CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Out of 68 kindergarten through twelfth grade students from across the nation, 11 students from the Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Fort Myers and Naples areas won big at the seventh annual Raytheon Technologies Invention Convention.
Natalee Eaton, a kindergartener from Cape Coral placed second and won a Kindergarten Award and Accessibility Award for her invention, “Mermaid Crayon Helper.” The invention prevents new crayons from breaking and makes short crayons easy to use.
Kurukulasuriya Fernando, an eighth grader from Fort Myers, won first place, an Eighth Grade Award and the ITC Industry Energy Award. The invention, called, “Energy Metamorphosis,” converts the wasted heat energy from cars into electricity.
Sara Chrysler, a sixth grader from Fort Myers, won second place and a Sixth Grade Award for “The Ultimate Tennis Trainer.” The invention, in Sara’s words, was “designed to speed up the development of correct tennis fundamentals.”
Sonia Patel, a tenth grader from Bonita Springs, won first place, a Tenth Grade Award and the Stanley Black & Decker Make the World Award for the invention, “Silicone Eye Applanation Model” or S.E.A.M. The creation helps train ophthalmic technicians amd medial students to check eye pressure.
Dhruva Sharma, a ninth grader from Fort Myers, won first place, a Ninth Grade Award and the Avangrid Foundation Most Energy Sustainable Award for the invention of “En.Gen.Panels - A Fusion of Piezoelectric and Solar Technology to Optimize Solar Panels.” The panels solve the problem of solar energy being interrupted by overcast skies or rain. The panels keep the flow of electricity constant no matter what the skies look like.
Mehereen Chowdhury, a ninth grader from Fort Myers, won third place and a Ninth Grade Award for “A Protocol to the Early Detection of Neurological Conditions Using Eye Movement Data.” The invention is an app that people can use to diagnose neurological conditions without paying a lot of money.
Yusef Mujtaba, a tenth grader from Fort Myers, won the Cantor Colburn Detroit Patent Application Award for the invention, “Power Walk: An Innovative Smart Sneaker Using Thermoelectricity.” The shoe has GPS tracking and navigation for people who are blind. The sneaker aims to create electricity - even providing a power source that can charge electronic devices.
Aum Dhruv and Nicholas Harty, a pair of eleventh graders from Fort Myers, won first place, an Eleventh Grade Award and Environmental and Social Impact Award for their invention, “VisionBound: Bridging the Gap Between Technology and Preventable Retinal Diseases.” Made for people struggling with diabetic retinopathy, the invention includes a 30D lens that goes 3 cm. away from the pupil of the eye paired with a high-quality camera.
Caroline Guerra, an eleventh grader from Naples, won third place and eleventh grade award for “Generating Bioplastics from Banana Peels: An Innovative Approach to Reduce Artificial Plastic Pollution.” The invention is an eco-friendly bioplastic made from banana peels.
Lucan Keyser, an eleventh grader from Naples, won the WilmerHale Patent Application Award for “Creating and Testing the Efficiency of a Biofoul Removal Tool on PVC Coral Nursery Trees in the Upper Florida Keys.” The invention is a tool that cleans biofoul, like algae, barnacles, sponges and fire coral from growing nursery trees.
This was the first in-person convention held since the pandemic. To watch the award ceremony, click here.
