WIRED65 Inventor’s Fair

POSTED BY: burtwalker

ENTERPRISING STUDENTS

I had the pleasure and privilege of being a judge for the WIRED65 Inventor’s Fair at the Louisville Science Center this past Saturday (May 8th, 2010). This was a terrific event that featured participants from high schools in the 26 counties of WIRED65 grant from both Kentucky and Indiana.

This was the culminating event that began in April where students from each participating high school competed at local events and the top three were advanced to the finals at the Science Center. This was the first event of it’s kind, so most of us did not know what to expect with respect to the projects; however, as one of several judges, I was extremely impressed with all of them.

TECHNICAL AND COMMERCIAL DEPTH

In fact, some of the projects were well beyond what I would expect at the high school level. Some were very technical and some were not. Some had immediate commercial appeal and some were research oriented. I was also impressed with the passion, poise, and zeal offered by the participants themselves as they presented their projects at individual booths.

Awards were given in several categories, including each of the sectors including manufacturing, energy, agriculture, life science, tourism, logistics, health care, entrepreneurship, and human resources. Additional awards were given to Best of Kentucky, Best of Indiana, and Best Overall. Needless to say, some entrants won in several categories.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE!

What I did not expect was the remarkable level of ingenuity and technical depth. I knew however that I was in for something special when the first booth I visited was a research project by a young man that was attempting to optimize the manufacturing process for nano needles. He treated me to a lesson in chemistry, mathematics, and engineering that I would have expected at the college graduate level. The second booth was presented by two young men dressed in typical high school garb, but I was soon to be reminded to “NEVER judge a book by its cover.” These guys had developed a mathematical model to analyze the mood of patients visiting doctors’ offices simply by using video of their entrance into the office. By knowing the mood of the patient, the physician could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of office visits.

As I moved from one booth to another to evaluate the projects, I came across many fascinating inventions besides the ones mentioned above. This list is not all inclusive, but to give you an idea of what was there, here is just a small sample:

• Gearless Automatic Transmission
• Improved Random Number Generation Model
• Wing Sling, an ingenious new medical device for birds
• Wind turbines for automobiles
• Safety devices for narcoleptics, teen drivers, and truck drivers

I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, these kids and their projects were remarkable. My hat is off to them, their teacher/sponsors, and to those that facilitated this terrific event. With all that we hear today about the failure of our schools and the lack of dedication on the part of our youth, it was indeed heartwarming and inspiring to see this level of dedication and inspiration by our local high school students.

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