham County
2nd Place My Little Baby Helper
Inventors | Mia Balram and Zarria Bacon
Virginia Heard Elementary School, Savannah-Chatham County
2nd Place TCG
Inventors | Richardo Diaz, Christian Carter-Johnson, and Keenan Swinton
Garrison School for the Arts, Savannah-Chatham County
 
3rd Place The Handy Step Stool
Inventors | Addison Pauling and Jermaine Verdree
Virginia Heard Elementary School, Savannah-Chatham County
   
Specialty Awards
Manufacturing Award MagKnights
Inventors | Madeline Folland and Ryleigh Still
Effingham College and Career Academy, Effingham County
Sustainability Award SafeT Bike
Inventors | Keith DaCosta, Edward (Levi) Howington
Virginia Heard Elementary School, Savannah-Chatham County

South Georgia Regional

Elementary School Division Middle School Division High School Division
1st Place Splash Guard
Inventors | Abigail Bone, Ellie Butler, and Katie Bruce
Cross Creek Elementary School, Thomas County
1st Place See the Future
Inventors | Janiya Ivey
Butler Mason YMCA Thomas, Thomas County
1st Place Know Furr-Buddy
Inventors | Tatiana Everhart
Thomasville High School, Thomas County
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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.

K-2 Division Placement Awards

Two smiling students holding certificates, prizes, and a plaque

Totally Tubular

1st Place

Inventors | Mia Gonzalez, Grace Kerns, and Emery Russell

Teacher | Valerie King

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.

Three similng students holding certificates

2 in 1 Heat Cutter and Seale

2nd Place

Inventors | Ethan Havens, Angela Nguyen, and Joseph Williamson

Teacher | Amber Woolley

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!

Three smiling students holding certificates

The Unspillable Cup Lid

3rd Place

Inventors | Khadijat Otunba-Aliu, Le'Azia Green Olivia, and Rogers

Teacher | Audrey Jinks

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 School Division Placement Awards

Three smiling students holding certificates and prizes

Micro-Fill

1st Place

Inventors | Avyanna Bihani, Krisha Tripathi, and Aaradhya Singh

Teacher | Kelly Radaszewski

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

H2 Whoa

2nd Place

Inventors | Peyton McClendon and Vivian Wheaton

Teacher | Jennifer Studdard

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

Firepron

3rd Place tie

Inventors | Emerson Teilhet and Shaambhavi Kartik

Teacher | Julia Varnedoe

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

ECO Ball

3rd Place tie

Inventors | Anna Fisher, Royce Herrin, and James Martin

Teacher | Kristen Moore

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 School Division Placement Awards

Three smiling students holding certificates, prizes, and a plaque

Allergen Avenger

1st Place

Inventors | Michael Baker, Andrew Steskal, and Danny Johnson

Teacher | Scott McCord

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

Recycling Pro

2nd Place

Inventors | Mithra Murphy, Anna Farah, Benjamin Hansen, and Soren Pates

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

Magnetie

3rd Place

Inventors | Claire McKenzie, Jocelyn Barrere, and Julia Nalin

Teacher | Kelly Zern

Bass Middle School, Coweta County

High School Division Placement Awards

A smiling student holding a plaque and certificate

WaterCleanse: Engineering of Automated Water Purification and Testing Machine

1st Place

Inventor | Roderick Sneed

Teacher | Scott Robinson

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.

Yuno: AI-Powered Research Organization

2nd Place

Inventors | Vineeth Sendilraj and Ryan Du

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

BioGrow

3rd Place

Inventor | Nysha Reddy

Teacher | Orla Thomas

Northgate High School, Coweta County

Specialty Awards

A smiling student holding a certificate next to a smiling IronCAD representative

WaterCleanse: Engineering of Automated Water Purification and Testing Machine

IronCAD Award HS Division

Inventor | Roderick Sneed

Teacher | Scott Robinson

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

The Vortex

IronCAD Award MS/ES Division

Inventors | Emory Landrum, Boden Bergmans, and Daniel Cheeves

Teacher | Andrew Nase

Evans Middle School, Coweta County

Two smiling students holding certificates

Firepron

Manufacturing Award

Inventors | Emerson Teilhet and Shaambhavi Kartik

Teacher | Julia Varnedoe

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

Biomass Battery: Using Camellia sinensis in Fuel Cell Electrodes

Constellation Energy Award

Inventor | Keira Lee

Teacher | Seth Bishop

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

Allergen Avenger

Health and Medical Award

Inventors | Michael Baker, Andrew Steskal, and Danny Johnson

Teacher | Scott McCord

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

BioGrow

Agriculture and Food Award

Inventor | Nysha Reddy

Teacher | Orla Thomas

Northgate High School, Coweta County

Two smiling students holding prizes and certificates

Julacen Backpack Comforters

Consumer Goods and Fashion Award

Inventors | Gracen Smith and Julia Seiger

Teacher | Jessica Kirkham

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

Cool Dog Coller

Animal Care and Pets Award

Inventors | Ivy Clapper and Isla Farlow

Teacher | Bhavika Singletary

Cross Creek 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

Micro-Fill

Environmental and Sustainability Award

Inventors | Avyanna Bihani, Krisha Tripathi, and Aaradhya Singh

Teacher | Kelly Radaszewski

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

The Corder

Sports, Games, Toys Award

Inventors | Nathan McKee and William Tyler

Teacher | Rex Kienel

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

Team Grocery Eyes

Inclusion Award

Inventors | Nellie Klodner and Anna Borsh

Teacher | Karyn Hunt

(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

MagKnights

Technology of Tomorrow Award

Inventors | Madeline Folland and Ryleigh Still

Teacher | Aaron Parker

Effingham College and Career 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

ECO Ball

Best Display Board

Inventors | Anna Fisher, Royce Herrin, and James Martin

Teacher | Kristen Moore

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

Splash Guard

People's Choice Award

Inventors | Abigail Bone, Ellie Butler, and Katie Bruce

Teacher | Daneen Ingles

Cross Creek Elementary School, Thomas County

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

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State Finals Panel

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.

four smiling individuals, one holding a microphone
a group of students seated, one raising her hand
a group of students seated, one speaking into a microphone held by an adult
three adults, one speaking into a microphone

Backs of six individuals sitting in a row with an audience behind them

three smiling individuals, one holding a microphone
a group of students seated, one speaking into a microphone
a group of students seated, one speaking into a microphone
three individuals, one speaking into a microphone

Panelists

Headshot of a smiling woman

Panelist Katie Chastain


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

Headshot of a smiling man

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.

Headshot of a smiling man

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.

A smiling woman with three smiling students

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.

Headshot of a smiling woman

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

The following companies support this program. The listing of corporate logos on this site do not constitute an endorsement by Georgia Tech.

Partners

Sponsors

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