Gates Invention & Innovation Program
Boys who are doing are boys who are learning, and there is no better example of that idea at Cardigan than the Gates Invention & Innovation Program and Competition.
This year-long class encourages creative thinking, risk-taking, and entrepreneurial spirit, while developing an appreciation for hard work and accomplishment. Beginning each fall, every student or student team is charged with designing and building a prototype of an invention that performs a practical function, makes life easier or safer, entertains, or solves an everyday problem.
The Virtue of Being an Inventor
Throughout the winter, the Gates student inventors tinker with and refine their prototypes. Then as spring nears, they refine their marketing materials and perfect their sales pitches for the The Charles C. Gates Invention & Innovation Competition, held annually during Spring Family Weekend. Every student or team must present their idea, prototype, and market analysis to a panel of expert judges, who identify a pool of finalists from which they then select the winners. Prizes are awarded for First, Second, and Third Place, as well as "Best Salesman" and "Best Market Research." Ideas and designs that seem particularly promising to the judges are awarded the prestigious "Patent Nod."
Who takes Gates?
All Cardigan sixth and seventh graders take Gates, and eighth and ninth graders can add it as an elective if their schedule allows.
Cross-curricular connections are critical to true experiential learning. It is in these moments of academic cross-pollination that a student’s world expands.
Director of Gates ERIC ESCALANTE P’20,’22
The Gates Program in the News
![Cardigan Inventors Compete in 15th Annual Gates Competition]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1683136006/cardiganorg/zqvjxvsuxs9qmhtdhe3u/0C5A7896.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1683136006/cardiganorg/zqvjxvsuxs9qmhtdhe3u/0C5A7896.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1683136006/cardiganorg/zqvjxvsuxs9qmhtdhe3u/0C5A7896.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1683136006/cardiganorg/zqvjxvsuxs9qmhtdhe3u/0C5A7896.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1683136006/cardiganorg/zqvjxvsuxs9qmhtdhe3u/0C5A7896.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1683136006/cardiganorg/zqvjxvsuxs9qmhtdhe3u/0C5A7896.jpg","width":1920}])
A record 51 student inventions were showcased in this year’s Gates Invention and Innovation Competition!
![Cardigan's Gates Competition]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1673265895/cardiganorg/bxfkmvoeqfhmy88pjjbk/chroniclefall2022-gates-1.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1673265895/cardiganorg/bxfkmvoeqfhmy88pjjbk/chroniclefall2022-gates-1.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1673265895/cardiganorg/bxfkmvoeqfhmy88pjjbk/chroniclefall2022-gates-1.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1673265895/cardiganorg/bxfkmvoeqfhmy88pjjbk/chroniclefall2022-gates-1.jpg","width":1200}])
It’s just before 9:00 a.m. on the Friday of Spring Family Weekend. The sixth and seventh graders in the Gates Program have been working toward this moment for five months––researching their ideas, developing prototypes, and refining their marketing plans.
![Patent illustrations]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1673274646/cardiganorg/nyelfwbkwk8qubcbc6m7/chroniclefall2022-patent.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1673274646/cardiganorg/nyelfwbkwk8qubcbc6m7/chroniclefall2022-patent.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1673274646/cardiganorg/nyelfwbkwk8qubcbc6m7/chroniclefall2022-patent.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1673274646/cardiganorg/nyelfwbkwk8qubcbc6m7/chroniclefall2022-patent.jpg","width":1200}])
It’s often the case that as a young person grows up, their passions and interests change as they learn new skills, develop relationships with different people, and encounter different life experiences. That has not been the case with Ben Ely ’21; he’s been an inventor as long as he can remember.
![Gates students race cars they designed and 3D printed]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1670267797/cardiganorg/awtrkjd2a1de5xvb10kb/0C5A5282-X5.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1670267797/cardiganorg/awtrkjd2a1de5xvb10kb/0C5A5282-X5.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1670267797/cardiganorg/awtrkjd2a1de5xvb10kb/0C5A5282-X5.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1670267797/cardiganorg/awtrkjd2a1de5xvb10kb/0C5A5282-X5.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1670267797/cardiganorg/awtrkjd2a1de5xvb10kb/0C5A5282-X5.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1670267797/cardiganorg/awtrkjd2a1de5xvb10kb/0C5A5282-X5.jpg","width":2200}])
After weeks of research and design, students race their cars across the floor of the Gates Lab in Wallach.
![ixth and Seventh Graders Compete in 14th Annual Gates Competition]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1652286441/cardiganorg/xb3u3zzs1qltj2aq4yuf/0C5A6286.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1652286441/cardiganorg/xb3u3zzs1qltj2aq4yuf/0C5A6286.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1652286441/cardiganorg/xb3u3zzs1qltj2aq4yuf/0C5A6286.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1652286441/cardiganorg/xb3u3zzs1qltj2aq4yuf/0C5A6286.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1652286441/cardiganorg/xb3u3zzs1qltj2aq4yuf/0C5A6286.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1652286441/cardiganorg/xb3u3zzs1qltj2aq4yuf/0C5A6286.jpg","width":2200}])
The boys have spent five months growing their inventions from vague ideas into prototypes.
![Student prepare for the Gates Competition]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1650549693/cardiganorg/tq9myhoviqde4uaopfyu/0C5A5745-X4.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1650549693/cardiganorg/tq9myhoviqde4uaopfyu/0C5A5745-X4.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1650549693/cardiganorg/tq9myhoviqde4uaopfyu/0C5A5745-X4.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1650549693/cardiganorg/tq9myhoviqde4uaopfyu/0C5A5745-X4.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1650549693/cardiganorg/tq9myhoviqde4uaopfyu/0C5A5745-X4.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1650549693/cardiganorg/tq9myhoviqde4uaopfyu/0C5A5745-X4.jpg","width":2048}])
Students in the sixth and seventh grades are readying their prototypes for the annual event.
![Cardigan students explore a pond]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1638890413/cardiganorg/ffprffy4htnqkktj8v3h/chroniclespring2021-explearning1.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1638890413/cardiganorg/ffprffy4htnqkktj8v3h/chroniclespring2021-explearning1.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1638890413/cardiganorg/ffprffy4htnqkktj8v3h/chroniclespring2021-explearning1.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1638890413/cardiganorg/ffprffy4htnqkktj8v3h/chroniclespring2021-explearning1.jpg","width":1200}])
Cross-curricular connections are critical to true experiential learning. It is in these moments of academic cross-pollination that a student’s world expands.
Interested to learn more about Cardigan for your son? The first step is to click the button below.
The Charles C. Gates Invention & Innovation Competition is an academic and afternoon program offering at Cardigan made possible by the Gates Frontiers Fund.
