The Lemelson Foundation

10/16/2026

Last week, we brought invention education and sustainability curricula for K-12 and higher education to the North American Association for Environmental Education - NAAEE 2026 Annual Conference and Research Symposium in Portland, Oregon.

Lemelson Foundation Program Officer Katie Krummeck and Director of Educational Transformation Cindy Cooper were joined by Yen Yen Chiu, Director of Education at SubjectToClimate, presenting to environmental educators about the power of invention education and sustainability education to prepare students to address the economic and environmental challenges of our time.

Katie’s presentation summed up how invention education intersects with sustainability: “We believe that one powerful way of building self-efficacy in the climate education space is through creative problem-solving and invention.” You can learn more about our InventEd initiative here: https://inventioneducation.org/

Cindy presented on our Engineering for One Planet initiative and community which is co-creating resources and curricula to integrate sustainability topics into engineering programs throughout higher education. You can learn more about EOP here: https://engineeringforoneplanet.org/

Learn more about Subject to Climate’s free resources and their “Soil Solutions in Invention & Design” curriculum, which helps middle school students learn about and address climate-related problems in their communities: https://lnkd.in/equa8kXb.

Environmental Education Association of Oregon

10/14/2026

The InventEd Regional Summit in Idaho represented wonderful momentum toward our goal of strengthening the field of invention education and increasing access for all students.

Our Program Officer Katie Krummeck introduced invention education and our InventEd Network initiative as a way of creating a ripple effect in education that:

⚡ Focuses on students
⚡ Teaches students how to identify real-world problems
⚡ Draws on multiple disciplines
⚡ Creates meaningful value for communities

At The Lemelson Foundation, we believe that invention education is the key to developing and nurturing the next generation of innovative, ethical, and courageous changemakers and problem solvers.

Kudos to the attendees at the InventEd Regional Summit in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho — and for all of the collaboration on invention education that still lies ahead.

10/13/2026

An important part of invention education is teaching students how to identify and solve problems in their communities.

ICYMI for Middle School Educators: Lesson 4 of the Soil Solutions in Invention & Design curriculum is out, created through our partnership with SubjectToClimate. It connects the global issue of climate change to local action and learning for students.

You can explore the curricula here: https://subjecttoclimate.org/lesson-plans/unit/science-unit-soil-solutions-in-invention-design

InventEd Network

Start local. Think big.

In Lesson 4 of Soil Solutions in Invention & Design, students explore challenges within their own communities and use the invention education design process to begin developing sustainable, community-centered solutions.

Created in collaboration with SubjectToClimate and The Lemelson Foundation, this lesson helps students see how local ideas can create meaningful change.

Explore Lesson 4: https://subjecttoclimate.org/lesson-plans/unit/science-unit-soil-solutions-in-invention-design

10/09/2026

Congratulations to Pollinate Impact on a successful Global Pollinate Potluck 🌏 👏

The event focused on helping impact incubators in the Global South thrive and supporting game-changing ideas from impact entrepreneurs to improve lives.

Read below for more highlights from the event in Manila .👇

10/07/2026

🗓️ Save the date: 2027 InventEd Convening is April 18-20! 🗓️

Share your passion for invention education with the amazing InventEd Network! At this three-day, immersive experience in Scottsdale, Arizona, K-12 educators, leaders, and changemakers will share learnings and strategies for implementing invention education in your community.

Here are three ways to participate:

💡 Pre-convening workshops
💡 Spark talks
💡 Breakout sessions

👉 Submit proposals now for the the three types of presentations by Nov. 6: https://www.cvent.com/c/abstracts/c57c9369-29a2-4049-a6ce-5fc79860268c

Arizona State University

10/05/2026

Through invention education, students can learn to apply a range of problem-solving approaches to today’s environmental challenges.

Applying Indigenous knowledge and practices to agriculture is the focus of Lesson 3 of the Soil Solutions in Invention & Design curriculum, created through our partnership with SubjectToClimate. It’s a free middle school science unit exploring how the food we grow is affected by the changing climate.

Educators can explore lesson three and the full curricula here: https://subjecttoclimate.org/lesson-plans/unit/science-unit-soil-solutions-in-invention-design

InventEd Network

Water wisdom 💧🌱

What can Indigenous practices teach us about caring for water and designing for a more sustainable future?

In Lesson 3 of the Soil Solutions in Invention & Design curriculum, students explore Indigenous approaches to water and consider how knowledge of soil, water, climate, and human systems can inspire sustainable solutions.

