Two sixth grade Alabama students recently were honored for their ingenuity at the 11th annual RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, powered by The Henry Ford.
Ashley N. and Sarala M. of Auburn were among more than 70 award-winning K-12 inventors from across the country celebrated during the June 5 awards ceremony.
The ceremony featured a keynote address from Julian Kage, an Invention Convention alum and founder and CEO of Exactics, a biotech company inspired by his eighth grade invention. This year, 513 students from 30 states competed. More than 80 awards, including cash prizes, trophies, medals and patent applications, were presented.
Invention Convention programs are designed to help develop future problem-solvers, inventors and entrepreneurs. Students are challenged to create novel solutions to problems through hands-on, real-world, project-based learning, the organization said.
Ashley and Sarala received the WilmerHale Patent Application Award for their Sensor Safety Saddle.
“This project is a saddle for people with disabilities who participate in therapeutic riding that alerts them or their instructor that they are off balance to prevent them from falling off the horse,” the organization said.
Students compete at local and regional levels before advancing to the national competition. To participate, students must submit a video presentation of their invention, a prototype, an inventor’s logbook showing the journey of their invention process and a poster board highlighting key points of the invention.
