Local students earn their way to national Invention Convention
May 4—Three Lodi Unified School District students are headed to Michigan next month to present inventions they created that make life a little easier for people.
John Muir Elementary School fifth-grade students Amira Mohmand, Taylor Sahyoun and Neda Sabanci were the first Lodi Unified students to participate in a program called Invention Convention earlier this year.
The program encouraged students to identify a problem, develop a solution and create a prototype invention to execute that solution.
Sabanci created the "Happy Hands," a grip for gymnasts to prevent blisters and calluses on their hands.
"I am a gymnast and I get blisters and calluses on my hands," she said. "Some gymnasts use athletic tape, but it can come off. I wanted to improve on this idea. I used gym wraps, leather and Velcro to create a grip that would protect gymnasts' hands while on the bars."
Mohmand created the "Wrap n' Write Bracelet," a handy and stylish bracelet that holds transparent sticky notes and mints with a tracking device to prevent loss.
"I had once written some notes for a test and put it in a pencil pouch," she said. "When I went to review it, my brother had gotten it and crumpled it. It was also wet and unreadable. I wanted to have a more organized and safe way to store important notes."
Sahyoun created the "The Plant Helper," which is a device that lets you know if you are over- or underwatering your plants, and includes a self watering feature.
"I love gardening, but I am very busy throughout the week with activities, and I was worried about keeping my plants alive if I forgot to water them," she said. "My invention has a self-watering feature and can be used on indoor or outdoor plants. I used plant-friendly materials to make my prototype."
John Muir GATE teacher Jackie Fry held a site convention earlier this year, and 10 of her students were selected for a regional convention at Modesto Junior College in February.
From there, eight students qualified for the Northern California Convention held at the California Railroad Museum in April, which resulted in Sabanci, Mohmand and Sahyoun being invited to the national Invention Convention in Dearborn, Mich., in June.
However, Fry said the trip to Dearborn is not inexpensive, as registration is $350 per student and $375 for each parent, sibling or guest. The doesn't include the airfare or hotel accommodations, either, she said.
Fry has set up a GoFundMe in the hopes of helping her three students and their families attend the convention.
A goal of $10,500 has been set, and so far, the community has donated $5,020.
"This trip is an amazing learning opportunity for these students," Fry said. "They will get to compete with young inventors from all over the country. The Sharks from Shark Tank will be there to listen to pitches from these young inventors and perhaps invest in producing and marketing their inventions."
To donate, or for more information, visit tinyurl.com/MuirGATE
