
by Elpidio R. Estioko
People with limited mobility can now rejoice! FilAm Joseph Alvarico from Antioch, a 2024 California Teacher of the Year who teaches engineering and robotics at Ygnacio Valley High School, Mt. Diablo Unified School District, leads the Invention Grant to create a technological solution to a real-world problem – those with limited mobility.
Alvarico, in his text message to this columnist, shared the exciting news – “Ygnacio Valley High School has been awarded the prestigious Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam grant in the amount of $7,500 to invent a technological solution to a real-world problem. This is huge deal to our students and the school, and we’re thrilled… I’d love for you to help us spread the word. I’ve attached the news release with more details…”
This will give persons with limited hand mobility a chance to be able to freely move and live a regular life just like ordinary people do. They will now be able to overcome their challenges daily, interact with everybody without limitations, and regain their independence reconnecting with loved ones and their community.
Also, in the news release issued by the office of Theresa Harrington Brandt, Public Information and Community Relations Officer, Mt. Diablo Unified School District, “Ygnacio Valley High School in the East Bay is one of only eight high schools nationwide to be selected as an InvenTeam this year, and it is the only school in California to earn this honor.”
So, what does the Ygnacio Valley High School InvenTeam do? They are inventing a solution to assist those with limited ability to use their hands to—whether due to arthritis, cerebral palsy, or other conditions—overcome challenges in their daily lives, such as gripping utensils or using hand gestures to communicate.
Most likely, the invention will benefit more than 50 million adults in the U.S. affected by arthritis and 764,000 people living with cerebral palsy, which challenges are widespread and can become frustrating struggles, leading to feelings of isolation, Alvarico surmised.
To further understand what they are doing, Alvarico explained that the “Ygnacio Valley High School InvenTeam is developing an innovative solution to empower people with limited hand mobility, with a goal of not only improving their quality of life, but also promoting a more inclusive and connected society.”
Alvarico initiated the InvenTeam application process during the summer and worked with his students to prepare the final proposal. A respected panel of university professors, inventors, entrepreneurs, industry professionals, and college students including former InvenTeam members now working in industry selected the grantees.
The InvenTeam, for precision, will also work with Ygnacio Valley High School math teacher Tabatha Box, who is part of the school’s International Baccalaureate staff and will help guide the students through the development of their invention.
As I See It, the team also hopes to attract outside mentors in the field of technology and/or Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) support. “We are starting to tell people about what we’re trying to do in the hopes of getting mentors, in-kind donations or monetary support for this,” Alvarico said clarifying that the grant will not cover all of the group’s expenses, so they needed outside support from the tech industry.
Alvarico mentioned that at the end of the project, “the students should have a solid idea of how to make a product that could be sold, and they may have the opportunity to apply for a patent.”
Alvarico said that he hand-picked the 12 members, both male and female students in grades 9-12 which included members of the after-school robotics club he advises, have taught robotics to middle school students, and those who participated in his dual enrollment engineering classes for which they are earning college credit through Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill.
After hearing about the grant program last year, Alvarico uttered: “I thought it would be really cool for students from Ygnacio Valley, with limited resources from low socioeconomic backgrounds to have the same opportunities that other students do, so we are making this a vehicle not just to help the community, but for the kids to see what’s outside of California. When I visited MIT last summer, I could really tell that these students could make it there, too. The students will stay at MIT and plan to visit Harvard. We’re going to try to raise some money to go on a college tour to New York and visit Columbia, NYU and Cornell.”
Alvarico explained that the ongoing efforts will empower students from all backgrounds, equipping them with invaluable problem-solving skills that will serve them well throughout their academic journeys, professional pursuits, and personal lives.
Over the next eight months, the Ygnacio Valley High School InvenTeam will build a working prototype that will be showcased at a technical review locally in February, and then again as a final prototype during EurekaFest, an invention celebration taking place June 9-11, 2025, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Leigh Estabrooks, Lemelson-MIT’s Invention Education Officer said: “The InvenTeams are focusing on solving problems that impact their local communities. Teams are focusing their technological solutions — their inventions — on inequities in health and wellbeing, environmental issues, and safety concerns. These high school students are not just problem-solvers of tomorrow, they are problem solvers today helping to make our world more equitable, healthier, and safer.”
Now in its 21st year, the InvenTeams grants initiative has enabled 18 teams of high school students to earn U.S. patents for their projects. “Intellectual property education is combined with our invention education offerings as part of the Lemelson-MIT Program’s deliberate efforts to remedy historic inequities among those who develop inventions, protect their intellectual property, and commercialize their creations,” Estabrooks added.
“Our work with 4,049 students across 304 different teams nationwide these past 21 years includes: Partnering with intellectual property (IP) law firms to provide pro bono legal support; Collaborating with industry-leading companies that provide technical guidance and mentoring; Providing professional development for teachers on invention education and IP; Assisting teams with identifying resources within their communities’ innovation ecosystems to support ongoing invention efforts; and Publishing case studies and research to inform the work of invention educators and policy makers and build support for engaging students in efforts to invent solutions to real-world problems thus fueling the innovation economy in the U.S., Estabrooks explained.
The Lemelson-MIT Program, the news release mentioned, is a national leader in efforts to prepare the next generation of inventors and entrepreneurs. Their work focuses on the expansion of opportunities for people to learn ways inventors find and solve problems that matter to improve lives. Their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion aims to remedy historic inequities among those who develop inventions, protect their intellectual property and commercialize their creations.
One of U.S. history’s most prolific inventors Jerome H. Lemelson and his wife Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994. It is funded by The Lemelson Foundation and administered by the School of Engineering at MIT, an institution with a strong ongoing commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for K-14 STEM education.
My friend Joseph told me that if our readers need more information, they can visit Lemelson.MIT.edu or call the Leigh Estabrook Lemelson-MIT Program at (617) 452-2147 or visit leighe@mit.edu https://lemelson.mit.edu/inventeams.
More power to you and your team, Joseph! You are the man!
ELPIDIO R. ESTIOKO was a veteran journalist in the Philippines and an award-winning journalist here in the US. He just published his book Unlocking the chain of Poverty: In Pursuit of the American Dream which is now available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Xlibris Publishing. For feedbacks, comments… please email author at estiokoelpidio@gmail.com.
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