EMU Today

YPSILANTI — EMUiNVENT has been awarded a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam® grant in the amount of $7,500 to create an invention geared towards aiding community-dwelling elderly in changing positions safely. EMUiNVENT is one of only eight high schools nationwide to be selected as an InvenTeam this year.

The EMUiNVENT InvenTeam is inventing a solution for community-dwelling persons aged 60 and above to move and change positions, offering independence in mobility. Shiri Vivek, EMUiNVENT co-director at Eastern Michigan University initiated the InvenTeam application process during the summer and worked with the students to prepare the final proposal. A respected panel of university professors, inventors, entrepreneurs, industry professionals and college students including former InvenTeam members now working in industry selected the grantees.

“The InvenTeams are focusing on solving problems that impact their local communities," says Leigh Estabrooks, Lemelson-MIT’s invention education officer at Lemelson-MIT. “Teams are focusing their technological solutions – their inventions – on inequities in health and wellbeing, environmental issues, and safety concerns. These high school students are not just problem-solvers of tomorrow, they are problem solvers today helping to make our world more equitable, healthier, and safer.”

The InvenTeam will work with Muhammad Ahmed, professor at the GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology and Ryan Horne, instructional coach of Howell Public Schools, who will guide students through the development of their invention. Additonally, the team will partner with Spark East Innovation Center, Michigan STEM Network Region 2 and the Toyota Driving Possibilities Program.

Over the next eight months, the EMUiNVENT InvenTeam will develop a solution to the problem. The team will build a working prototype that will be showcased at a technical review locally in February, and then again as a final prototype during EurekaFest^®, an invention celebration taking place June 10-12, 2024, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

"This program not only exposes our inventors to world-class guidance and expertise, but the team also gets exposed to current and past peer inventors and the paths they took in life,” said Vivek. “EMUiNVENT will partner with Lemelson-MIT to demystify the process of invention because we believe that anybody can invent."

High school students from the region who are interested in joining the EMUiNVENT InvenTeam should contact emu_invent@emich.edu for more information. 

Celebrating 20 Years of the High School InvenTeams Grant Initiative

The InvenTeams initiative, now in its 20^th year, has enabled 17 teams of high school students to earn U.S. patents for their projects. Intellectual property education is combined with our invention education offerings as part of the Lemelson-MIT Program’s deliberate efforts to remedy historic inequities among those who develop inventions, protect their intellectual property, and commercialize their creations. LMIT’s ongoing efforts empower students from all backgrounds, equipping them with invaluable problem-solving skills that will serve them well throughout their academic journeys, professional pursuits, and personal lives. Our work with 3,883 students across 296 different teams nationwide these past 20 years includes:

• Partnering with intellectual property law firms to provide pro bono legal support.
• Collaborating with industry-leading companies that provide technical guidance and mentoring.
• Providing professional development for teachers on invention education.
• Assisting teams with identifying resources within their communities’ innovation ecosystems to support ongoing invention efforts.
• Publishing case studies and research to inform the work of invention educators and policy makers and build support for engaging students in efforts to invent solutions to real-world problems.

About EMUiNVENT
EMUiNVENT and its Dare 2 Design program provides a platform to build students’ critical thinking, innovating mindset, and entrepreneurial skills. The young inventors are tasked with identifying a problem, brainstorming the feasibility of possible solutions and bringing them to life through a prototype. Students create innovations, for example, from backpack anti-theft alarms to redesigning syringes for medication. Although the program had to go virtual this year, it provides a live, in-person opportunity for young inventors and entrepreneurs to display their innovative ideas to the public and peers.

About the Lemelson-MIT Program
The Lemelson-MIT Program (LMIT) is a national leader in efforts to prepare the next generation of inventors and entrepreneurs. Our work focuses on the expansion of opportunities for people to learn ways inventors find and solve problems that matter to improve lives. Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion aims to remedy historic inequities among those who develop inventions, protect their intellectual property and commercialize their creations.

Jerome H. Lemelson, one of U.S. history’s most prolific inventors, and his wife Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994. It is funded by The Lemelson Foundation and administered by the School of Engineering at MIT, an institution with a strong ongoing commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for K-14 STEM education. For more information, visit Lemelson.MIT.edu.

About Eastern Michigan University
Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 14,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and its graduate school. National publications regularly recognize EMU for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. Visit the University’s rankings and points of pride websites to learn more. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website. To stay up to date on University news, activities and announcements, visit EMU Today.