On May 21, 2022 Chicago Innovation hosted the 10th anniversary of the Chicago Student Invention Convention at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The event was the culmination of a 10-week innovation curriculum that was delivered to 1,500 students in the Chicagoland area to encourage creative problem-solving through invention.

Below are the winners that were featured at this year’s showcase and honored during the awards ceremony. Check out photos of the event on our Facebook page!

K-3rd Grade Winners

• 1st place –  Cameron A’Hearn, a 3rd grader from North Shore Country Day school, for No More Nose Swabs.
• 2nd place – Leena Johnson, a 3rd grader from North Shore Country Day school, for The Trash Crab.
• 3rd place – Gabriel Puente and Brandon Tovar, both 3rd graders from Edward Everett STEM Elementary, for the Loli Rice Krispie.

 

4th Grade Winners

• 1st place – Eduardo Rios from Jungman STEM Magnet, for the Super Air Fresh Lunch Box.
• 2nd place – Addair Walker and Haruki Martin from Pulaski International School of Chicago, for the Urban Garden.
• 3rd place –  Siyona Rao from Pulaski International School of Chicago, for the UVe Drink.

 

5th Grade Winners

• 1st place – Paige Timpe from Quest Academy for Bubble: The Digital Guide for Preventing Strong Emotions.
• 2nd place – Avi Nanisetty from Quest Academy for the Pillow Alarm.
• 3rd place –  Amelia Parker, from Chicago World Language Academy, for the Parker Plant Protector.

 

6th Grade Winners

• 1st place – Hania Syed from Quest Academy for the FogAway. 
• 2nd place – Gunnar Michael Swift  from Quest Academy for the Rollerblade Training Wheels.
• 3rd place – Isabella Bielarz and Allison Hunt from St. Theresa School for the Suiticycle Suitcase.

 

7th Grade Winners

• 1st place –  Nishant Narayanan from Quest Academy for Algaerama
• 2nd place – Aubrey Ewing from Chicago State’s PREP Program for Biomimicry in Aerodynamics.
• 3rd place –  Piper Wiehe from St. Theresa School for Divine Designs.

 

8th Grade Winners

• 1st place – John Carson, Austin Ewing, and Ifeoma Okolo from Chicago State’s PREP Program, for Ambrosia Auto: Engineering for Social Justice. 
• 2nd place – Aria Barve and Kelly Feng from Quest Academy for The Pot Mikser 
• 3rd place –  Vedansh Wadhwani from Teen Innovators, for the DroneAssist

 

Students Advancing to Nationals

These students will represent the Chicago region on June 1-3rd the National Student Invention Convention where they will compete against kids from around the country.

• Paige Timpe for Bubble: the Digital Guide for Preventing Strong Emotions.
• Austin Ewing, John Carson, and Ifeoma Okolo for Ambrosia Auto: Engineering for Social Justice.
• Aria Barve and Kelly Feng for The Pot Mikser.
• Vedansh Wadhwani for Drone Assist. 
• Eduardo Rios from Jungman STEM Magnet, for the Super Air Fresh Lunch Box.
• Reid Peterson and Jeff Zavelsky forThe Wire Identification System.
• Avi Nanisetty for The Pillow Alarm.
• Amelia Parker for the Parker Plant Protector.
• Rayan Zaidi for The Leaf Thief.
• Heidi Garcia-Olivares for The Eucalyptus Pillow.
• Yurika Ikeda for Safer Cover.
• Makenzie Benamon and Amelia Brake for Tooth FlossAnatar. 

 

Repurposed Materials Award

• Trinity Jackson, 5th grader from Jungman STEM Magnet for the invention Neck Pain Refrain. 

 

Molex Technology & Transformation Award Winners

• Cameron A’Hearn, 3rd grader from North Shore Country Day school, for No More Nose Swabs.
• Paige Timpe, a 5th grader from Quest Academy for Bubble: The Digital Guide for Preventing Strong Emotions.
• Aubrey Ewing, 7th grader from Chicago State’s PREP Program for Biomimicry in Aerodynamics.

 

Patent Awards

• Design Patent Application goes to Mason Guerra, a 4th grader from Edward Everett STEM Elementary, for the W Holder.
• Utility Patent Application goes to Avi Nanisetty, a 5th grader from Quest Academy for the Pillow Alarm.

 

Prototype Award

• Trinity Jackson, 5th grader from Jungman STEM Magnet for the invention Neck Pain Refrain. 

 

Founder’s Award Winners:

• Grady Macejko and Arjun Venugopal, 4th graders from North Shore Country Day School for Smart Braille.
• Riya Cheriyan, 7th grader from Quest Academy for H2-Go. 

 

For the 10th anniversary celebration, CSIC also honored the founder of our competition, Anneliese Gegenheimer, early supporters Gina Cardosi, Patrick Harris, and Edward Spriggins, as well as educators who have participated in the program for over 5 years. 

These outstanding educators are:

• Niranjani Prabhakar from Chicago World Language Academy for 10 years of participation 
• Sonia Torres from Jungman STEM Magnet for 6 years of participation
• Misty Richmond from James Ward Elementary and Jim Carr from Beaubien Elementary for 5 years of participation