SITE

Student Inventions Through Education (SITE)

SITE is a program involving K-12 students in the process of creative design and problem solving. Our goals are as follows:

• To encourage creative thinking
• To develop creative problem solving skills
• Experience the problem solving method
• To motivate students to learn
• To raise self-esteem
• To promote curriculum integration

SITE challenges K-12 students to invent solutions to self-identified problems while working under the guidance of a teacher.  This program stresses the development of a wide variety of problem solving skills and encourages students to apply these skills to life situations.  Students develop inventions in the local school and enter a local competition where a winning invention from each division is selected.  This winning invention is invited to compete at a Regional Competition where all local winning inventions are exhibited.  A winning invention is selected from each division at this Regional Competition.

Divisions

• Division A .... Grades K-2
• Division B ..... Grades 3-4
• Division C ..... Grades 5-6
• Division D ..... Grades 7-8
• Division E .... Grades 9-12

Each division is run independently of the others and has its own judging and winners.

Definitions

All students become familiar with the terms invention and innovation.  Students may create either an invention or an innovation for participation in the SITE program.  An INVENTION must be novel and able to be utilized.  In other words, an invention is something that no one has ever thought of before.  It cannot be found in a book or purchased anywhere and it must be useful.  An INNOVATION is a new product, process or service that can be an improvement on or a combination of previous inventions and/or innovations.