SAVE THE DATES THE 2020 INVENTION CONVENTION U.S. NATIONALS Virtual awards ceremony honors young inventors In July 2020, more than 60 students from across the nation took home top honors for their outstanding inventions and problem-solving solutions during the annual Invention Convention U.S. Nationals presented by Raytheon Technologies. The students were among nearly 500 award-winning K-12 inventors who were celebrated at a virtual awards ceremony hosted by The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation correspondent Alie Ward. During the 2019-2020 school year, K-12 inventors from across the country competed at local affiliate events to showcase their inventions at Invention Convention U.S. Nationals. As part of the awards ceremony, The Henry Ford sponsored two awards, including the President’s Choice Award, selected by Patricia Mooradian, president and CEO of The Henry Ford, and the Model i Youth Inventor Award, selected by The Henry Ford’s staff, as examples of innovation.
2021 Invention Convention Michigan Awards Ceremony April 24 The state’s convention winners are announced as national finalists as all participating Michigan inventors are celebrated. Virtual event.
2021 Invention Convention U.S. Nationals presented by Raytheon Technologies Awards Ceremony June 24 The nation’s best young inventors and innovators are honored, chosen from the pool of Invention Convention national finalists identified at competitions held across the nation. Virtual event.
Jadyn & Sienna Smith | Perceive the Puzzle The 2020 President’s Choice Award winners, Jadyn and Sienna (at right) Smith from Ann Arbor, Michigan, are the brains behind the invention Perceive the Puzzle (pictured below). Driven by their desire to help a family member diagnosed with autism, the two 12th-graders created a portable EEG for autistic individuals. This allows caregivers to monitor brain activity, helping them address stress episodes quicker and easier. Jadyn and Sienna’s Perceive the Puzzle device can easily fit on a baseball cap and is comfortable and practical enough to be worn by someone in public. The invention also makes existing EEG technology more accessible to those with autism at a significantly lower price than almost every other personal EEG on the market.
Danny Mefford | The Quick Click The 2020 Model i Youth Inventor Award winner, Danny Mefford, is a sixth-grader from Blanchester, Ohio. A multiyear winner and serial inventor, Danny invented The Quick Click (above right), which seeks to solve the frustration, headache and time that it takes to install an infant car seat. His invention aims to make the installation easier, giving users more time to focus on other safety aspects of the car seat installation process. The Quick Click attaches to the seat belt’s latch plate and slides the seat belt through the car seat. In addition to the Model i Youth Inventor Award, Danny also received top honors in the Manufacturing and Tools category of the Industry Awards.
ONLINE Visit The Henry Ford’s YouTube channel to watch the full 2020 Invention Convention U.S. Nationals Awards Ceremony or visit inventionconvention.org for a full list of the 2020 winnersc
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