Press Release

August 29, 2022

Second Annual Invention Convention Globals presented by Pratt & Whitney Honors 174 Young Inventors from Across Two Hemispheres, Four Countries


(Dearborn, Mich. – August 29, 2022) ─ On August 26, 2022, 174 young inventors from participating Invention Convention Nationals programs in the United States, Mexico, Singapore, and China were honored during the second annual Invention Convention Globals, presented by Pratt & Whitney. The virtual celebration was hosted by Inventor and Senior Director Product Design & Development at Hasbro, Gray Bright with special keynote speaker Kavita Shukla, founder and CEO of FRESHGLOW and inventor of the FreshPaper. To watch this year’s ceremony visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGqTP5quotQ&feature=youtu.be.

Invention Convention Globals participation consists of select student inventors from Invention Convention affiliates across the globe. To participate, students were required to submit a video presentation of their invention, a prototype, an inventor’s logbook showing the journey of their invention process and a display board highlighting key points of the invention process.

This year's inventors taking home top honors include:

  • First-grader Rachel Smith, U.S, awarded first place in the K-2nd grade category, and the Most Innovative Award for the Remember It Bracelet.
  • Fourth-grader Xizhe Ye, China, awarded first place in the 3rd -5th grade category for the Smart Wardrobe Ziaozhe.
  • Sixth-grader Gu Muyue, China, taking home top honors in the 6th-8th grade category for the Anti-Randrop Umbrella.
  • Eleventh-grader Akhila Ram, U.S., first place winner in the 9th-11th grade category for the Continuous Groundwater Monitoring with Machine Learning invention.
  • Twelfth-graders Michele Li, Barnabas Li, Tianjie Lu, U.S., first place winners in the 12+ grade category for their invention, UltraVii.

Invention Convention Worldwide is a global K-12 invention education curricular program mapped to national and state educational standards that teaches students problem-identification, problem-solving, entrepreneurship and creativity skills and builds confidence in invention, innovation and entrepreneurship for life. More than 135,000 K-12 inventors from across the globe participate in the programs each year.

The mission of Invention Convention Worldwide is to bring Invention Education to students everywhere. Organizations interested in bringing the year-long program to their region can get more information at https://inhub.thehenryford.org/icw/contact_us.


About The Henry Ford
Located in Dearborn, Michigan, The Henry Ford, a globally-recognized destination, fosters inspiration and learning from hands-on encounters with artifacts that represent the most comprehensive collection anywhere focusing on innovation, ingenuity and resourcefulness in America. Its unique venues include Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Benson Ford Research Center and Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school. Together with its online presence at thf.org, its national television series The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation and Invention Convention Worldwide, the growing affiliation of organizations fostering innovation, invention and entrepreneurship in K-12 students, The Henry Ford inspires individuals to unlock their potential and help shape a better future.

About Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney, a Raytheon Technologies company, is a world leader in the design, manufacture, and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. At Pratt & Whitney, we believe that powered flight has transformed – and will continue to transform – the world. It’s an engine for human progress and an instrument to rise above. That’s why we work with an explorer’s heart and a perfectionist’s grit to design, build, and service the world’s most advanced and unrelenting aircraft engines. We do this as a way of turning possibilities into realities for our customers. This is our mission and a challenge to which we rise every day. It’s about more than transporting people reliably to their destinations. It’s about more than providing the care and intelligence to service aircraft engines expertly. It’s about innovating and engineering a new and exciting future for aviation – one in which the full potential of human progress can be unleashed. This is how we at Pratt & Whitney approach our work, and this is why we are inspired to go beyond.