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Home | "A feeling invention" | The Register-Guard
Even though she’s not a big fan of planes, 12-year-old Kayleen Casey will be more than happy to travel to New York City if she’s selected as one of three finalists in the Sealed Air Corporation’s third annual Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors.
It isn’t the height that’s scary to the Marcola sixth-grader, but rather the idea of being crowded. But she is sure she can manage: “I’m really excited to go on that trip, if I win,” she said.
She has a pretty good shot at it, too. Kayleen is one of 15 semi-finalists in the competition, thanks to her “Audio Base Detector” — Bubble Wrap mitts that help the deaf by enabling them to feel sound vibrations.
The competition gives students in fifth through eighth grade the chance to demonstrate their design skills by incorporating Bubble Wrap into their inventions. The grand prize is a $10,000 savings bond. Second and third aren’t bad either, with $5,000 and $3,000 U.S. savings bonds, respectively. In addition, each finalist will be flown to New York City for a three-day trip, with the winner announced on “Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day,” Jan. 26.
What’s remarkable is Kayleen’s audio detector mitts weren’t even her initial idea for the competition. She had first planned to create a calendar where the user would pop a bubble rather than crossing off the day. However, she didn’t have time to make it so instead went with her backup plan and created the Audio Base Detector using a sheet of Bubble Wrap attached to the hand.
The idea evolved and instead of attaching a sheet to the hand, she created mitts. Kayleen had to submit her invention, a photo of herself and a video of her using her invention prior to the invention application deadline.
Kayleen came up with her idea after talking to a fourth-grader at recess. The younger girl is deaf but can read lips, she said. The idea for the mitts was sparked when the girl told Kayleen she has never been to a concert before. The girl thought it would be difficult to bring a balloon with her in order to feel the vibrations of the music, Kayleen explained.
Her original design for the detector wasn’t particularly elaborate, and “I really didn’t think I was going to win,” Kayleen said. But her final design emerged after efforts to create gloves didn’t take shape. She spent hours trying to get the hand to fit better, she said, and had to restart several times because they would either be to big or too small. In the end, making a mitt was the easiest.
“It took a long time,” Kayleen said. “Bubble Wrap doesn’t cut easily.”
She had to make two mitts, one for the competition and a second that she will keep and take to New York, should she become a finalist.
Once her mitts were cut and put together, Kayleen decided to “glamorize” them. The one sent into the competition was decorated with blue beading around the wrist and glittery hearts on the back of the hand.
Kayleen learned about the invention competition after her teacher, Carrie Jordan, told the class about it. Kayleen’s mother, Kim Casey, got the word in a phone call about two weeks ago that her daughter had been named a semi-finalist. She called Kayleen and left a message on her cell phone alerting her to the news. Kayleen called her mother back at recess, a time when students are allowed to use their cell phones, she said.
As if the Bubble Wrap excitement wasn’t enough, Kayleen also won the local Lions Club’s peace poster contest and is hoping to advance in that competition as well. The winner of the poster contest, with a theme “Peace Begins With Me,” will receive $2,500 and a trip to New York City and the United Nations.
Kayleen also was selected as a People to People student leader and will travel to Washington, D.C., next fall.
Her teacher nominated her for the program, where she will participate in a leadership forum and meet other students.
She’ll have to squeeze all that around basketball and volleyball and practicing the piano and flute. She’s also working on writing a book, with two chapters finished.
“I’m well-rounded,” Kayleen said with a smile.
Even though she’s not a big fan of planes, 12-year-old Kayleen Casey will be more than happy to travel to New York City if she’s selected as one of three finalists in the Sealed Air Corporation’s third annual Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors.
It isn’t the height that’s scary to the Marcola sixth-grader, but rather the idea of being crowded. But she is sure she can manage: “I’m really excited to go on that trip, if I win,” she said.
She has a pretty good shot at it, too. Kayleen is one of 15 semi-finalists in the competition, thanks to her “Audio Base Detector” — Bubble Wrap mitts that help the deaf by enabling them to feel sound vibrations.
The competition gives students in fifth through eighth grade the chance to demonstrate their design skills by incorporating Bubble Wrap into their inventions. The grand prize is a $10,000 savings bond. Second and third aren’t bad either, with $5,000 and $3,000 U.S. savings bonds, respectively. In addition, each finalist will be flown to New York City for a three-day trip, with the winner announced on “Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day,” Jan. 26.
What’s remarkable is Kayleen’s audio detector mitts weren’t even her initial idea for the competition. She had first planned to create a calendar where the user would pop a bubble rather than crossing off the day. However, she didn’t have time to make it so instead went with her backup plan and created the Audio Base Detector using a sheet of Bubble Wrap attached to the hand.
The idea evolved and instead of attaching a sheet to the hand, she created mitts. Kayleen had to submit her invention, a photo of herself and a video of her using her invention prior to the invention application deadline.
Kayleen came up with her idea after talking to a fourth-grader at recess. The younger girl is deaf but can read lips, she said. The idea for the mitts was sparked when the girl told Kayleen she has never been to a concert before. The girl thought it would be difficult to bring a balloon with her in order to feel the vibrations of the music, Kayleen explained.
Her original design for the detector wasn’t particularly elaborate, and “I really didn’t think I was going to win,” Kayleen said. But her final design emerged after efforts to create gloves didn’t take shape. She spent hours trying to get the hand to fit better, she said, and had to restart several times because they would either be to big or too small. In the end, making a mitt was the easiest.
“It took a long time,” Kayleen said. “Bubble Wrap doesn’t cut easily.”
She had to make two mitts, one for the competition and a second that she will keep and take to New York, should she become a finalist.
Once her mitts were cut and put together, Kayleen decided to “glamorize” them. The one sent into the competition was decorated with blue beading around the wrist and glittery hearts on the back of the hand.
Kayleen learned about the invention competition after her teacher, Carrie Jordan, told the class about it. Kayleen’s mother, Kim Casey, got the word in a phone call about two weeks ago that her daughter had been named a semi-finalist. She called Kayleen and left a message on her cell phone alerting her to the news. Kayleen called her mother back at recess, a time when students are allowed to use their cell phones, she said.
As if the Bubble Wrap excitement wasn’t enough, Kayleen also won the local Lions Club’s peace poster contest and is hoping to advance in that competition as well. The winner of the poster contest, with a theme “Peace Begins With Me,” will receive $2,500 and a trip to New York City and the United Nations.
Kayleen also was selected as a People to People student leader and will travel to Washington, D.C., next fall.
Her teacher nominated her for the program, where she will participate in a leadership forum and meet other students.
She’ll have to squeeze all that around basketball and volleyball and practicing the piano and flute. She’s also working on writing a book, with two chapters finished.
“I’m well-rounded,” Kayleen said with a smile.