Today we announce the 2020 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize winners who are recognized for their technology-based inventions as graduate students or undergraduate teams in one of four categories: “Use it!,” “Move it!,” “Eat it!,” and “Cure it!” The national effort is sponsored by The Lemelson Foundation. “We congratulate this year’s winners for their outstanding work tackling global problems in order to improve lives around the world,” said Carol Dahl, executive director at The Lemelson Foundation. “These students are an inspiring example of how young minds across the country can solve problems through invention.”
Prize winners and the young inventors we have worked with from high schools across the U.S. cite the importance of having opportunities for learning the unique ways inventors find and solve problems. These opportunities (referred to as ‘invention education’) develop human skills needed for the workforce and prepare young people to be creative problem solvers in their communities and beyond. We invite you to explore the examples of young inventors on this site and to get started on the pathway to inventing by picking an activity in whatever category fits your personal interest and passion.
Have fun inventing!
2020 “Cure it!” Lemelson-MIT Student Prize Undergraduate Team Winner
Augeo: Siddharth Iyer, Jasmine Hu, Mathias Insley, Diane Lee, and Eric Lin, Johns Hopkins University. A new material that can quickly expand to many times its size, resulting in an inexpensive and simple way to permanently stop a patient from bleeding internally.
2020 “Cure it!” Lemelson-MIT Student Prize Graduate Winner
Shriya Srinivasan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The cutaneous mechanoneural interface (CMI), a new type of surgical process for amputations that would allow a person to sense what their prosthesis feels.
Grades K – 5
We recommend you read the letter to Caring Adults of K-5 Children first. The letter has helpful hints on how to have fun with children while learning about inventors and inventing! You don’t need to work through the categories in order, and every category includes inventors’ stories, videos, and activities to complete while thinking like inventors. For inspiration, check out the videos of young inventors and their inventions below. Good luck!
Meet Katy – An Inventor!
Katy is a mechanical engineer and also an inventor. She designs and builds prosthetics, which are inventions that help people who are missing their feet or legs walk.