It’s an opportunity to learn from practices developed over generations while encouraging students to think creatively about today’s environmental challenges.

In partnership with The Lemelson Foundation, SubjectToClimate developed the Science Unit: Soil Solutions in Invention & Design.

Explore the lesson:https://bit.ly/4hqhZMK

09/30/2026

What additional impact can we create when we invest in the people who power incubators?

Our grantee Pollinate Impact recently released “Investing in the People Who Power Incubation - A Talent Report,” which looks at this question, and how to champion the people, organizations, and systems behind incubators.

Many practitioners are new to incubators when they join one, and often find themselves without support. This report uses the latest research to explore what changes in the ecosystem when they receive mentorship and access to development.

What’s inside the report?
- A look at the talent and leadership challenges facing impact incubators
- What coaching and peer mentoring can make possible
- Evidence emerging from Catalyst Circle, Pollinate Impact’s peer-mentoring program for front line incubation staff — and Growth Guidance, their strategic advisory program for incubator leaders
- What incubators, funders, and the wider ecosystem can do differently

Download the free report: https://www.pollinateimpact.org/reports/talent-challenge-impact-incubation/

Find out the significance of the talent challenge in impact incubation for creating impactful change in communities.

09/29/2026

Meet 10 innovators shaping the future of food 👇

Across the innovation ecosystem, entrepreneurs are looking at familiar food systems and thinking of creative solutions to questions like: “What if resilience began with making better use of what we already have?”

The ventures and leaders below are from our grantee VentureWell’s network, including as participants in their Ocean Enterprise Accelerator, E-Team Program, Moonshots for Development Open Innovation Challenge Bootcamp, and other programs. Each demonstrates how new approaches can bring us closer to a more efficient and sustainable world.

🌊 Dirigo Sea Farm, turning ocean crops into sustainable materials
🌱 Earnest Agriculture, bringing soil science to the field
🌲 Farmers for Forests, supporting farmers and restoring forests
💧 HydroPhos Solutions, recovering critical nutrients from waste
🥕 Sadan Kulturel-Konak and Elizabeth Deimeke, building stronger food access networks
📦 OpCo, modernizing food operations
🐟 Shinkei Systems, increasing efficiency from water to market
☀️ SunCulture, expanding access for smallholder farmers
🤖 TRIC Robotics, imagining a future beyond pesticides
♻️ Upcyde.co, turning agricultural waste into new materials

Read more about the 10 innovators below.

Across the innovation ecosystem, entrepreneurs are rethinking how food is grown, processed, distributed, and sustained.

09/25/2026

Invention education equips students to identify and solve problems — and the effects of climate change will be one of the largest challenges we all need to address.

That’s why we're proud to partner with SubjectToClimate to develop a middle school science unit exploring how the food we grow is affected by the changing climate.

Teachers can use these free lesson plans to introduce students to interconnected soil systems and lay the groundwork for them to envision and design sustainable, community-centered solutions to real-world agriculture challenges.

SubjectToClimate's climate scientists reviewed and verified all the resources for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information, giving educators trusted content to engage their students on climate issues.

You can explore the first two lessons and the full curricula here: https://subjecttoclimate.org/lesson-plans/unit/science-unit-soil-solutions-in-invention-design

Before students can design solutions, they need to understand the systems they're trying to improve. The Lemelson Foundation and SubjectToClimate collaborated to develop the science unit, Soil Solutions in Invention & Design.

That journey begins with the first two lessons in Soil Solutions in Invention & Design:

Lesson 1: How Soil Works
Lesson 2: Soil Health and Agriculture

Together, these lessons introduce students to soil systems and agriculture while showing how soil, water, climate, and human systems are connected. From there, they'll take what they've learned into the invention education design process to explore real-world challenges and sustainable solutions.

Start with understanding. See where invention can take it.
Explore Soil Solutions in Invention & Design, a six-lesson unit for grades 6–8. https://subjecttoclimate.org/lesson-plans/unit/science-unit-soil-solutions-in-invention-design

09/24/2026

Join us in Idaho this October as we continue building stronger invention education ecosystems together!

On October 12 & 13, InventEd's Idaho Regional Summit will bring together educators, industry leaders, higher education, community partners, and policymakers to strengthen invention education across the region. Held alongside the Idaho EcosySTEM Statewide Convening, this collaborative event will spark new partnerships, share promising practices, and explore strategies to expand access to invention education for all learners.

Learn more and register today: https://community.idahostem.org/page/2026-annual-convening