Charles Smith
For the third consecutive year, an Eisenhower student has taken home high honors in the Invent Iowa competition. University of Iowa’s Belin-Blank Center hosted the annual statewide competition on April 19. Due to Covid-19, the competition was held in an online format.
Thirty-eight students participated from across the state of Iowa in grades K-8, through an online and mailed application process. Ottumwa participants included: Carter Cruzen, second grade, Liberty, with the "Light Saver" invention; and Charles Smith, second grade, Eisenhower/Homeschool, with "The B.O.S.S. (The Beneficial On-Site Skin Scanner)" invention.
Charles Smith received first place out of the entire competition for his invention. As a result, he qualified for the annual Invention Convention U.S. Nationals. This is the third consecutive year he has qualified for the national competition.
In addition, Charles received an Amazon gift card and a family year-long pass to The Henry Ford Museum. The Invention Convention U.S. Nationals will feature 400 finalists in grades K-12 from across the country. Charles will be one of five students representing Iowa in the 2021 competition, hosted by Raytheon Technologies at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. This year's virtual competition will include an online awards ceremony on June 24.
