FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Julia Bree Horie displayed her invention yesterday, a lighted "Thank You" sign for cars, during The Hawaiian Electric 2002 Invention Convention held in Kahala Mall. Horie is a student at Mililani Mauka Elementary School.

No problem
too tough for
young inventors

Kahala Mall hosts an invention
convention that displays
the ingenuity of students

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By Lisa Asato
lasato@starbulletin.com

A perennial footwear problem at household gatherings in Hawaii may now be solved.

"When I go to parties I can't find my slippers ... because someone took 'em," said Jessica Lau of Momilani Elementary School. The problem prompted the third grader to invent The Incredible Slipper Clip, which clips onto the straps of slippers or sandals for easy identification.

Lau was among the winners and finalists recognized at the 2002 Invention Convention awards program yesterday at Kahala Mall.

The students spent four months working on their projects, which will be displayed at the mall through today.

First grader Allyson Kim of Kahala Elementary School said she invented a dog-operated food dispenser because she is tired of "getting food and pouring it into the bowl."

Julia Bree Horie, a fifth grader at Mililani Mauka Elementary School, invented a battery-operated, light-up "thank you" sign for rear windows of cars and trucks to acknowledge roadway courtesy. "If you wave, it might be mistaken for something inappropriate," Horie said. "If it says 'mahalo' they can't mistake it for anything else."

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Pearl City Highlands Elementary School student Jessica Higashi held her invention yesterday. Her "Hair Bear" is an organizer for hair accessories.

Arlene Chang of Kailua was among the passersby admiring Horie's sign yesterday, saying it was a great way to "spread a little aloha."

Other inventions included the wooden E-Z Cake Cutter that promises to cut a cake into equally sized pieces; Braille Bucks, a wallet for the visually impaired that has separate compartments for bills of different denominations; and a Guinea Pig Birth Tool.

Inventor Jordan Cabras said the tool is necessary because guinea pig mothers sometimes forget to bite the amniotic sac to release their newborns. Besides the cutting function, the tool also has a pump to help newborns start breathing.

One of Cabras' pet guinea pigs is due to give birth sometime before tomorrow, he said, and he's looking forward to using his invention if he has to. "I wanna just, like, have the feeling of saving a life," he said.

Kaiulani de Silva, director of education and consumer affairs at Hawaiian Electric Co., which co-sponsored the event with the Department of Education, said the convention aims to encourage students to not just accept problems but to think creatively to solve them.

"The most common reaction when people look at the inventions is, 'Why didn't I think of that?' " she said. "That's the beauty of long-lasting genius."