STORRS — Student finalists in grades K-12 from throughout the state will compete at the Connecticut Invention Convention on the morning of Saturday, May 4. The event is taking place at Gampel Pavilion, the Student Union and Rome Commons Ballroom on the University of Connecticut-Storrs campus. 

Students, totaling over 1,200 — an increase of 30% over last year — have advanced from 300 local school invention convention competitions conducted throughout Connecticut. 

Organizers have confirmed to The Newtown Bee that students from Newtown schools are among those who have been accepted into this year’s event.

This is the 36th year the event has taken place, hosted by the University of Connecticut School of Engineering, and is the largest and longest continuously operating program of its kind in the nation. Winners of the CIC State Finals advance to the National Invention Convention (NIC), to be held at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation later this year. 

"Connecticut is full of talented and bright young learners, and this celebration of invention gives students the opportunity to share what they have created," said Susan Mostowy, executive director of Connecticut Invention Convention. "This competition gets students involved in authentic, project-based learning while demonstrating creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking — all important 21st Century skills.”

Posted information for the weekend indicates students and their families will be on campus most of the morning, setting up displays, attending an opening ceremony, and having their work judged.

The best time for the public to visit, according to organizers, is between noon and 2 pm. There is no admission fee. 

The GPS address for the campus is 2098 Hillside Road, Storrs. 

More information about the Connecticut Invention Convention is available at ctinventionconvention.org.