The STEMIE Coalition, an international organization that builds and strengthens national K-12 invention and entrepreneurship programs in schools, has announced a partnership with Fizzee Labs to launch the New Jersey Invention Convention.

New Jersey-based and family-owned Fizzee Labs is the brainchild of 16 year old Joey Hudicka, 11 year old Heidi Hudicka and their parents, Lora and Joe. Heidi and Joey have been inventing for years, having won awards at the National Invention Convention and were recently consulted by NASA for to develop a national event series that reaches a wider and more diverse group of young people with it’s OUTTA THIS WORLD!™ Innovation Accelerator game.

“We first met Joey and Heidi through the video they submitted to our Independent Inventor Program.” said Veronica Lynaugh, Executive Vice President of the STEMIE Coalition, which produces the National Invention Convention and Entrepreneurship (NICEE) event. “Seeing them win the top award in their age category, plus the Special Category ‘Inspiring Changemaker Award’, just proves their devotion to celebrating Invention & Entrepreneurship.  They are perfect role models for the New Jersey Invention Convention.  And this is what makes Joey and Heidi the perfect STEMIE inspiration to launch the New Jersey Invention Convention with us.”

Joey and Heidi, along with some help from their parents, discovered The STEMIE Coalition just a few months ago.  “Luckily, they thought about the fact that some states don’t yet have the leadership in place to teach invention and entrepreneurship, so they created an Independent Inventor program.  Without that program, Heidi and I would have never had the chance to participate in NICEE 2018.”, reflects Joey.  Currently The STEMIE Coalition operates in 20 states and two countries. 

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s recent push for the innovation economy was a further impetus for Fizzee Labs.  “We agree with the Governor that every New Jersey student should have the opportunity to develop the skills needed to succeed in the innovation economy,” Joey’s father, Joe, says. “With the launch of an invention convention in New Jersey, now we have an comprehensive STEM, invention and entrepreneurship curriculum for the state that is free and available to all educators.”

New Jersey’s inaugural Invention Convention will be held on Saturday, March 16th, 2019 at Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ hosted by Rider’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, College of Business Administration.  New Jersey educators, parents and students who are interested to participate in New Jersey’s Inaugural Invention Convention can sign up at https://www.fizzeelabs.com/njic  for more information.