Twenty-six elementary through high school students from Chatham County, Effingham County, Bryan County, and Liberty County participated in the Savannah Regional Qualifier on February 6, presenting their inventions as a part of Georgia Tech’s K-12 InVenture Prize competition. 

Some of the student inventions included: an intuitive trash can that encourages recycling; an AI-powered sleeping device; an innovative wrist brace that uses heat; a device that detects harmful magnetic fields for pacemakers and defibrillators; and a safety alert system that works with Google Maps. 

The event took place at the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) on Georgia Tech’s Savannah campus. Event judges represented Coastal Georgia, including leaders from the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, as well as professionals from Georgia Ports, HMTX Global, SSOE, Gulfstream Aerospace, and local business and industry consultants. The keynote speaker was Chastity Williams-Lasley, from JCB North America. 

“We were so excited to see all of the energy of our students presenting their inventions and designs,” said Timothy Cone, senior program director for CEISMC Savannah. “This is really an event that not only brings together so many of our community members with our students, teachers, and parents, it also helps to strengthen our communities. We are helping our students prepare for the high-tech world of tomorrow, building critical thinking and decision-making skills." 

The following winners from the Savannah Regional Qualifier are invited to participate in the K-12 InVenture Prize State Finals competition at Georgia Tech in Atlanta on March 12. 

Elementary School Division Winners 

• First Place: Tech Can, Mia Balram, Nina Negron
• Second Place: Eraser 2.0, Makail Henley, Zarria Bacon, Lydia Dobson
• Third Place: Retract Eraser, John Bynum, Justin Fennell

Middle School Division Winners  

• First Place: Lunch Locks, Zoe Karr, Isabella Edenfield, Olive Bartlett
• Second Place: Pyra Sleep System, Annabelle Lee

High School Division Winners  

• First Place: MagKnight, Madeline Folland
• Second Place: Safety Search, Brieanna Pertuz, Shivam Shah, Viviana Pritchett
• Third Place: Healthy Heat, Karson Phillips, Hollis Wehner

Educators interested in participating in next year’s Savannah Regional Qualifier can contact Timothy Cone at timothy.cone@ceismc.gatech.edu. 

For more information on K-12 InVenture Prize State Finals, click here. 

For more information on the K-12 InVenture Prize competition, click here. 

—Randy Trammell, CEISMC Communications