Mansfield Elementary School Grade 3 student Mihin Witharana earned top recognition at the U.S. Nationals of the RTX Invention Convention hosted by the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovations in Dearborn, Michigan on June 7.
Mihin’s invention is called SaltBot, a robotic autonomous deicing salt sprinkler. His placement at the 2023 state-level competition in Connecticut qualified him for this year’s National competition. He took second place among all Grade 3 students whose projects progressed to the U.S. Nationals.
Mansfield MIddle School Grade 5 student Liam Jurado also competed at the U.S. Nationals with his invention called Playdoh Twister. Mansfield Public Schools students were two of the 14 students representing Connecticut who qualified for this year’s U.S. Nationals competition last spring.
Qualifying student inventors travel with their families to The Henry Ford for a multi-day experience which includes presenting their invention to a panel of educational and industry expert judges, meeting and engaging with other student inventors, professional experts and special guests, participating in educational experiences and culminating in the awards ceremony.
In addition to the National award, on June 8 Mihin’s 2024 project earned him a second U.S. National Finalist opportunity at the Connecticut Invention Convention. This year’s project is his latest invention, a smart wristband for safe school bus crossing called the Bus Buddy. This will qualify Mihin to progress to the U.S. Nationals again at the Henry Ford Museum, Michigan in June 2025. The Connecticut Invention Convention was hosted at the University of Connecticut.
Mansfield Elementary School Grade 1 student Ella Wang was also recognized at the Connecticut Invention Convention on June 8 where she received a Sustainability Award from Stanley Black and Decker to honor her outstanding inventiveness and creativity for her project. Her project was the Robot Fish, an invention to remove plastic and other trash from the ocean.