Lemelson-MIT Program Expands Invention Initiative to California
The Lemelson-MIT
Program has
expanded its activities to encourage middle and high school students to
become
inventors by inviting schools in California to join those three other
states previously
involved in its Junior Varsity (JV) InvenTeam initiative.
The
initiative, already in place at
more than a dozen schools in Massachusetts, Oregon and Texas, delivers
activity
guides to instructors who can lead their students through the process
of
invention with the goal of compelling students to solve problems that
make
science relevant to the real world.
Students in grades 7-10
now at 37 participating schools in the four states receive Campus
Connections,
the opportunity to visit nearby cooperating institutions like 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Boys & Girls Clubs and
museums. Teams
receive donations of hand and power tools from corporate sponsor
Stanley Black
& Decker.
"The
JV InvenTeam initiative
reinforces integrated STEM [science, technology, engineering and math]
learning
and offers a structured, fun and team-oriented environment for students
to solve
problems," said Lemelson-MIT Program Invention Education Officer Leigh
Estabrooks.
The
JV InvenTeam initiative is an offshoot of the
larger Lemelson-MIT
Program that awards older high school teams
substantial financial
awards for projects that solve real-world problems through invention.
Last
October, the program gave $10,000 each to 14 teams of high school
students.
Guided
by the principle that
invention can solve many of the biggest social and economic challenges
of our
time, students work on inventions that address problems they've
recognized in
their local communities and those with global impact.
JV
InvenTeam activity guides are
available to any educator who is interested.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.