Invention Notebook

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  • Making STEM Education More Inclusive for Emerging Entrepreneurs

    Making STEM Education More Inclusive for Emerging Entrepreneurs

    Five attributes that innovation and entrepreneurship programs should cultivate

  • Escaping the Ordinary in the Classroom

    Escaping the Ordinary in the Classroom

    Grant Kightlinger and Molly Grace, co-creators of the “FairPlay Challenge.” This innovative education curriculum uses an escape room model to engage students in important life lessons. Many of us have had that experience in school of feeling trapped in a boring lesson about a topic that didn’t seem to have any relevance to our lives.…

  • Making Engineering Elementary

    Making Engineering Elementary

    Students engineering windmills that harness the wind’s energy. (Credit: Youth Engineering Solutions, Museum of Science, Boston) How a model for equity-oriented engineering curriculum is engaging students from all backgrounds and in the earliest grades Engineers are crucial to building our future. And to harness the best solutions for tomorrow’s social and environmental challenges, we need…

  • Transforming the Game with Invention

    Transforming the Game with Invention

    Shawn Springs, CEO of Windpact. This former athlete turned entrepreneur and inventor is creating new sports technology to improve player safety. Who can be an inventor? A dynamic new exhibit at the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation is posing that question through a unique lens, andMore

  • Recharging the Electric Vehicle Industry

    Recharging the Electric Vehicle Industry

    Siblings Steven (left) and Zora Chung (right) co-founded technology company ReJoule. This sustainable startup is building a circular economy for EV batteries from the ground up How do you make a critically important sustainable industry even more sustainable? For electric vehicles, one of the challenges is the sustainable source itself — the lithium-ion battery. Although…

  • Paving the Way to Sustainability

    Paving the Way to Sustainability

    Removing roadblocks for low-carbon building materials can spur innovation and lower greenhouse gas emissions By Rafae Ghani, Policy Advisor, ClearPath; Tess Moran, Industrial Policy Analyst, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions; Mallory Shaevsky, Government Affairs Associate, ClearPath; Emily Tucker, Senior Federal Policy Manager,

  • Teaching Beyond Textbooks

    Teaching Beyond Textbooks

    Rethinking Education for a World Fueled by Creativity and Innovation

  • Achieving that Lightbulb Moment

    Achieving that Lightbulb Moment

    How two high school inventors created a flashlight to help light the way for their community’s first responders

  • Engineering for One Planet: A Paradigm Shift for Climate Action and a Sustainable Future

    Engineering for One Planet: A Paradigm Shift for Climate Action and a Sustainable Future

    World Engineering Day prompts crucial questions: Can the very ingenuity that defines engineering — the force that builds our world’s cities and puts a world of knowledge in our hands — help pave the path towards a truly sustainable future? Can it become an instrument not just for technological progress, but also for the thriving of our planet and…

  • Embracing Black Ingenuity: Beyond Black History Month

    Embracing Black Ingenuity: Beyond Black History Month

    Each February brings me a deeper appreciation for Black History Month. Yet, alongside this admiration, I can’t help but grapple with mixed feelings. We dedicate a mere 28 days to honoring the remarkable achievements of Black individuals in American history. Despite the community events and workplace discussions, Black History Month often feels like a mere…

  • Sparking Imagination, Empowering Ingenuity

    Sparking Imagination, Empowering Ingenuity

    Why We Must Celebrate and Support the Inventive Spirit A message from Rob Schneider, Executive Director, The Lemelson Foundation National Inventors’ Day, observed annually on February 11th, serves as a reminder of the transformative power of human ingenuity. It’s a day to recognize and celebrate the individuals who dare to challenge the status quo, who…

  • The Transformative Power of Invention Education

    The Transformative Power of Invention Education

    This approach to STEM learning ignites creativity, instills lifelong skills, and fuels the innovation economy. How do we ensure that school is not a limiting factor for creativity and innovation, but instead instills an inventive mindset in our students? Our answer is Invention Education. This op-ed in Invention Notebook — authored by Elizabeth Stock and…