Top Youth Inventors Celebrated at The Henry Ford’s Invention Convention Americas 2024

(Dearborn, Mich. – August 23, 2024) – On Aug. 22, 2024, the brightest young inventors in grades K-12+ from the United States and Mexico were celebrated during the Invention Convention Americas Awards Ceremony, presented by RTX.

From more than 178,000 participants in Invention Convention Worldwide, 131 inventors were selected as finalists in this year’s Americas competition, which showcases the creative solutions these students designed to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

The finalists were judged by a panel of 30 international judges, and 13 awards were presented in a virtual experience that transported the students to the floor of Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan. A few themes appeared in the problems the inventors identified and sought to solve, with multiple students focusing on the environment and others on health-related issues.

The Americas Best in Show Award, presented by RTX, was awarded to a student from the United States — Daniel Park — for his invention “Bioremediation Implications: A Novel Simulation of Perchlorate Docking with pcrABCD Proteins,” which focuses on environmental issues and their health impacts. This invention, which also earned first place in the Grade 9-11 category, was created to offer an easier way to reduce perchlorates in the environment. Perchlorates can occur naturally and are also introduced into the environment through fertilizer, explosives (such as fireworks, signal flares, rocket propellants and even matches) and other products. Perchlorate contamination of drinking water and food can lead to disruptions of thyroid function and a reduction in the production of thyroid hormones. Daniel has identified a gene (pcrABCD) that can potentially reduce environmental toxins (perchlorates) from soils and water sources, and he used software programs to model the degradation and reduction of the toxins. This solution could be key to protecting human health, especially in under-resourced and polluted communities.

Several projects were focused on health issues, particularly on eye health and vision. “Corneal Application Suturing Model (C.A.S.M.),” invented by Sonia Patel (U.S.), is a synthetic eye model that allows ophthalmological residents and clinicians to simulate procedures while learning or preparing to perform them. C.A.S.M. won the first-place prize in the Grade 12+ category. “See-EZ-Drops,” invented by Jayda Herold (U.S.), tackles a problem many people face — difficulty applying eye drops. “See-EZ-Drops” attaches to a container of eye drops and includes a mirror and clip, allowing people to easily apply a consistent amount of medication to their eyes . This invention won the second-place prize in the Grade K-5 category. “BlindSpace ,” by Arnav Chaphalkar (U.S.), was the first-place winner in the Grade 6-8 category. This invention uses computer vision and AI technologies, integrated into a walking stick, to provide blind or visually impaired people audio descriptions of the world around them.

Other winning projects include:

“CAS 2.0,” invented by Brenda Aguilera Garcia and Antonio Villegas Romero (MX), is a mobile application designed to help improve accessibility to people with physical disabilities by manipulating and operating electrical appliances more easily and efficiently.

“Crossing Companion,” invented by Natalie Steinhelfer (U.S.), is a low-cost, battery-powered robotic crossing guard designed to keep students safer when crossing the street.

“Terreus 2.0,” invented by Reese Zhang, Charlotte Fan and Wyatt Newbill (U.S.), is a 100% biodegradable alternative to Styrofoam packaging. This invention is an improvement on “Terreus,” for which Charlotte and Wyatt won an award at last year’s Americas competition.

“SafeSteer ™,” invented by Dhira Sharma (U.S.), uses facial recognition technology and an AI chatbot to monitor driver alertness and provide proactive warnings if it identifies signs of drowsiness.

Click here to see the full winner's list and watch the award ceremony.

To learn more about how your students and school can participate in Invention Convention Worldwide for the 2023-24 school year, contact us at icw@thf.org.