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Schools

Southeast Holds 'Invention Convention'

Three students are headed to state competition.

The gymnasium was filled with dozens of young scientists as well as a handful of inventors at Wednesday evening's Invention Convention at the school.

Thirty-eight children participated in the Science Fair portion of the event, and seven created unique products for the Invention Convention, the goal of which was to foster the development of scientific skills and challenge the students to solve problems.

Some of the inventions included a device that helps you choose what to wear, a solution for global warming, an insect sucker, lighted clothing to help you see in the dark, and plates with a built-in cup holder.

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First-grade student Allie Leonard allowed guests to spin the wheel on her clothing selector. Although the invention takes the guess work out of what to wear for the day, Leonard said it doesn't guarantee that your clothes will match, nor will you always agree with its choice. For example, an adult male guest spun the selector and was instructed to wear a dress with leggings.

Equipped with electricity, a hose and a suction device, Davi Raymer van den Berg's contraption was very humane, in that it captures pesky insects without harming them. There haven't been many bugs out thus far this season, but van den Berg said he will be using the device at home eventually, when the weather warms up.

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Nine-year old Caroline Duer, a fourth-grade student at the school, sounded very impressive and confident as she spoke to guests about her Greenhouse Gas Transformation machine. She explained that her invention, which would hover over cities and factories, would pull in harmful gasses, trapping the carbon dioxide and methane into metal organic framework, and leave only the good air to escape into the atmosphere.

Curiosity got the best of Lily Gile, who chose the subject of her Science Fair project because she just "had to know." While researching ideas online, Gile came across the question, "Can magnetism affect plant growth?"

"I really, really wanted to know, and if I didn't find out, it would have driven me crazy," she exclaimed.

So the answer? Yes, it affects growth. Her experiment showed that the plants with the magnets grew faster, but were thinner. The non-magnetized plants grew at a normal pace, but looked thicker and healthier.

Toward the end of the fair, each child was called to the stage by enrichment teacher Susan Irvine to receive a certificate for their hard work. In addition, three students were selected to represent the school in the State Invention Convention competition. Allie Leonard, Davi Raymer van den Berg and Anatole Chu Keshwani will each attend the competition on Saturday, April 28.

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