A grade nine student from Peace River’s Glenmary School was recently recognized for her Science Fair Innovation in a recent Technology Conference in Edmonton.
Grade 9 Student Kaitlyn Coen was recognized for her C-Blanket invention in Edmonton last week. (Photo/Kellie Coen)
On Thursday, May 4, 2017, Kaitlyn Coen received a $1,000 scholarship and a Venture Tech Youth Entrepreneurship award for her C-Heater project.
“It started when I had met a homeless man in 2014, and I’d offered him a sleeping bag,” Kaitlyn told the AM 610 Newsroom. “And he couldn’t take the sleeping bag. I was in grade 7 at the time, and I was wondering why. He said that he could either take his backpack that includes his medical reports, or his business hours. His whole life was in his backpack. Or he could take the sleeping bag.
“It got me thinking,” she continued. “And now, a couple of years, I have invented a sleeping bag, which could convert into a backpack.”
Kaitlyn gave a brief description of what she had to do in Edmonton for her presentation.
“I just said a couple of words during the big presentation itself,” she said. “And then we went downstairs and went into a tiny cocktail area and set up my project, where lots of people came in and looked at it.”
She adds that the feedback on her project was positive.
Kaitlyn Coen discusses her innovation at the Technology Conference in Edmonton. (Photo/Kellie Coen)
“I had a lot of people who were interest in the project,” said Kaitlyn. “I had people from China and Japan who were looking into it. All in all, it was a pretty amazing experience.”
But on the domestic front, she has been running into a few difficulties.
“It’s looking like it’s costing quite a bit of money to get some patents on it,” Kaitlyn continued. “But I’m trying to find that cash to get that patent, and then keep going so we can help out our homeless population.”
While she does hope to present her project on the TV show “Dragon’s Den” one day, she says there’s another step she still hasn’t completed yet.
“My project is headed for the Canada-Wide National Science Fair,” said Kaitlyn. “I’m set to leave for Regina on Sunday (May 14).”
Kaitlyn says she’s really looking forward to her trip, as she’s never been to Saskatchewan’s provincial capital before.
“I’ve been in other communities around Regina before,” she said. “But I’ve never actually been inside the city itself.”
Kaitlyn also took the time to thank her grandmother, who’s currently mentoring her on how to sew, so she could make the C-Heater project.
– Posted by BET
