TAMPA, Fla. — This month, two Hillsborough County elementary school students were honored in Michigan during the seventh annual Invention Convention.
The fourth and fifth graders impressed judges with projects that could one day end up on store shelves and doctor's offices.
Lillian Long, a fourth grader at Clark Elementary School, invented a new kind of slim she calls Dermo Dough.
It squeaks and stretches, unbreakable and fun, but most importantly for Long, it’s safe.
“Two years ago, I started having really bad skin issues, and I realized that’s because of store-bought slime that I’m playing with,” said Long. “So I tried to figure out a slime that could be OK for kids with dermatology and skin issues.”
So far, no itching and no irritation.
“It’s making my skin really smooth,” said Long.
Mahi Patel, a fifth grader at Chiles Elementary School, also used her personal experience to fuel her ingenuity.
“Two years ago, one of my close family members was diagnosed with a lung disease which caused him to die at a very young,” said Patel. “I created a software that can detect whether a person has lung cancer using AI, which is much more efficient, cheaper and faster than the methods we use today.”
Out of more than 1,000 student entries in Hillsborough County, the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame chose Long and Patel to represent the county in the Invention Convention, held at the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit.
“They had this idea and then were both so invested and passionate about it,” said Jamie Spurrier, program manager with the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. “When we talk about our inductees to the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, they have that same spark.”
Both students ended up receiving awards in their respective grades.
“It makes me feel really good because one of my passions is to help other people,” said Patel.
Who knows, maybe we’ll see Long and Patel's names in the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame someday.
“Oftentimes, we kind of knock down our kid's ideas, but really we need to encourage them,” said Lillian's mother, Brittany Long.
