Young Inventors’ Program (YIP), a STEM project-based learning program involves more than 3,000 students in grades K-12 from 50 schools and programs in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont (and even one student from Colorado). Each of these students is developing essential critical thinking and problem solving skills, as well as learning about invention design and entrepreneurship.

Each year, YIP welcomes 300 of the top inventors from around the region to compete in our Northern New England Regional Invention Convention for recognition, awards and the opportunity to advance to the Invention Convention US Nationals. This competition has always been a highlight of the year for many of our students and teachers. And, with recent changes in our world, we wanted to ensure that our inventors did not miss out on this transformative experience.

Young Inventors’ Program (YIP) developed plans for a Virtual Northern New England Invention Convention. We coordinated with our local teachers and our partners at Invention Convention Worldwide (host of the U.S. Nationals) to establish a format and timeline for our 2020 competition.

Now, more than ever, we need your support and we hope that we can count on you to judge our talented inventors as we move forward to honor and celebrate them.

Link to Register to Judge:

https://forms.gle/HKWKSagHzCa2FCwA7

 Judging Time Commitment & Timeline

Judging commitment is flexible and can be accomplished when you have the time. You will be part of a team of judges who will evaluate 4-6 minute video presentations from our young inventors. Students are required to submit a video in which they showcase their invention, explain the problem they attempted to solve, describe their design process, and display their model/prototype. Depending on the grade level, you may be judging 8-12 videos.

Training

  • Guidance on how to judge
  • How the judging score sheet works
  • FAQs & Webinar to help you orient to the new process (see below to RSVP to April 22 live webinar)

Time Commitment

  • 45 minutes for training & review evaluation tools
  • Join us for a live webinar or on-demand playback
  • 2+ hours to view and evaluate 8-12 videos
  • Videos are capped at 6 minutes each
  • 1 hour deliberation with other grade level judges
  • Judging teams will pick their time for deliberation (no later than May 3)

Timeline

  • April 9-19: Students register & upload materials
  • April 15: Judges confirm volunteering
  • April 22: Judges’ live training & receive judging assignments
  • April 22 – May 3: Judges evaluate inventions & deliberate
  • Deliberations must be scheduled with judging teams to pick winner
  • May 3: Judges send winner lists to staff
  • May 9 (tentative): Awards ceremony

 Judging Orientation

Join us for a webinar and Q&A to orient you to the judging process.

Judge Orientation Webinar

April 22 at 4 pm

RSVP here

 

For questions about judging, please contact Tina White at twhite@aas-world.org.