June 21, 2023 | Claire Tremont

Connecticut’s Young Inventors Find Their Start in Storrs

The University of Connecticut Storrs campus hosted the Connecticut Invention Convention on June 10, connecting young inventors and entrepreneurs to a plethora of university resources.

The University of Connecticut oak leaf seal in the center of a brick rosette design.

Drone photos of Fairfield Way and the Seal outside the Homer Babbidge Library on May 18, 2021. (Sean Flynn/UConn Photo)

By Claire Galvin, Manager of Communications and Digital Strategy

The University of Connecticut Storrs campus hosted the Connecticut Invention Convention (CIC) on June 10, connecting young inventors and entrepreneurs to a plethora of university resources.

The 40th annual state finals were held in the Student Union Ballroom.

The CIC is an education non-profit deploying K-12 innovation and entrepreneurship programs for more than 12,000 young innovators annually.

From hockey neck guards to magnetic board games, the students presented their next-generation ideas to a panel of judges.

Associate Dean Daniel Burkey, Castleman Term Professor in Engineering Innovation, said the K-12 innovation and entrepreneurship program is often a student’s first experience in engineering.

“By partnering with this organization, we welcome young STEM students into the university environment at the earliest age possible,” Burkey said. “Plus, we’re given the chance to see fascinating inventions with real-world applications.”

Previous CIC finals have been held in the Gampel Pavilion. That space was unavailable this summer due to the basketball court floor replacement project.

“The CIC team couldn’t be prouder of our amazing student inventors,” said CIC Executive Director Nick Briere. “Each and every student brought creative innovations that solved the real-world problems of today.”

More information about the convention is available online: https://ctinventionconvention.org/