Keweenaw students earn top honors, advance to National Invention competition

What’s happening: Two elementary students from the U.P. have qualified to compete at the National Invention Convention in June. This marks the first time students from the U.P., at any grade level, have advanced to the national competition. The students, Adelyn Wilson and Allie Johnson, from Baraga, earned two top awards at the state-level Invention Convention Michigan, at The Henry Ford in Dearborn.

About their project: Magic Footsteps, a tool designed to help young basketball players improve their layup technique. Their project received first place in the “Sports, Games, and Toys” category and was also selected for the “Designing and Building Award,” sponsored by RTX.

About the program: Invention Convention is a K–12 program developed by The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation (and supported regionally by MTU’s College of Engineering) that engages students in identifying real-world problems and developing original solutions through the engineering design process.

The back story: The students advanced to the state competition through InventCon, the Keweenaw’s Youth Innovation Showcase. InventCon is organized by Michigan Technological University’s Engineering Growth, Development, and Engagement program and it serves as the regional qualifying event for Invention Convention – Michigan. The program engages students in grades 3–12 in identifying problems in their daily lives and developing creative solutions using the engineering design process.

What they’re saying: “This experience gives students a chance to turn their ideas into real solutions and share them with a wider audience,” said Tom Oliver, MTU-EDGE Director. “It was clear, through the way these young inventors represented the Keweenaw region at the state level, that they worked very hard on their projects. It was all very impressive.”

What’s next: The National Invention Convention takes place in June at the Henry Ford museum.