IRVINE : Young Inventors to Show Wares at Fair

Hundreds of young inventors with dreams of fame and cable TV infomercials will present their creations at Irvine Valley College’s annual invention fair today at noon.

Organizers promise the inventions will blend common-sense solutions to everyday problems with the imagination only a child could muster.

Last year’s projects included a solar-heated toilet seat warmer, a hamster leash, a stamp-licking machine and a remote-control vacuum.

The creations come from about 300 elementary and junior high school students from the Irvine and Tustin school districts. Their inventions were selected from among 3,000 to compete in the Irvine Valley College fair.

Judges from local businesses, colleges and grade schools will award prizes in a number of categories.

Educators said the inventions give students a chance to use the problem-solving skills they will need to succeed in the job market.

“It encourages them to solve problems,” said Dorothy Terman, coordinator of science and math curriculum at the Irvine Unified School District. “They identify problems in the everyday environment and use reason to deal with them.”

Terman said the invention process also forces students to use information from a variety of subjects, including math, science, English and social sciences.

George McCrory, a spokesman for Irvine Valley College, said the fair gives students the feeling that they are creating something of value. “One thing it does is show that they can do these things (professionally) when they are older,” McCrory said. “It gets kids inspired about science.”

In addition to displaying the inventions, the fair will present a panel discussion on patent law and bringing inventions to market.

Visitors can also enter an “On the Spot” invention contest, in which parents and their children attempt to turn common household items into useful creations.