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Invent the Future Summit

June 2023

This year, almost 1,500 middle school students from across the region will answer the question: What will you make to improve life on this planet?

Through the process of designing their own inventions, students will learn to innovate, solve problems, and collaborate with others — all skills they’ll need to one day invent the future.

Join us to celebrate the amazing achievements of these student inventors.

Details coming soon.

Challenge Summits 2019 & 2022
Photo Credit: Edwin Remsberg Photography

January 2023 Award Winners

Congrats to all Invent the Future winners and inventors!

Innovation
Presented by Mongomery County Executive Marc Elrich

  • Factory Filters

    Greenhouse gas filters for industrial factories

    Farquhar Middle School

Social Impact
Presented by Dr. Peggy Pugh, Chief Academic Officer of Montgomery County Public Schools

  • Foodmobile for the Homeless

    On-demand refrigerated food delivery

    Shady Grove Middle School

  • E.L.M. App

    A phone filter that prevents seeing or posting racist content

    Farquhar Middle School

Local Changemaker
Presented by Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando

  • SGMS Portable Lockers

    Versatile in-school storage solutions for students

    Shady Grove Middle School

  • Divine Dietary

    An app to promote healthy school lunch choices

    Farquhar Middle School

  • Pets Best Friend

    A robot to care for stray dogs and direct them to shelters

    Parkland Middle School

Call to Action
Presented by Cori Lathan, Board Chair & CEO of AnthroTronix

  • Reduce Waste in El Salvador

    A self-driving, music-playing garbage collector

    Shady Grove Middle School

Collaborative Design
Presented by Tasha Jamerson of PEPCO

  • Creating Fresh Water in Libya

    Water desalination for coastal homes

    Shady Grove Middle School

  • Puerto Rico Floods

    A generator powered by stormwater

    Shady Grove Middle School

Presentation
Presented by Sumindi Peiris, President of Bethesda Magazine & Bethesda Beat

  • Water Powered Litter Collector

    A vacuum that removes and sorts trash from waterways

    Briggs Chaney Middle School

  • Drone Mobile

    Finder and rescuer of stray pets

    Parkland Middle School

2022 Award Winners

Congrats to all Invent the Future winners and inventors!

Idea Award
In recognition of teams to celebrate thoughtful problem choice and originality in developing an impactful solution to that problem.

  • Second Life Clothing
  • Octopus Prime / The Pollinator
  • Plastic Heating Machine
  • Plastic Removal System (PRS)
  • Project Injection

Process Award
In recognition of teams to celebrate an iterative and collaborative design process.

  • Micro Turbine
  • Hydroship
  • Fish Depletion (The Fish Prison)
  • Save the Seas
  • Wildfires Bird Drone

Presentation Award
In recognition of teams to celebrate thoughtful communication of ideas, both sharing with audiences and the built prototype.

  • Sea Bin
  • School lunch waste with drone (FPS)
  • Water Pollution Solution (WPS)
  • Deni Device
  • Save the Turtles

Pepco Sustainability Award
In recognition of teams to celebrate a creative and innovative approach to integrating environmentally sustainable and equitable solutions.

  • Plastic Paper
  • Fiber Filter
  • Plastic Refinement Array for Production of Concrete (PRAPC)
  • Factory Emissions – Carbonox

Innovative Technology Award
In recognition of teams to celebrate an innovative use of robotics, coding, or electronics concepts in their design solutions.

  • The GAEJ Water filter
  • The Eliminator
  • Bamboozler

Local Changemaker Award
In recognition of teams to celebrate innovation, compassion, and commitment to regional issues.

  • The Reusable Water Filter
  • PortaPlanter
  • River Bubbler
  • Mold Diffuser

Persistence Award
In recognition of teams to celebrate the relentless commitment to the iterative design process.

  • Oil Cleaner 2.0
  • Hydration Station
  • The Voyage Extinguisher
  • Plastics

Social Impact Award
In recognition of teams to celebrate empathy and originality in approaching a specific social issue.

  • Dogwater 3000
  • Medical Capsule Dispenser
  • Bee Habitat

Power to the People Award
In recognition of teams to celebrate ingenuity and the power of individual engagement in creating global change.

  • Air Pair
  • Low Cost Oxygen Concentrator
  • Exhaust Eliminator
  • Food Waste Grinder

Mind of a Maker Award
In recognition of teams to celebrate a well-rounded and future-oriented project that embodies KID Museum’s “Mind of a Maker” worldview.

  • FAC Filter and Clean
  • The Fire Fighting Tree
  • Oil Detection Chamber

2021 - 2022 Participating Schools

Thank you to each and every school, educator, and student who participated in this year’s challenge.

  • Argyle
  • Briggs Chaney
  • Roberto W. Clemente
  • William H. Farquhar
  • Gaithersburg
  • Francis Scott Key
  • Montgomery Village
  • Neelsville
  • North Bethesda
  • Parkland
  • Rosa M. Parks
  • Redland
  • Shady Grove
  • Odessa Shannon
  • Silver Spring International
  • White Oak
  • Urbana

2021 Award Winners

Idea Award

  • Pollution Grabber, White Oak Middle School
  • Chesapeake Bay Watershed Health, Roberto W. Clemente Middle School
  • Contaminated Soil Solidifier, Roberto W. Clemente Middle School
  • Cotton Fiber Alternative, White Oak Middle School

Process Award

  • Air Pollution Eradicator 2000, White Oak Middle School
  • Micro-Alert, Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School
  • BTP: Biodegradable Tree Planter, Sligo Middle School
  • Oil Spill, Neelsville Middle School

Presentation Award

  • Modular Tiered Agriculture System, Roberto W. Clemente Middle School
  • Water Purifier (Water Collector & Cleaner – WCC), Neelsville Middle School
  • Saving Nemo, Helping Dory, North Bethesda Middle School
  • pH Auto Solution Tester Appliance, Gaithersburg Middle School
  • Microplastic Robot, Roberto W. Clemente Middle School

Pepco Sustainability Award

  • Breeze Energy, Herbert Hoover Middle School

Innovative Technology Award

  • Fire Drone, Takoma Park Middle School

Local Changemaker Award

  • Chesapeake Bay Dam Project, Rosa Parks Middle School

Persistence Award

  • Xtreme Firefighters, Francis Scott Key Middle School

Social Impact Award

  • Solar Distillation Household Device, Roberto W. Clemente Middle School

Innovation in 2020 Award

  • Hand Washing Timer/Detector, Shady Grove Middle School

Power to the People Award

  • Animal Free, Sligo Middle School

Mind of a Maker Award

  • BioEarth, Argyle Middle School

2019 Award Winners

Idea

  • Argyle Middle School: The Trashulizer 3000
  • Herbert Hoover Middle School: Safe B Plastics
  • Multi-School Team: Detection and mitigation of aflatoxin in crops
  • Sidwell Friends School: The Throw and Grow Cup

Process

  • Argyle Middle School: Nurd Nechs, Inc.
  • Herbert Hoover Middle School: Tri-Disposable Cup
  • Robert Frost Middle School: Saltwater Purification
  • Silver Spring International Middle School: Design Nation

Presentation

  • Earl B. Wood Middle School: Inventors 101
  • Neelsville Middle School: Wind Powered Oven
  • Roberto Clemente Middle School: Ultrasonic Algae Shark
  • White Oak Middle School: Garden of the Future

Judges’ Choice

  • Benjamin Banneker Middle School: Alternative Transportation
  • Newport Mill Middle School: Ground-Effect Vehicle
  • Sligo Middle School: Dam/Water Filter
  • Team Tech Ninjas: Smart Gardener Watering System