YMCA THINGAMAJIG INVENTION CONVENTION

The first THINGAMAJIG was held in 1994, when 138 Y Sci-Tech summer campers at the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington presented science projects to a small team of judges. Over the following 30 years, the annual event grew to become an important touchstone for area youth to experience hands-on science and technology. In July 2019, Thingamajig was the largest STEM-related convention in the D.C. area, drawing 4,500+ youth and hundreds of volunteer judges and activity leaders. THINGAMAJIG is successfully designed to help motivate young people to “think outside the box” and explore science, technology, engineering and math in a manner that is highly engaging with lasting positive effects, most notably for the many participants who come from underserved communities and low income environments.

The concept of THINGAMAJIG went national in 2015, when the YMCA of the USA Youth Development STEM Initiative recognized it as a successful model to begin implementing at an additional 17 YMCA associations around the USA.

When the novel coronavirus disrupted everyone’s lives in 2020, the Y had to cancel the large in-person event, but recognized that keeping youth engaged and learning was more important than ever. Using the THINGAMAJIG concepts of thinking creatively and embracing technology, a virtual version of this important event was created for 2020 and 2021. In 2022, a hybrid version was introduced, combining opportunities for youth to create inventions at home or at day camps, and hosting a smaller-scale in-person THINGAMAJIG day that was also live-streamed.  In

For THINGAMAJIG 2023, the Y was delighted to be able to return in-person with a fun-filled event held at the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) in Alexandria, Virginia.  THINGAMAJIG 2024 celebrates 30 years of innovative opportunties to spark STEM excitement for young people.  Please join us at the USPTO on July 30, 2024 for a day filled with hands-on exhibits, challenges and workshops. The 30th Annual THINGAMAJIG Invention Convention will inspire children to utilize their creativity and strategic thinking skills with exciting opportunities to learn, play and be inspired through STEM. Connecting Today … for Tomorrow!

Create a 4-6 minute YouTube video that tells the story of your Thingamajig Invention: How does your invention answer the Thingamajig Invention Challenge you selected? What process did you go through to come up with the solution to the challenge and how did you created your invention?

• Plan your video ahead of time so you know the order of what you want the video to look like. If this is a team project, then each team member needs to be a part of to telling the story. Plan out ahead of time who will speak when
• Once you are ready:
  • Find a quiet, well-lit spot where you can set up your display board, invention, log and you have room to present. Natural light from windows works well. Just don’t stand in front of the window. You don’t want to be in the shadow, so the light should be coming toward you, the invention and your display board.
  • Talk in a loud, clear, voice. You are the expert on your invention!
  • It is normal to be a little nervous. Pretend you are telling a story to your best friend. And you can always start over!!
• Introduce yourself. If you are a part of a team, have each team member introduce themselves
  • Name
  • Age
  • YMCA, School
  • City, State
• Why did you select the challenge?
  • What problem does it address?
  • Who has this problem?
  • Did you do any research on this problem?
  • What did you find?
• Describe the invention you built to solve the challenge.
  • Did you check to make sure this invention doesn’t already exist?
  • If it does, what did you do to make your invention different? Better?
• What challenges did you overcome to arrive at your final design? – hold up your Invention Log to show that you documented the process.
  • Did you have to redesign? Why?
  • How did the testing go?
  • What did you learn as you went through the design, build, and test cycle?
  • What kind of materials did you use?
• Explanation or demonstration of your prototype (It does not need to be working)
  • Be sure to show it on the video (you can have the camera move in closer)
  • Point out the features – if it is working, show how it works. Use your display board to explain.
  • It is important that the judges get a chance to see your display board.
• Video cannot be “produced;” it is expected to be a continuous 4-6 minute video. It is OK to be prompted by a parent with questions during the video. (limit 50MB per file)
  • Don’t add any special graphics or music
  • No special editing such as fade in/out
  • Use your display board to help you make your points throughout your video
• UPLOAD your video to YouTube.

Creating your video using your iPhone or other cell phone

Before you begin – turn off the AUTO-LOCK in settings.
Steps for turning off AUTO-LOCK:

• Go to your Settings button
• Click on Display and Brightness
• Click on Auto-Lock and select: Never

Record the video on the iPhone using the video instructions.

Upload Video:

1. Open YouTube.
2. Click on the CAMERA in the top bar.
3. Click on the Video you would like to upload.
4. Click on NEXT in the top right corner.
5. Change the TITLE.
6. Add a DESCRIPTION.
7. Keep the upload PUBLIC.
8. Click the UPLOAD in the top right corner.
9. You will copy and paste your YouTube video link in the online registration form in the appropriate spot.

Most inventions follow the same formula for success by being:

• Original
• Effective
• Practical
• Needed
• Carefully recorded in a log or journal (Young children may use pictures or dictate information to someone)

Use the Thingamajig Judging Rubric to record scores and comments about each inventor as they present their invention idea.  For each category, consider questions such as these:

ORIGINALITY:

• Did the inventor find a unique, unusual, or clever solution to the Thingamajig challenge?
• Did the inventor research the challenge? (This should yield an age-appropriate response a young child might ask a number of people; an older child might explore catalogs, stores and related companies, search the internet or even a patent database.  Ask to see a record of what the inventor researched.)

INVENTION EFFECTIVENESS:

• Does the invention solve the challenge?
• Does it do what it is supposed to?
• Does it work even better than the inventor expected?
• Does it solve other problems, too?

PRACTICALITY OF THE INVENTION:

• What advantages and disadvantages does this invention have as compared to other similar inventions?
• How much thought was given to safety, ease to use, and choice of mate

NEED FOR THE INVENTION:

• How important is the challenge solved by the invention?
• Who benefits from it, many, few, or only the inventor?
• Does it serve a disadvantaged group, like the handicapped, the elderly, or animals?
• Is the invention more or less friendly to the environment than currently available products?

RECORDING THE INVENTING PROCESS:

• How well did the inventor explain the steps taken from beginning idea to invention?
• Did the inventor date and list the steps in the inventor’s log book?
• Did the inventor include resources used, problems they ran into, reasons for choice of materials, final design and testing?
• Was credit given to those who helped?

THINGAMAJIG RULES:

1. Young people can enter the competition as an individual or in a team of no more than 3 individuals.
2. All participants must be between the ages of 5–14.
3. You must enter an original invention/project (no manufactured kits accepted).
4. Use of recycled materials is strongly encouraged.
5. No more than $20 can be spent on materials for your invention/project.
6. A log must be created and submitted/uploaded with your final entry.
7. A display board must be created to illustrate the steps to your invention design.
8. All Inventions, fashions and talents must be submitted as a part of the student registration via YouTube/photo. Failure to provide a video will disqualify you from the competition.  Judging will be virtual using registered items only.
9. Thingamajig Registration Deadline: FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2023 by midnight.
10. A series of workshops designed to help understand the invention process and preparation for competition will be offered throughout the month of June-July.  Look out for announced events on the website.
11. Interviews with Thingamajig Volunteer Judges will be held –  Thursday, July 27th and Friday, July 28, 2023.  Additional information will be sent to everyone eligible to be interviewed for this year’s competition.