CAMARILLO : Student’s Rescue Device Nets First Prize in Contest

Fifth-grader Markus Reinke has come up with the perfect idea to save people who have fallen into rain-swollen rivers.

“It’s the Reinke Wash Rescue,” he told the judge during the Invent America! competition Thursday at Weathersfield Elementary School in Thousand Oaks.

“I got the idea after seeing people in the news getting trapped in the wash during the rainstorms,” Markus said. “Rescue people can use this to save people before they drown.”

The judges were so impressed with Markus’ device, a net that can be adjusted to the widths of waterways, that they awarded him first prize--a full membership in Young Inventors Workshop International, a national organization headquartered in Camarillo. Markus’ invention will be entered in the Invent America! national competition in Washington in July.

Entries in the competition ranged from the better mousetrap to environmentally sound recyclable bowling pins to a “super water balloon launcher.”

Growing up during strict water rationing spurred Jeremy Kopczynski to design “The Water Saver,” which recycles house water and rainwater.

“It works especially good here in California because we’re always having a drought,” Jeremy said.

Socially minded Katie Feldman created the “Back in Time With Famous Women” board game.

“Everybody knows about famous men because they’re in all the textbooks,” Katie said. “With this game, people can have fun while they’re learning about famous women.”

Alan Tratner, judge and president of the Inventors Workshop International Education Foundation, said the inventions illustrate “how imaginative and creative these kids are.”

“Too many times, parents and teacher easily dismiss the kids’ ideas and don’t take them seriously,” Tratner said. “Some kids have viable and very clever ideas that deserve attention.” This is the third year that fifth-graders at Weathersfield have participated in the contest, teacher Deanna Hackman said.

“It empowers (students) and makes them aware that they can be problem-solvers,” Hackman said.

The Invent America! competition, sponsored and administered by the nonprofit U.S. Patent Model Office Foundation, is a national program designed to encourage creativity in elementary school children throughout the nation. The students learn about the inventing process by keeping journals during the course of their work, Hackman said.

“Right now, almost half of all U.S. patents go to foreign inventors,” Hackman said. “By encouraging our own students, we can keep America competitive.”

Although many of the entries were games and toys, others were more serious in nature, Tratner said. “It’s amazing,” he said. “The bigger issues, like the environment or being handicapped, permeate their inventions.”