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100 Students Named Invention Convention Semifinalists at miSci

Edison’s Spirit of Invention Lights Up Capital Region Schools

Invention Convention 2015 Celebrates Top 100 Student Inventions from Nearly1200 Submissions

Thomas Edison’s spirit of invention is alive and flourishing in schools throughout the Capital Region. For Invention Convention 2015, 1,174 students engaged in creative problem solving modeled after Edison’s concept of the invention factory. The top 100 student inventors were invited to create a model of their invention, which will be on exhibit during May at miSci, the museum of innovation and science, and the students will be honored through a Reception and Awards ceremony May 21, 2015. The event is a long time partnership between the museum and GE to engage young people in the innovation process and encourage the next generation of scientists and engineers.

From a Sun Block Roller to a Suction Cup Dust Pan to a Flea Meds Dog Brush, the inventions were chosen from 1,174 submissions representing 41 schools around the Capital Region. The creators of the top 25 inventions will be announced as finalists at the May 21^st Reception and Awards Ceremony, as chosen by a volunteer team of scientists, patent lawyers and other professionals from GE and other local companies.

Invention Convention is an annual student invention competition open to Capital District students from grades K through eight from public, private and home schools from as far south as New York City and as far north as Glens Falls. Students were invited to submit a proposal of an original idea for a device or a method for solving a problem that can occur in the environment, in technology or industry, in the classroom, home or during leisure time activities. A volunteer team of GE scientists and patent lawyers, along with other professionals from the community evaluated the submissions and chose the top 100 entries, based on a list of ten criteria. These students were invited to make models of their inventions, which are on display at miSci from May 2 to May 21.

“miSci is proud to collaborate with area schools, GE and other corporate supporters to offer Invention Convention. What fascinates me is that students usually seek solutions to problems that they face in their everyday lives, a sound way for them to understand real-world applications of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math),” said miSci President Dr. Mac Sudduth. “As the region’s science center, miSci welcomes Invention Convention is an important annual initiative.”

Guest speaker at this year’s ceremony is GE Global Research optical engineer Mark Cheverton, who will deliver a talk on How I Mine My Mind to Create Something New. After teaching high school math and physics 15 years, Cheverton came to GE, conducting research in machine vision, holography, system integration, and process monitoring for 3D printing of metals and plastics.

A GE scientist or engineer is annually selected to be the Invention Convention keynote speaker as one of the many ways the company collaborates with miSci on this initiative. Since its inception in 1997, GE has supported Invention Convention with $90,000 in funding and more than 700 volunteers who serve as judges, school visitors and core planning team members.

“GE has been proud to sponsor Invention Convention since its inception. We know that when children are encouraged to engage in science and technology from an early age, that sets the stage for a bright future, whether in science or a related STEM field,” said Mark Little, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of GE. “That’s the foundation that Invention Convention provides for our up-and-coming scientists.”

The following are Invention Convention 2015 supporters: GE; M & T Bank; Neil • Jane  William • Estelle Golub Family Foundation, Inc.; Price Chopper; Quirky; 1^st Playable Productions, LLC; Eastern New York Intellectual Property Law Association; Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti, PC; Hoffman Warnick LLC; McNamee, Lochner, Titus & Williams, P.C.; New York State United Teachers, and Schmeiser, Olsen & Watts LLP.

About Invention Convention

Invention Convention was originally developed as part of the Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration through the New York State Alliance for Arts. Over time, the Alliance moved out of direct programming for children toward arts advocacy and professional development for teachers.

In 1997, two GE patent attorneys approached the Alliance about reinstating Invention Convention in the Capital Region. The Alliance opted not to be involved, but directed them to the Schenectady Museum. The Museum took on the program, given the strong connection with its mission and collections. A planning committee with members from GE and the Museum was formed, along with representatives from Schmeiser, Olsen & Watts LLP, Eastern New York Intellectual Property Law Association, and later Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C. The team has been dedicated to engaging students in the innovation process for nearly 20 years. Participation has increased steadily from 167 in 1998 to 1,174 this year.

About GE guest speaker Mark Cheverton

Mark Cheverton is an optical engineer who has worked at GE Global Research for 11 years. He comes to GE from a unique path. He attended college and graduate school in Southern California, earning a Master’s Degree in Physics from California State University at Long Beach. After college, he taught in the public schools, teaching high school physics and math for 15 years, winning the prestigious Jaime Escalante Math Teacher’s Award for his efforts in math education. After those 15 years, he left public education and went into engineering, coming to GE’s Global Research Center in Niskayuna. While at GE, he has conducted research in machine vision, building multiple automated inspection systems for various GE businesses as well as developing unique systems for recording holographic images in new GE materials. Currently, he works in the 3D printing (or additive manufacturing) space, developing equipment and software that allows GE to monitor the complex process of metal 3D printing so that they can understand and control this complex process.

About miSci Founded in 1934, miSci is the only science center in Tech Valley offering a multimedia experience for visitors of all ages and serves school children from northeastern New York, western Massachusetts, and southern Vermont. In 2012, miSci entered into a partnership program with the San Francisco-based Exploratorium’s ExNET (Exploratorium Network for Exhibit-Based Teaching) program, miSci receives a different group of hands-on, exploratory-rich exhibits each year for five years, as well as access to the Exploratorium resources to advance each partner’s work in specific areas such as education, inquiry, science engagement, and exhibit development. The Suits-Bueche Planetarium at miSci houses the only GOTO Star Projector in the northeast and is an official NASA Space Place. miSci’s Archives include an extensive GE Photograph collection, with more than 1.6 million prints and negatives; an archival collection with more than 3,500 cubic feet of historic materials; and more than 15,000 objects relating to the history of science and technology. miSci’s Archives houses an 1878 Edison tinfoil, the second oldest documented Edison tinfoil recording, the oldest playable American voice. miSci offers Science Zone, with weekly hands-on activities and challenges; Saturday Science Zone activities are sponsored by National Grid.

About GE GE (NYSE: GE) imagines things others don’t, builds things others can’t and delivers outcomes that make the world work better. GE brings together the physical and digital worlds in ways no other company can. In its labs and factories and on the ground with customers, GE is inventing the next industrial era to move, power, build and cure the world. www.ge.com.

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2015 Invention Convention Semifinalists