Michigan kids solve problems, build confidence at Henry Ford Invention Convention

A cacophony of excited chatter filled the main floor of the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn on Saturday as more than 160 students from around the state gathered to show off original problem-solving inventions at this year's Michigan Invention Convention.

More than 1,200 Michigan students competed at regional events in order to secure a spot in Saturday's statewide convention. After choosing a problem they've observed in their homes, schools or communities, students worked individually or in groups to develop an invention they believe will help solve that problem.

"It isn't a problem that's given to them by an adult; it's one they identify for themselves," said Henry Ford's Chief Learning Officer Lucie Howell. "We find that that means they're much more engaged in solving the problem."

Students from grades 3-12 competed in three separate age brackets as judges roamed the floor, stopping at each invention to score it on an official rubric — which Howell said helps to ensure every invention is treated fairly.

"Their inventions are measured against their ability to identify a problem, understand the needs of the audience, come up with different ideas for how to solve that problem and then design, test and build — which is the traditional engineering design process," Howell said. "But they also need to be able to communicate how their invention solves the problem that they originally looked to solve."

The top-scoring inventions from each age bracket will move on to compete in the Raytheon Technologies Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, which will be held June 1-3 at the Henry Ford.

Students prepared verbal presentations to go along with their inventions, some of which included a demonstration or diagram. While some inventors were visibly nervous, others clearly relished the opportunity to share the results of their hard work.

"It's been fun working together with everybody, and learning about how to separate oxygen from hydrogen," said fifth grader Aastha Shah, who, together with classmates Ayroa Swarnkar, Reecha Chavan and Nayana Panicker, developed a renewable, low-cost oxygen generator for medical patients. "People were suffering from a shortage of oxygen, or they couldn't afford it. So we made a cheap and easily available oxygen."

Other inventions included a spring-loaded walking stick ("My grandma was trying to sit down on the sofa and it was hurting her a lot," said inventor and fifth grader Aarav Chakravartti), a drone that helps to contain forest fires and a scanner that detects concealed weapons.

Howell said the convention not only offers a way for students to exercise their problem-solving skills, but also an opportunity to develop confidence and to practice sharing their ideas with new audiences.

"They are the people who know the most about their own invention, so they feel that they're the experts," Howell said. "It's not often that a student is an expert in a subject when they're telling adults about it. I think that's where that empowerment comes from, and I think that's what builds that confidence."

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Cianna Anderson, a 10th -grader at the Henry Ford Academy who developed a personal organization app with her partner Anthony Mayberry, said being with so many like-minded people helped her overcome her social anxiety.

"It's so fun to go around and talk to people. I literally just made a friend," Anderson said. "When you realize everybody's collectively a bunch of nerds, it's easy."

After virtual Invention Conventions in both 2020 and 2021, Howell said bringing the in-person event back to the museum created a "completely different" energy.

"I'm not going to knock the fact that we ... have this amazing technology that allowed us to continue the program through the pandemic," Howell said. "But you'll never get the same energy online that you get from meeting these young inventors and hearing their stories in person."

That in-person experience is especially crucial for kids who lack confidence in their social skills, said Sarah Angelini, a parent and teacher at Perry Innovation Center in Grand Blanc.

"Some of my students who are a little more shy or reserved, once they've created this idea, they have such a passion behind it," Angelini said. "One of my students ran up to me just now, and she was like, 'Come see mine, come see mine!' Two years ago, that was not the little girl that was in my classroom."

For more information on the Raytheon Technologies Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, go to thehenryford.org.

Lauren Wethington is a breaking news reporter. You can email her at LGilpin@freepress.com or find her on Twitter at @laurenelizw1.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan kids solve problems, build skills at Invention Convention