INVENTIONEERS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW
Inventioneers of Today and Tomorrow (IT2) is aligned to the international Invention Convention program, a K-12 invention education program that teaches students problem-identification, problem-solving, entrepreneurship, creativity skills, and builds confidence in invention, innovation and entrepreneurship for life. This program just recently came to Utah through Utah State University (USU) Extension program.
Supporting Futures
There is a gap in the availability of STEM learning for underserved populations. Inventioneers of Today and Tomorrow will expose youth to engineering and computational concepts. Local program leaders Deb Ivie, Extension Youth Programs STEM Specialist, and Denise Taylor, Extension Program Coordinator, are excited to start this program in Utah.
Fostering Innovation
In its first year, USU is implementing the program in schools within the Salt Lake City School District with a competition planned for spring. Future plans involve afterschool programming in conjunction with the Utah Afterschool Network and 4-H groups.
“Research shows that many underserved youth populations are more interested in STEM if it is creative in nature and/or helps meet a community need or solve a social problem. We feel that Invention Convention is a strong avenue that will help us involve more youth through this approach.”
If you're an educator and are interested in Inventioneers of Today and Tomorrow programming, please contact Tami Goetz, Director of the STEM Action Center, at tgoetz@utah.gov or Deb Ivie, State STEM Lead with USU, at deborah.ivie@usu.edu.
