Fifteen young inventors from across the country have been selected as semifinalists in the first-ever Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors. Hosted by the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society (ASC), The University of Akron and its Akron Global Polymer Academy (AGPA), all of which are based in Ohio, the contest challenges students in grades 5 through 8 to create inventions that consist primarily of rubber bands. The event is sponsored by the Alliance Rubber Co. of Hot Springs, Ark.
 Additional links: |
Developing inventions ranging from a musical instrument to a plant sitter to a generator, contest semifinalists and their inventions are:
- Max Aifer, a seventh-grader from Arlington, Va., invented the “Plant Sitter.”
- Austin Ates, a sixth-grader from Longwood, Fla., invented the “Rubber Band Powered Air Boat.”
- Abigail Bonett, an eighth-grader from North Brunswick, N.J., invented “The Rubber Band and Orchestra.”
- Raegen J. Bransteter, a seventh-grader from Celina, Ohio, invented “Now Sew Easy Curtains.”
- Nathan Gardner, a seventh-grader from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, invented the “Disher Gripper.”
- Henry Griffiths, a fifth-grader from Hudson, Ohio, invented “Stretchy Shapes.”
- Rachel Maioriello, a sixth-grader from Magnolia, Ohio, invented “The Splat.”
- Jared Mann, a sixth-grader from Christianburg, Va., invented “The Power Tree.”
- Jaymen Neff-Strickland, a sixth-grader from Urbana, Ohio, invented the “Safe Flap Candle.”
- Grant Neil, an eighth-grader from Kirkland, Wash., invented “The Rip Band.”
- Michael Schuller, a seventh-grader from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, invented the “Rubber B-ball.”
- Jhena Smith, a fifth-grader from Canton, Ohio, invented the ”Rubber Band Generator #1.”
- Olivia Snyder, a sixth-grader from Navarre, Ohio, invented the “Rubber Band Ribbon Tier.”
- Trevor Springer, a fifth-grader from Findlay, Ohio, invented “The Pentagonal Projectile Game.”
- John Swaim, a seventh-grader from Longwood, Fla., invented the “Digital Strength and Flexibility Optimizer.”
Three finalists will be selected and honored at The University of Akron on Feb. 14, 2009. The grand-prize winner will receive a $10,000 savings bond, and the second- and third-place winners will receive $5,000 and $2,500 savings bonds, respectively. Each finalist’s teacher or mentor will receive a $500 gift card. The 12 remaining semifinalists each will receive a $50 gift card. For more information about the contest, visit the rubber band contest Web site.
The Rubber Division, ACS, is a professional, nonprofit association dedicated to enhancing science, technology and business across the evolving elastomeric community. The Rubber Division’s mission is to expand the elastomeric profession and individual development through educational, technical and Rubber Division and its activities, for more information, visit www.rubber.org.
The Akron Global Polymer Academy is the educational outreach arm for the UA College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. The AGPA creates and disseminates knowledge about polymer science, polymer engineering, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education through face-to-face teacher workshops, tours and distributive education ventures. More information is at the Akron Global Polymer Academy Web site.