Drew Charter Students Selected as Georgias Sole InvenTeam by Lemelson-MIT

Awarded $10,000 grant to invent backseat monitoring device for automobiles

ATLANTA A group of junior and senior students at East Lakes Charles R. Drew
Senior Academy has been selected to receive the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam Grant, a
$10,000 award to be used for inventing technological solutions to real-world problems.
Four of the students are part of Drew Senior Academys inaugural senior class.

Drew Charter is one of only 15 schools nationwide to receive the InvenTeam Grant and
the only school in Georgia to receive it.

Beth White, an engineering teacher at Drew, submitted the application for the grant
expressing Drews interest in a year-long invention project and noting the ability of her
students to identify and solve real-world problems.

From that application, White was chosen as a Lemelson-MIT Excite Award recipient,
earning her an all-expense paid trip to EurekaFest earlier this year and enabling Drew
Design students to submit the final application for the grant.

A panel comprised of inventors; educators; InvenTeam student alumni; MIT faculty, staff,
and alumni reviewed all applications and selected grant recipients.

Now as a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam, the Drew Design team will use the next several
months to concept, design and build its invention a device used to monitor the
backseat of an automobile for child and/or pet presence.

Being selected as an InvenTeam, and creating an invention from soup to nuts will
undoubtedly have a huge impact on these students, said White. They have already
learned so much through the framework that Lemelson-MIT has provided, and now we
are just getting started!.

In June 2017, Ms. White and Drews InvenTeam will travel to Cambridge,
Massachusetts, for the Lemelson-MIT Programs EurekaFest where they will join other
InvenTeams to present and showcase their prototypes. Lemelson-MIT student prize
winners, MIT faculty and other InvenTeams will offer feedback at the event.

This group of students has worked very hard to be selected, and I cant wait to see
them persist through the challenges of creating a final product that has the potential to
save lives, something they are very passionate about!
Past InvenTeam projects have spanned many fields like assistive devices,
environmental technologies, consumer goods, and wearable technology. Inventors are
encouraged to identify important problems in their own communities. Local problems
tend to highly motivate youth as they create technological solutions to improve the lives
of others.

For more information about Charles R. Drew Charter School, visit

www.drewcharterschool.org. To learn more about the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams, visit
www.lemelson.mit.edu/inventeams.

To support the Charles R. Drew Senior Academy InvenTeam, follow them on twitter
@DCHS_InvenTeam.

About Charles R. Drew Senior Academy

Charles R. Drew Charter School opened in 2000 as the City of Atlantas first public
charter school. Drews innovative Project-Based Learning approach with an integration
of the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) curriculum
and a strong foundation in literacy helps all students reach their highest potential.
Serving more than 1,800 students in Pre-K through 12th grade, Drew represents the
cradle-to-college pipeline in the East Lake community and is an integral part of a holistic
neighborhood revitalization led by the East Lake Foundation. In 2017, Drew will
graduate its first senior class.

About Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam

The Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam initiative offers an unparalleled opportunity for high
school students to cultivate their creativity and experience invention. InvenTeam
students rely on inquiry and hands-on problem solving as they integrate lessons from
science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to develop invention prototypes.
Interactive, self-directed learning coupled with STEM curricula are essential for
experiencing invention. Students learn to work in teams, while collaborating with
intended users of their inventions. They partner with organizations in their communities
to enrich their experiences. Most of all, students learn to move forward through
challenges and celebrate "Eureka!" moments.

Media contact:
Will Belcher
Jackson Spalding
wbelcher@jacksonspalding.com