InventCON Kick Off Event gets students excited and thinking about the future

For many years in the Copper Country students have created new inventions for a showcase event during the spring. Western UP STEM this year has teamed up with Superior Fab Lab to bring more participation back to the program in 2025 under a rebranded Invention Convention at Superior Makersfest. Program Director Emily Gieger says that before COVID close to 400 students in the Copper Country would meet at a local school to showcase different inventions. But after the pandemic and cancelling the program it’s been hard to bring back kids.

With STEM Fair, not complaints, but some of the feedback we got was that parents don’t have a lot of time or sometimes the knowledge to assist their students or their children at home. Some classrooms implemented it into the school day, but not all schools did. So we were trying to find a way to get student support without relying on parents to do so. So these Michigan Tech students are going to provide that. – Emily Geiger, Western UP MISTEM Network Director with the Copper Country Intermediate School District

On Saturday, Gieger, MTU Director of the Center for Science and Environmental Outreach Tom Oliver, will lead a short presentation to help students get excited and start thinking about what they can create for Makersfest in March.

So on Saturday, we have a kickoff presentation for the students that’s going to go over the process. So a brief overview of the engineering design process. We’re going to go over the rules and guidelines for what’s expected including their display boards for the competitions. And they need to have a prototype. Doesn’t have to be functional, but they’ll have a prototype as well as a log book. So certain items are going to be required for the regional competition. And we just want to lay that out for them. – Emily Geiger, Western UP MISTEM Network Director with the Copper Country Intermediate School District

Then students will start brainstorming and have fun while working with Michigan tech students who can help with projects before the march.

Brainstorming activities might not lead them into their invention right away, but they’re meant to get kids thinking on their toes and getting them to realize that there’s no wrong answer. You know how sometimes when you’re asked a question you kind of like think of how you’re going to be judged before spitting it out, and we want them to be comfortable with giving the silliest answers that they can because that’s where some of the best inventions have come out of. – Emily Geiger, Western UP MISTEM Network Director with the Copper Country Intermediate School District

The Invention Convention at Superior Makersfest with the Western UP Stem and the Superior Fab Lab in March will take place on March 16th. Saturday’s training and introduction to the program will begin at 12 pm in the Memorial Union Building ballroom two. Those interested in learning more about InventCon and Saturday’s event can find more details here.