450 kids to show their creations at ‘Astounding Inventions’ contest

Irvine Valley College will host the 29th annual “Astounding Inventions” competition Saturday, showcasing gadgets made by more than 450 Orange County kindergartners through eighth-graders.

The event will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the college’s Hart Gymnasium at 5500 Irvine Center Drive, featuring activities, displays and demonstrations related to science, technology, engineering and math. The public can view the inventions from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The creations have been conceived and crafted by the students as they compete for $10,000 in cash prizes, certificates of achievement and ribbons from the Irvine Valley College Foundation. More than 60 judges will determine the winners. Award recipients may go on to different levels of state and national math and science invention competitions.

Event sponsor Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear, an Irvine-based law firm, will select two students’ inventions (one each from the Irvine and Tustin school districts) for offers to write provisional patent applications.

—From staff reports