Arrow Electronics Launches 2018 Innovation in Technology Awards

Arrow Electronics presented eighth grader Emma Ruccio from Connecticut with its Innovation in Electronics Award at the National Invention Convention and Entrepreneurship Expo (NICEE), a first-of-its kind forum where student inventors showcase their critical thinking skills and compete for prizes and recognition.

The award is the first in a series of Innovation in Technology awards launched by Arrow to honor the world’s brightest innovators and emerging technologies, transforming ideas into real and influential achievements that will help people and the communities in which Arrow works.  

Ruccio, who was diagnosed with scoliosis at age 11, was recognized for her scoliosis diagnostics tool, Got Your Back 2.0. The invention uses infrared images and processing to provide easy at-home monitoring of spine curvature, reducing costly office visits and harmful radiation exposure.

Of the 99,000-plus students who participated in qualifying programs across the nation, Ruccio was one of the top 500 selected to participate at NICEE, hosted at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

NICEE is a program of The STEMIE Coalition that was founded to elevate K-12 invention and entrepreneurship education in schools across the United States.

“The Expo is just the beginning for these young inventors,” said Nick Briere, co-founder of The STEMIE Coalition. “Recognition from a company like Arrow provides this next generation of innovators with credibility and will inspire them to continue moving forward. We can’t wait to see what they will do next.”

This is the second year Arrow presented the Innovation in Electronics Award to honor a young inventor demonstrating the most innovative application of electronic concepts, designs and components in their invention.

About STEMIE

STEMIE is a new education framework that elevates youth invention and entrepreneurship education to a core part of K-12 education. STEMIE stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math linked to Invention and Entrepreneurship (STEM+I+E) and maps essential unstructured problem-solving teaching activities to core STEM curricula and standards. The STEMIE framework also allows for the stand-alone teaching of invention and entrepreneurship outside of STEM – enabling all kids to learn life-long critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The STEMIE Coalition plans to bring Invention and Entrepreneurship education to 10 million students annually in all 50 states plus DC within five years.

For more information visit www.stemie.org.

About Arrow Electronics

Arrow Electronics guides innovation forward for over 150,000 of the world’s leading manufacturers of technology used in homes, business and daily life. With 2017 sales of $26.6 billion, Arrow aggregates electronics and enterprise computing solutions for customers and suppliers in industrial and commercial markets. The company maintains a network of more than 345 locations serving over 80 countries. Learn more at FiveYearsOut.com.