Vermont Young Inventors' Program
What is the Young Inventors’ Program?
The Young Inventors’ Program (YIP) inspires the next generation of STEM leaders by fueling excitement for innovation. The program is recognized internationally as an educational resource center dedicated to promoting creativity, invention, and scientific achievement. We are true to the founding principles to be an expert and accessible resource to inventors, entrepreneurs, and educators worldwide. YIP fuels the spark of genius by exciting today’s youth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).
YIP captures the spirit of youth innovation as first envisioned by founder and inventor Dr. Robert H. Rines when he worked with others to create the program in 1986. Dr. Rines passionately believed that every child and young adult is an untapped reservoir of creativity and inventiveness.
YIP is now enriching a third generation of young inventors in New Hampshire and, most recently, Massachusetts and Vermont with plans to grow throughout Northern New England.
YIP Mission
The mission of the Young Inventors’ Program is to provide programs, pathways, and information to develop the intellectual capacity, critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving abilities of all students so that they may become contributing, and forward-thinking members of the science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and the invention community.
Our Partners
Vita-Learn is proud to partner with these leading organizations to bring the Young Inventors’ Program to students throughout the State of Vermont.
University of New Hampshire • The Leitzel Center
In November 2020, the Young Inventors’ Program partnered with the University of New Hampshire’s Joan and James Leitzel Center for Mathematics, Science and Engineering Education. The Leitzel Center works to transform education in mathematics, science and engineering in elementary and secondary schools, and in non-formal settings through high quality research, carefully examined practice, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Invention Convention Worldwide
The Young Inventors’ Program is a member of Invention Convention Worldwide (formerly the STEM-IE Coalition). Invention Convention Worldwide inspires young people to be innovators, inventors, and entrepreneurs by engaging them in problem-identification, problem-solving, and creativity activities focused on invention and entrepreneurship. A coalition of regional affiliates throughout the U.S. and countries abroad, the organization brings together learners, educators, and others from many different places and backgrounds to foster conversations and collaboration. The K-12 Invention Convention program convenes a global community of educators, business leaders, parents, and students through competitions, events, and a flexible, project-based curriculum aligned to education standards. As a recognized trailblazer in K-12 invention programming, YIP has been an active member and leader within Invention Convention Worldwide since its inception in 2015.
In addition to content and programming, our relationship with this global organization allows our students to showcase their work on a national stage. More than 100,000 K-12 inventors from across the U.S. and elsewhere compete each year at their school/local invention fairs and at the regional level with the chance to present at the Invention Convention U.S. Nationals event at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.
Zach's Contraptions
Zach Umperovitch, the World’s Leading Authority in Rube Goldberg Machines, has worked closely with YIP for nearly a decade, serving as a YIP Head Judge, performing educational outreach, as well as helping to develop our RGM curriculum. He is a three-time Guinness World Records breaker, Professional RGM builder (including OkGo, Disney, Sonic, RedBull, and many others), National Contest Director at the Rube Goldberg Institute, and the Creator and Co-Host of “Contraption Masters” on Discovery Channel. Through partnership with YIP, his Youtube channel: Zach’s Contraptions, features video resources for students and educators specifically designed to provide simple to follow guidance, examples, and advice for building RGMs. Zach is based in New England and is available for in classroom STEM Educational Workshops (K-12), Presentations, Hands-On learning programs, and more.
Vermont Day School
Vermont Day School is a founding partner of the Young Inventors’ Program expansion into Vermont. The innovative Pre-K—8 school is an academically oriented school, with an emphasis on hands-on, project-based learning. The schools’ mission complements the values of the Young Inventors’ Program as they foster the skills, knowledge, personal attributes and work habits that enable children to thrive effectively, meaningfully and joyously in the world of today and tomorrow.