Sunday was a chance to show off inventions, ideas and the power of critical thinking. It was the 16th Invention Convention.
The auditorium of the Buffalo Museum of Science was filled, as the prizes were awarded by grade for devices, gadgets and solutions. Winners were from Frederick Law Olmsted, Smallwood Drive, Eden and one child who was home-schooled.
One winner was Brian Bartelo, who wanted to help his little brother understand his love for science.
"I built a patch board," Bartelo said. "I recycled things around my home and I recycled these around my home, got into my science textbook and I built it to help my little brother learn math and science facts."
Olmsted 156's Maya Kay built a green belt for kids who feared bullying.
"I get bullied personally and I am a teacher/student at a mixed martial arts program," Kay said, "and we have an anti-bullying group and we've had girls and boys walk in with black eyes, broken arms because they get bullied so much in school. So they come to us to learn how to defend themselves."
Molly Duggan from Smallwood Drive won for a device to organize a desk.
"Whenever I open my desk, all of my supplies fall off," Duggan said, "and it happened for other people in my class, too."
Inventor of the Year went to Olmsted sixth grader Mason Herington. He has a grandfather with Parkinson's disease and figured out how to build a self-leveling cane so his granddad won't fall over.
The contest carried prizes up to regional and national science camp. One winner received a new tablet computer.
