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36 Students Win Top Prizes In 2001 Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program
2nd Through 8th Graders Earn $250, $500
And $5,000 Bonds; 12 Have Chance For More
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., May 8, 2001 /PRNewswire/ -- Edison, Marconi and Bell would be proud. Those famous inventors would appreciate the youthful ideas that 36 prizewinning second through eighth graders submitted to the 2001 Craftsman/National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Young Inventors Awards Program.
Nearly 3,400 children nationwide accepted the challenge to invent a new tool or re-think an existing one. From those entries, which were in two grade categories -- second through fifth and sixth through eighth, three dozen students have been named national finalists, or second- or third-place regional winners.
The program, which currently is in its fifth year, will honor the students with the following awards:
-- 12 national finalists each will receive a $5,000 U.S. savings bond, as well as a trip for themselves, their parents and their teachers to the mnational awards ceremony in September, at which time two top winners of an additional $5,000 bond will be named;
-- 12 second-place regional winners each will receive a $500 U.S. savings bond; and
-- 12 third-place regional winners each will receive a $250 U.S. savings bond.
National finalists - second-through-fifth-grade category ($5,000 bond):
Timothy Kenny, fifth grade, Bernardsville Middle School, Bernardsville, N.J. "Ladder Increaser" - a stepladder with adjustable, extendable back legs for uneven surfaces.
Rachel Kaminsky, fourth grade, Concord Road Elementary School, Ardsley, N.Y. "The Shoe Lace Helper" - uses a swiveling lever, a spool rod and clothespins to teach kids to tie their shoes.
Taylor Drane, fourth grade, Schwarzkopf School, Lutz, Fla. "Water Miser" - an irrigation device that delivers moisture to the roots and helps conserve water.
Kayla Scott, fourth grade, M. I. Day Elementary School, Minerva, Ohio "The Sodium Chloride Slide" - works like "a small elevator" to lift up "heavy bags of salt for a water softener."
Tony Jarecki, fifth grade, Christ is the Way School, Lindsay, Neb. "The Easy Lift Trash Can" - a convenient way to remove full trash bags and install new ones.
Phillip Mitchell, fifth grade, J. B. Stephens School, Bangs, Texas "Easy Trim" - an adjustable tool, "based on ergonomics," makes it easier to groom goats and lambs for livestock shows.
National finalists - sixth-through-eighth-grade category ($5,000 bond):
Mitchell Weiss, seventh grade, Bess & Paul Siegal Hebrew Academy, Bloomfield, Conn. "Pedal Powered Lawn Mower" - combines a small bicycle with a push mower, to cut the grass.
Matthew Marchand, seventh grade, Frontier Regional School, S. Deerfield, Mass. "The Mail-O-Matic" - a box on rollers inside a mailbox brings the mail forward when the door is opened.
James Antoine, seventh grade, Ridgeway Middle School, Memphis, Tenn. "The Tent Peg Puller" - uses a support shaft, lever and cable loop to help campers pull up tent pegs.
Carly Monfort, sixth grade, Dublin Davis Middle School, Dublin, Ohio. "Multi-Purpose Jig" - "to hold small objects and free up hands" when doing soldering, arts and crafts, and more.
Andrew Lofgren, eighth grade, Logos Christian School, Haviland, Kan. "Roofer's Helper" - "a more efficient way to pull out roofing nails when tearing off old shingles."
Jonathan Edwards, sixth grade, Panhandle Junior High School, Panhandle, Texas. "Step Ramp" - steps that easily convert into a ramp for pushing wheelchairs or moving heavy objects.
Second-place regional winners - second-through-fifth-grade category ($500 bond):
Rob Kastner, fourth grade, Liberty Corner School, Basking Ridge, N.J. "Improved Residential Mailbox Flag" - uses an automatic clip device to raise and lower the flag.
Brendan Dwyer, fourth grade, Ocean Avenue School, Northport, N.Y. "The Bulb Blaster" - enables people to dig and plant from a standing position, not on their knees.
Lee Friedkin, fifth grade, Parkview Baptist School, Baton Rouge, La. "Sno-Scooter" - converts a "land scooter" into one that "can be used on the snow."
Tessa DiGiacomo, fifth grade, M. I. Day Elementary School, Minerva, Ohio. "Rescue Tube" - telescopes out onto the ice, bringing equipment to save someone who's broken through it.
