Canadian Valley Technology Center’s 10-person inventor team has cleared a hurdle in its pursuit of a working prototype and potential patent of a backpack alarm.
Their device is meant to help keep students organized and to curb stress. It is among a handful of inventions chosen last November to receive $7,500 from the Lemelson-MIT Foundation. The money is meant to take the project from concept to fruition.
The innovation team (or InvenTeam) and their CV Tech staff coaches will fly to the east coast in June to participate in the EurekaFest! showcase at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Dr. Don Wilson, CV Tech Project-based Learning Coordinator and InvenTeam coach, said a recently completed mid-grant technical review was successfully conducted by a team of MIT advisors via video conference. Feedback was provided to students as they work to finalize their invention.
Much of the project must remain shrouded in secrecy, but we now know the inspiration for the project.
It’s the brain.
Actually, the hippocampus. It’s the small, curved tissue located deep in the recesses of the temporal lobe of the brain. Thus, the “Hippo” has been adopted as somewhat of a mascot and “brand” for the project.
The Lemelson-MIT Program is the inspiration of Jerome Lemelson, whose inventions resulted in 605 patents. He was one of the most prolific inventors in American history. He and wife, Dorothy, started a foundation in the mid-1990s to prepare the next generation of inventors and entrepreneurs.
Donations are gladly accepted to help the team pay expenses for their trip to MIT for the June event. Gifts might be tax-deductible. Donors are asked to verify with a financial advisor. To help, email Dr. Wilson.
