Creativity, ingenuity helps Oakley girl score in Bubble Wrap® contest

By Roni Gehlke
For the Contra Costa Times

Young Megan Pato of Oakley never really thought of herself as an inventor, but she just might make it to the inventor record books if her Bubble Wrap invention is picked as No. 1 next month. Megan was one of 15 semifinalists in the fourth annual Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Inventors.

Pato, 13, is an eighth-grader at Park Middle School. Earlier this year she was approached by one of her teachers about the national contest and Bio-Bubble Covers was invented.

Pato is quick to give a lot of the credit for the invention to her teacher, Greg Morris, saying that he was the one who sponsored her for the invention contest and also helped her to enter.
The general premise behind the invention is simple. Bio-Bubble Covers use Bubble Wrap to cover emergency gurneys.

"The Bubble Wrap is more comfortable than just the material of the gurneys and they are more sanitary," Pato said.

She went on to explain that when gurneys are used by emergency medical technicians they get dirty quickly.

"A lot of times there is a lot of blood and dirt left on the gurney," she said.

Placing the Bubble Wrap over the gurney makes for easier cleanup. After the emergency is over the plastic is just thrown away, she explained.

Bubble Wrap is a product of the Sealed Air Corp., which is celebrating its 50th year of producing the protective padding. There were 2,500 young inventors who entered the competition.

The 15 semifinalists will vie for more than $20,000 in prizes and savings bonds in a competition that encourages creativity and ingenuity.

If Pato is chosen as the grand prize winner her school will also receive a $5,000 grant.
She is up against some pretty big competition, though. She'll have to beat out inventions like the Guitar Chord-inator, a device that helps dyslexic children or anyone with a visual processing/tracking problem learn how to play chords on a guitar.

Other ideas included a Bubblebeat, a lightweight, portable speaker system that requires no batteries; the Smart Toilet, a device that attaches to a toilet for conservation of energy and water; and Petri Bubbles, a scientific tool designed as an inexpensive alternative to Petri dishes.

Getting the chance to design this invention has given Pato some ideas on her future. Pato, who carries a 4.0 GPA at Park, has already applied to the Academy of Design and Engineering of Antioch High School, which she will attend next year. Right now she is interested in interior design, but the future seems to be wide open.

When not studying, Pato likes to play soccer and hang out with her friends. She hopes that she gets to win this competition so that her school can get the $5,000 grant.

"I'm also excited about the chance to maybe go to New York if I win," she said.