Cape Coral, FL Student Recognized Internationally For Invention
Serena Kasai-Hazekamp, a rising 9th Grader from Cape Coral, Florida, was honored recently for her ingenuity at the first ever Invention Convention Globals presented Raytheon Technologies.
Serena’s invention, FLDORI Alert System: Don’t Forget Your Child™, placed Third in the 6th through 8th Grade category. She previously won the Innovation in Automotive Award, presented by Maxim Integrated and Third Place in the 8th Grade Category at Invention Convention U.S. Nationals held this June.
“My invention is designed to remind parents of a child in the backseat,” she explains. “When the parent walks away with the key fob, it communicates with the brain through Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Once the BLE signal reaches a certain point of weakness, it sounds an audible alert system, capturing the parent’s attention. This invention is free from a smartphone application, and can be installed without professional assistance.”
Learn more about Serena’s invention in this video.
Serena was among 185 students from participating Invention Convention Nationals programs in the United States, Mexico, Singapore, and China who competed in the event. The virtual celebration took place on August 20 and was hosted by Gray Bright, Senior Director of Development at Hasbro, with special keynote speaker William Kamkwamba, author of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
“Our hope with this first global competition was that students could gain inspiration from each other and see that the problems they are facing really aren’t that different, no matter where they live,” said Patricia Mooradian, president & CEO, The Henry Ford. “It has been an amazing experience to see these young people from around the world tackle important topics that we all are facing – from climate change and the environment to health and safety issues. Their perseverance and ingenuity should be an inspiration to us all.”
Invention Convention Globals participation was by invitation only. To participate, students were required to submit a video presentation of their invention, a prototype, an inventor’s logbook showing the journey of their invention process and a display board highlighting key points of the invention process.
“This event connected young changemakers across multiple countries and allowed them the opportunity, perhaps for the first time, to learn from their peers with different cultures, backgrounds and ideas,” said Randy Bumps, Executive Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Raytheon Technologies. “May this global community continue to support and inspire one another as they create our shared future.”
Other inventors at this year’s Invention Convention Globals taking home top honors include:
- 11th graders Soham Joshi and Raaghav Malik from, received multiple awards including first place in the 11-12th grade category and the Best in Show award for their invention, S.E.N.S.E – a multipurpose robotic glove designed to teach sign language through guided manual motions.
- First grader Ziling Yan from Shanghai was awarded first place in the K-2 category for his invention Children SOS Shoes – shoes that have a motion sensor, water immersion sensor and an alarm to keep children out of danger.
- The team of Muyan Liu, Kexiangwen Shi, Jiaxin Tai, and Yuhan Wang from Shanghai for their invention Happy Spray, that helps reduce the environmental effects, waste and cross infection of disinfectant in public places.
- Tenth graders Carlo Andre Bravo Diaz, Diego Angel Fonseca Perez,and Melanie Sarai Jasso Garcia, from Mexico for Ortho-LED, an invention that improves children’s spelling and learning about new topics.
Invention Convention Worldwide is a global K-12 invention education curricular program mapped to national and state educational standards that teaches students problem-identification, problem-solving, entrepreneurship and creativity skills and builds confidence in invention, innovation and entrepreneurship for life. More than 135,000 K-12 inventors and thousands of teachers from across the globe participate in the programs each year.
The mission of Invention Convention Worldwide is to bring Invention Education to students everywhere. Organizations interested in bringing the year-long program to their region can get more information at www.inventionconvention.org.
About The Henry Ford
Located in Dearborn, Michigan, The Henry Ford is a globally-recognized destination that fosters inspiration and learning from hands-on encounters with artifacts representing the most comprehensive collection anywhere focusing on innovation, ingenuity, and resourcefulness. Its unique venues include Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Benson Ford Research Center, the Giant Screen Experience and Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school. The Henry Ford inspires individuals to unlock their potential and help shape a better future through a variety of channels including its online presence thehenryford.org, its Emmy®-winning national television series, The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation, and The Henry Ford’s Invention Convention Worldwide, a global K-12 invention education curricular program that teaches students problem-solving, entrepreneurship, and creativity skills. With the support of a growing community of affiliates and supporters, The Henry Ford is the home of Raytheon Technologies Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, Invention Convention Globals and Invention Convention Michigan.
