Kettering University's campus will once again host more than 100 young inventors this year as they show off a wide range of projects they've spent the past school year perfecting.

On May 5, 118 young inventors ages 9-13 will be displaying their inventions that they’ve been working on since November 2014. They will be asked to present their inventions to peers, educators and other attendees at the Innovators: Kettering Young Inventors Fair. A total of 400 elementary students from nine K-12 schools in seven districts throughout Genesee County will be in attendance to see the displays.

A group photo of last year's "Young Innovators."

The Young Inventors Program, which originated in Minneapolis, has a rich history of offering invention curriculum, resources and special events. The Flint and Genesee Chamber of Commerce and Genesee Intermediate School District offered the program to the students of Genesee County from 2000-2012. In 2013, Kettering University agreed to adopt this program as a part of the university's mission to be engaged in the Flint community as well as provide pre-college opportunities for students of all ages to gain exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The program integrates the core curriculum areas (Science, Language Arts, Mathematics and Social Studies) and applies them to real world problems to be solved, akin to the co-operative education model that Kettering University embodies.

Sarah Perkins, lead cooperative education manager/educator at Kettering University, is the lead organizer for the Innovators-Kettering Young Inventors program. Consultants Marsha Brown and Linda Roeser, who ran the Young Inventors Program for the Genesee Intermediate School District (GISD) for 13 years prior to Kettering, led the curriculum training program to educate teachers on how to teach the Innovators-Kettering Young Inventors program to their students in November 2014.

“I’m passionate about the Innovators program because it opens up young minds to the world of STEM by encouraging them to invent a solution to a perplexing problem,” Perkins said. “These middle school students have a chance to creatively approach a perceived problem or community need with an innovative solution, and developing those skills not only gets them to start thinking about engineering, but thinking of themselves as engineers. This program fulfills an essential function in our community by engaging students with educational opportunities at a young age in order to prepare them for future programs and careers in STEM.”

This year, 848 students participated in the curriculum offered by Genesee County and Flint Schools. The program provides a non-traditional approach to learning which encourages participation by all students. The curriculum involves the development, research, testing and evaluation of an original product. The methodology used for invention requires students to carefully record their work and analyze their data, formulating hypotheses and explanations for what they observe.

During the Innovators: Kettering Young Inventors Fair, the 118 young inventors whose projects have been selected by a panel of judges, will give formal written and oral presentations to demonstrate their inventions. They will then attend workshops throughout the University, including airplane assembly, balloon tower building, biochemistry research, and a FIRST robotics demonstration. The day will end with a ceremony recognizing them for their hard work and ingenuity.  

Event Details:

9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.: International Room. Students display their inventions and their schools visit. Media invited to attend

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Lunch outside of B.J.'s Lounge with guest speaker Luke Lloyd, Trainer and Inventor of the Dribble Stick

1 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.: Students participate in two workshops:

• Workshop - Dr. Terri Lynch-Caris, Airplane assembly (Industrial Engineering). Location in 1-214 AB
• Workshop - Innovation Quest - Balloon tower building, 5th Floor CC International Room
• Workshop - Dr. Stacy Seeley, Mott Building, Miller Lab, 3rd Floor
• Workshop - FIRST Robotics Community Center - Stomp Rocket, AB 1-360

3-3:30pm: International Room - Bob Nichols, Director of the FIRST Community Center of Kettering University, closing remarks and certificate presentation

2015 Innovators: Kettering Young Inventors program sponsors:

School Partners in the Project:

1. Keuhn-Haven Middle School – Montrose Community Schools

2. City School –Grand Blanc Community Schools

3. Indian Hill–Grand Blanc Community Schools

4. Myers Elementary – Grand Blanc Community Schools

5. Dieck Elementary – Swartz Creek Community Schools

6. Rankin Elementary – Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools

7. Randels Elementary – Carman-Ainsworth Community Schools

8. Pierce Elementary – Flint Community Schools

9. Freeman Community Elementary – Flint Community Schools

For more information about the Innovators: Kettering Young Inventors program, contact Sarah Perkins at sperkins@kettering.edu or (810) 762-7478.