DISTRICT
WELCOMED
NATIONAL
INVENTORS
HALL OF FAME
INDUCTEE TO
CAMP INVENTION
T
he Bethel Park School District
was pleased to welcome 2002
National Inventors Hall of Fame
Inductee Dr. Al Langer to Camp
Invention.
Dr. Langer is a Pittsburgh native who
co-invented the Implantable Cardioverter
Defibrillator (ICD). He visited the 152
students who were participating in Camp
Invention at Neil Armstrong Middle
School, to see the projects they are
working on and to answer some of their
questions about the ICD and being an
inventor.
The students were excited to meet Dr.
Langer, to show off their Camp Invention
projects and get his autograph. Camp
Counselor Nathan Stutzman was so
excited to meet Dr. Langer that he made
an “upcycled” ICD and displayed it on a
bulletin board welcoming Dr. Langer to
Camp Invention. Dr. Langer encouraged
the students to stay involved with science
by participating in their schools’ Science
Fairs and other activities that would give
Campers like Karsyn Mitchell enjoyed building and decorating houses of the future in the Mod My Mini Mansion
module.
them the opportunity to use their brains
and hands to develop new technologies
to make the world a better place.
Neil Armstrong Middle School was the
only Pennsylvania school to receive a
Camp Invention visit from a member of
the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
This is the third year that Bethel Park
has hosted Camp Invention, a national
program sponsored by the National
Inventors Hall of Fame. The Bethel Park
program is a four-day, hands-on STEAM
experience for students in grades K-6 and
In the Robotic Pet Vet module, (left to right): Luca DeMartino and Jet Rudar built robotic dogs and performed
veterinary tests on them.
is the largest Camp Invention Program in
the South Hills.
Students from 26 area schools
attended this camp and participated
in a variety of hands-on activities,
including building self-driving cars,
inventing a vehicle of the future,
designing a futuristic dream home
with smart furniture and smart energy,
building a personalized robotic dog and
constructing a one-of-a-kind dog park.
Students were encouraged to use
their imaginations to build and take
apart machines, and use materials from
a “resource room” full of recyclable
materials to create items that would help
them to complete/enhance their projects.
The program is taught by certified
teachers, who are assisted by older
students--many of whom participated as
campers in past Camp Inventions--who
serve as Counselors for the camp. William
Penn Teacher Laura Huth is the Camp’s
Director.
Dr. Langer (left) and Camp Counselor Nathan
Stutzman (right) in front of a bulletin board featuring
an upcycled ICD replica, created by Nathan.
BETHEL PARK
❘
WINTER 2018
69