Reva Gandhi, an eighth-grader at Springhouse Middle School, was named the winner of the 2019 Da Vinci Science Center Inventor’s Lab Most Patentable Idea Award.

Gandhi and 20 other young inventors participated in the Science Center’s eight-month-long Inventor’s Lab program, which challenges fifth through eighth graders in the Lehigh Valley to become inventors by defining a problem and solving it in a unique and novel way.

Each year, one student is selected to continue working with an attorney toward earning a U.S. Patent.

The winning entry is chosen based on the opinions of an expert panel that includes intellectual property lawyers and industry professionals, judged on the criteria of being unique, novel, and not obvious to experts in the field.

Gandhi’s idea involves a unique way of preserving fresh produce, thus prolonging its shelf life, while minimizing both packaging and food waste.

“Reva really put a lot of thought and work into this idea, including extensive testing, and came in with not just a well-developed idea, but proof of her concept literally in hand,” said Kate Heflin, Inventor’s Lab Program Coordinator for the Da Vinci Science Center. “Her invention may lead to a healthier and more sustainable community. We are incredibly proud of the work she has done.”

Gandhi’s next role will be to work with patent lawyer James McDaniel, Esq., who is working pro bono, to prepare and submit a U.S. Provisional Patent Application.

Upon approval, Gandhi will have one year to file her application for a full U.S. Patent. The patent review and approval process can take up to two years, occasionally up to three.