Drew Design InvenTeam Trip

Charles R. Drew Charter is an inner-city school that starts at the low grade of pre- kindergarten and goes all the way through high school. Drew’s 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.

The Drew Charter Design team consist of engineering students from all grades kindergarten through high school, that work together to design and build projects that will help solve design problems in the community. We focus on 21st Century Skills and creative problem solving utilizing a multidisciplinary approach.  We are vertically aligned to provide age appropriate engineering challenges ranging from introductory exposure to paper airplanes to job shadowing and internships.

The 11th and 12th graders in the Charles R. Drew Charter Senior Academy 3rd year course have been granted the opportunity to be an InvenTeam and participate in Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam initiative. Lemelson-MIT is an organization that invests in programs that allow students to brainstorm and produce new ideas and inventions without enduring the cost to go with it.

The Charles R. Drew Charter Senior academy 3rd year engineering class proposed an idea for an invention to Lemelson-MIT in order to receive a grant to help us purchase what we need to help build our invention. The goal of our device we will invent is to mitigate the number of hot car deaths of children and pets. Our simple, reliable device will use a three tiered alert system. Upon detection of a child or pet alone in the car a text alarm will be sent to the driver. If the temperature in the car reaches dangerous levels, a voice alarm for individuals in the vicinity will be activated. Finally, if the temperature in the vehicle is life threatening, a GPS location of the vehicle will be sent to authorities notifying them of the emergency.


The Lemelson-MIT initiative will be granting the Drew Charter Senior Academy InvenTeam with money for the team to build the team's proposed invention. After the Drew Design InvenTeam creates our invention, the team will have to travel to MIT in Cambridge to participate in the Lemelson-MIT initiative. The grant that the team will receive will not be able to pay for the trip to MIT. The team 's invention has the potential of saving lives and changing society for the better.  The team has done research and calculations and have come up with the exact amount of money needed to have this MIT experience. The Drew Charter InvenTeam must raise the money needed to be able to travel to MIT and present our invention to Lemelson-MIT which will be a once and a lifetime opportunity for the students on Drew’s engineering design team. It is our belief that the Charles R. Drew Charter InvenTeam's invention could prevent the deaths of kids that die of heat strokes in vehicles each year. With your help the Charles R. Drew Charter InvenTeam will be able to experience this life-changing, fulfilling, and educational experience. The Charles R. Drew InvenTeam would gladly accept and appreciate your donations. Thank You for believing in us.