Samuel Wolock, fifth grade, Mission Trail Elementary School, Leawood, Kan. "Easy Reach Coat Rack" - a pulley device raises and lowers a coat rack to assist small children.
Jimmy Zimmermann, fifth grade, Memorial Drive Elementary School, Houston, Texas. Slingo 2001" - an invention designed to "throw the ball endlessly for a dog to retrieve."
Second-place regional winners - sixth-through-eighth-grade category ($500 bond):
Brendan Lawson, sixth grade, Bernardsville Middle School, Bernardsville, N. J. "The Cricket Scoop" - helps reptile owners pick up crickets without touching them.
Thomas Kellett, sixth grade, Unqua School, Massapequa, N.Y. "The Button Helper" - "to aid people with one hand or ... limited use of fingers to button their shirt."
William Junkin, sixth grade, Norwood School, Bethesda, Md. "Gentleman John" - "when you flush, the seat or seats automatically go down."
Scott Houser, eighth grade, Pettisville Junior High School, Pettisville, Ohio. "E-Z Shovel" - a swivel wheel on the back of a shovel enables people to push dirt and snow easily.
Courtney Travers, eighth grade, The Willows Academy, Des Plaines, Ill. "No-Dough" - helps "scrape out thick dough from beaters when you are cooking."
Caitlin Vaughan, sixth grade, Mustang North Middle School, Yukon, Okla. "Super Duper Garden Tool" - a hand- or foot-operated device to help gardeners dig holes for planting flowers.
Third-place regional winners - second-through-fifth-grade category ($250 bond):
Peter Hosinski, fourth grade, Davenport School, Stamford, Conn. "Bendable Broom" - a flexible middle enables the broom "to get those hard to reach places."
Sasha Seroy, fifth grade, PS 77 - NYC Laboratory School, New York, N.Y. "The Unlocker" - combines a Shaker peg, plastic comb, paperclip and more "to help people open boxes."
Blaine Tooley, fourth grade, Country Day School, Baton Rouge, La. "Tire Washer 900" - "attaches to any size tire and scrubs the hubcaps."
Jordan Cross, fourth grade, M. I. Day Elementary School, Minerva, Ohio. "Five Day Cat Feeder" - a multi-level device stores pre-measured amounts "to feed a cat for five days."
Peter Badovinac, fifth grade, Thomas Jefferson School, Hoffman Estates, Ill. "Wastenopaste" - a dispenser that conserves toothpaste and eliminates messy tubes.
Amanda Crowe, fifth grade, Memorial Drive Elementary School, Houston, Texas. "Skimmer Hand" - picks up "the skimmer basket" in the pool, "without getting your hands in the water."
Third-place regional winners - sixth-through-eighth-grade category ($250 bond):
Christopher Cushman, eighth grade, Litchfield School, Litchfield, N.H. "The Ultimate Mailbox" - adjustable-height mailbox flexes if hit; also, the flag rises when the door opens.
Steven DiBenedetto, sixth grade, Unqua School, Massapequa, N.Y. "Grocery Helper" - a wheeled cart with four hooks that can carry 12 grocery bags into the house.
Kady Davis, sixth grade, All Saints School, Manassas, Va. "Wrenchdriver" - designed "to combine two tools into one" -- a "flathead" screwdriver and a wrench.
Stephanie Mote, sixth grade, Old Trail School, Bath, Ohio. "The Limeade/Lemonade/Orange Juice Maker" - squeezes, collects, strains and pours fruit juice.
James Kuo, sixth grade, Thomas Jefferson School, Hoffman Estates, Ill. "Supported Shovel" - a hollow "elliptical lump" in the shovel spade adds more leverage and space.
Cassidy Gearhart, sixth grade, Centennial Middle School, Boulder, Colo. "Plow Shovel" - pushes snow to either side of the V-shaped shovel blade; also, has a push-button "salter."
The Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program is designed to teach students the scientific principles of how tools operate; introduce them to working with hand tools; encourage them to think creatively about the world around them; and enable them to develop practical solutions to everyday problems.
For more information on the Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards Program, write to Craftsman/NSTA Young Inventors Awards, c/o National Science Teachers Association, 1840 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201-3000; call toll-free 1-888-494-4994; or e-mail younginventors@nsta.org.
There also is information at NSTA's Web site at http://www.nsta.org/programs/craftsman.htm.
SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.
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