We announced the 2019-2020 InvenTeams over the national news wire. The teams and their projects can be found on our website here. Congratulations to the students and teachers!!!

In late March the Lemelson-MIT program held a three-day invention camp at the University of South Florida with approximately 20 students from the Hillsborough County Public Schools. These middle school students used electronic textiles, paper circuits, and recyclable materials such as cardboards to cr…

The EngineerGirl writing contest is, for the first time, asking students to submit works of creative fiction. The National Academy of Engineering for girls (3rd-12th grade) is holding the EngineerGril writing contest that enourages girls to write creative fictional stories about inventing solutions to meet real-world ne…

Looking for fun activities your students can do for the National Inventors' Day? Patent Pandas is a great website sharing true stories of how investors handle patent-related issues. It also includes information on basics of patent law and relevant resources. Check it out!

Ed Hernandez, one of the Lemelson-MIT master teachers, has been featured on SOLIDWORKS Education Blog! The blog introduces Ed's experiences, his career as a teacher, his school, his students, and the types of projects his students work on. To learn more about Ed's work, check out the links below: Part …

Patent application could be a great way to assess student understanding. Here are two great examples: 1. Summative assessment for the thermal energy project, developed by the SCALE group at Stanford University. In the project students build a device that can either minimize or maximize thermal energy tr…

These are great STEAM programs recommended by educators. Check them out! Femineers Age group - Middle/High Notes - Great program to inspire female students to pursue STEM in their education and career EPICS (Engineering Projects in Community Service Age group - High school Notes - Fantastic progra…

Here are recommendations on readings about invention. Check them out! Please comment if you have any recommendations! How to Fly a Horse (by Kevin Ashton) Evidence Based Design Heuristics for Idea Generation (You can check the attachment if the link doesn't allow you to download the paper). Troubles…

Here are some of the CAD tools recommended by educators from previous workshops. Please comment if you have other recommendations! OnShape, it's a cloud-based CAD software (free!)- aimed at professional designers similar to Solidworks. Autodesk Fusion 360, a software for high school students and prof…

This webinar was co-hosted by Ed Hernandez, one of our master teachers and 2015 ACTE Teacher of the Year, California. Ed shared his experiences of showcasing invention solutions to the whole community.

This webinar was co-hosted by Doug Scott and Michael Gallagher. Both Doug and Michael are our Lemelson-MIT master teachers. Doug is a Robotics and Engineering teacher at Hopkinton High School, MA. Michael is a PLTW (Project Lead The Way) master teacher from the Saratoga Springs High School (New …

This webinar was co-hosted by Chelle Myrann, one of our master teachers and the Physics, Robotics, and Engineering teacher at Cesar Chavez High School, Arizona. In 2010, Chelle led the InvenTeam of Cesar Chavez High School and invented a physical therapy chair to reduce muscular atrophy. Chelle's team pr…

Batteries are commonly used in invention activities and everyday life. In this webinar we invited Don Domes to share suggestions on using batteries for invention projects. Don is a retired high school CTE teacher and has been our Lemelson-MIT master teacher for nine years. He has extensive experience in …

We invited Bob Richards to share his experiences of managing invention teams. Bob is a Business, Marketing, and Technology teacher at Stockbridge High School, Michigan. He leads the underwater robotics team of Stockbridge High School and is the president of Stockbridge Education Association. Before bec…

The webinar is co-hosted with Michael Gallagher from the Saratoga Springs High School (New York). Michael is a PLTW (Project Lead The Way) master teacher and leads the technology department in his school. He also leads the Educating Young Engineers program, a local organization aiming to provide all student…

This webinar was co-hosted by Ed Hernandez, one of our master teachers and 2015 ACTE Teacher of the Year, California. Ed shared his experiences of engaging youth in prototyping invention solutions.

We invited Leon and Vickie Grant from Marietta City Schools, Georgia. Leon is a pre-engineering teacher at the Marietta High School. He was awarded the WEPAN (Women in Engineering ProActive Network) Leader in Engineering Education Award and the ACTE Carl Perkins Community Service Award in 2017. Vi…

We invited Don Domes to share ideas and suggestions on using cardboard, clay, and foam for invention project. Don is a retired high school CTE teacher and has been our Lemelson-MIT master teacher for nine years. He has extensive experience in designing and implementing invention education in in-school an…

Goal Learn to devise your own invention using electronics. Create a wearable light-up textile using conductive thread and felt.  Materials: Conductive thread Coin cell batteries (3V) Coin cell holders LEDs Felt Sewing needles Fabric glue (optional) Sewing thread (optional) Procedure Have students cut their felt into …

This webinar was co-hosted by three wonderful invention educators: Don Wilson and Scott Wilson from the Canadian Valley Tech Center (Oklahoma): Don and Scott have been coordinating the educational programs, makerspace, and project-based learning projects at the Tech Center for many years. Michael Galla…

Grab Bag Inventing allows participants to try playful inventing and helps them recognize their own creative abilities. Participants work together in small groups to design inventions using common materials. Participants Anyone! Time 20~60 minutes Materials Pre-made grab bags (one per group) containing i…

Goal Students work with time and visual line-of-sight constraints to build identical designs by providing verbal instructions only. Prep Time (50~60 minutes) Assemble two identical sets of 5-10 miscellaneous Lego parts into sandwich sized storage bags. One set of bags for each pair of students. Number each set…

We invited Don Domes to share ideas and suggestions on using cardboard, clay, and foam for invention project. Don is a retired high school CTE teacher and has been our Lemelson-MIT master teacher for nine years. He has extensive experience in designing and implementing invention education in in-school an…

This webinar was co-hosted by Doug Scott, one of our master teachers and the STEM Teacher of the year of MA in 2014, sharing experiences and tips of engaging youth in finding problems in their own communities.

This webinar was co-hosted by Tony Perry, the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams coordinator, to share national invention education and program opportunities.