Fort Myers, Naples area students win awards at national RTX Invention Convention

In Dearborn, Michigan, three Fort Myers-Naples area students were honored for their ingenuity at the 10th annual RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, powered by The Henry Ford. Area winners included Community School Of Naples ninth grader Arabella A., recent Fort Myers High School graduate Dhruva S. and Dunbar High School 11th grader Nishini F.

These students were among 70 award-winning K-12 inventors from across the nation who were celebrated during the June 6 awards ceremony hosted by The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation correspondent Albert Lawrence. The ceremony also featured a keynote from aerospace engineer, Blue Origin NS-31 crew member, former NASA rocket scientist and founder and CEO of STEMBoard Aisha Bowe. More than 80 awards, including cash prizes, trophies, medals and patent applications were presented.

“My study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial effectiveness of natural remedies on Escherichia coli (E. coli), a gram-negative bacterium known for its antibiotic resistance and aquatic environmental bacteria from Rookery Bay,” said Arabella A., winner of the Patent Application Award, presented by WilmerHale for PureGuard Biospray: Dermal Defense for Aquatic Environments.

“Dextera is a groundbreaking assistive robotic arm designed to address the mobility challenges faced by individuals with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and similar neuro degenerative disorders,” explained Dhruva S., second place winner in the 12th Grade Category for Dextera: Revolutionizing Assistive Technology.

“Baby Beatz 2.0 is a sustainable and cost–effective fetal heart rate monitoring device that can be used in low-resource and economically challenged communities,” said Nishini F., who won the Best Prototype Award for BabyBeatz 2.0.

The ceremony can be viewed below.