Idaho's creative, young minds will turn ideas into innovations during the annual Invent Idaho State Finals this weekend, March 8-9, at the University of Idaho's Moscow campus.

Invent Idaho, a program created 24 years ago by two teachers living in Kootenai County, challenges students in first- to eighth-grade to identify real-world problems and brainstorm to develop creative solutions.

Regional events are held across Idaho, culminating in the Invent Idaho State Finals.

There are 64 Kootenai County children with inventions that earned them invitations to compete in Moscow this weekend.

"STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education is vital in this global economy," said Beth Brubaker, a retired Lakeland School District teacher and co-founder of Invent Idaho.

In 2012, a Coeur d'Alene boy, Carson Magee, won Best of Show with his invention called the "Swipe and Wipe," which improves the way diabetics give themselves injections.

Beyond receiving media coverage for his invention, Nickelodeon invited Magee and his family to Hollywood to present his invention on the cable network's television show "Figure It Out." In addition, he was selected as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Ambassador and poster child for 2012.

Inventions will be judged on one of five categories: working models, which looks at the participant's invention functionality; non-working models, a 3-D model to show what the invention would look like in a real-world setting; game category, which looks at board games, new sports or computer games; adaptations category, which focuses on improvements made to existing products; and the Jules Verne Category, which looks for futuristic inventions.

"This is an exciting competition because creativity abounds," Brubaker said. "I am always inspired by the unique ideas the students create. The future of our country is in good hands with such creative young minds at work."

The two Best of Show winners will receive a Lego Mindstorms NXT robotics kit, a $200 U.S. Savings Bond, plus an invitation to a private dinner with Pam and Forrest Bird. One of the two best of show winners also will also receive a free patent search and a $1,000 scholarship to the University of Idaho. Additionally, five best of category winners will each receive a $100 U.S. Savings Bond plus an electronics science kit.

This year, I Cubed Inventions, Inc., a newly-formed non-profit organization dedicated to spreading the Invent Idaho model to all 50 states, will host the I Cubed Challenge to celebrate one student inventor, who has created an invention in the medical field.

Invent Idaho State Finals kick off Friday with young inventors touring the University of Idaho's College of Science and College of Engineering, followed by an evening judging event. On Saturday, the competition will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to view participant inventions in the Student Union Building Ballroom.

For more information, contact Beth Brubaker at bethbr@inventidaho.com or visit www.inventidaho.com.