Massachusetts Expansion - FAQs

---

During the 2022-2023 program season, Massachusetts Invention Convention’s former leaders and our dear friends at Lemelson-MIT were unable to continue leading the program. After over 40 years of offering STEM, invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship programming for Connecticut students, educators, families, and community-based organizations, the team at Connecticut Invention Convention felt that it was the perfect opportunity to take our program to the next level.

By offering our signature STEM, invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship lessons and activities, and combining the resources and opportunities available in both states, we will be able to create more robust and stronger programming for our current and future students, educators, families, community-based organizations, and supporters across both states! We appreciate all that the teams at Lemelson-MIT and Invention Convention Worldwide have done to kindle the STEM, invention, and entrepreneurship education ecosystem in Massachusetts that we will continue to foster for years to come.

No, Connecticut and Massachusetts students will be participating in separate competitions. While our educators in both Connecticut and Massachusetts will be offered the same curriculum, we will continue to offer separate state competitions.

Connecticut and Massachusetts Invention Convention program leaders will be sharing many resources, including curriculum and professional development. We’re adopting a logo that includes both states to foster a unified and inclusive community between our program participants in both Massachusetts and Connecticut.

No, the Connecticut and Massachusetts Invention Convention team is committed to offering the same support throughout our programming. During the 2023-2024 program season, we are keeping our expansion into Massachusetts small, in order to create a smooth transition both for our team and the communities we serve. We have also recently added to our team to make sure we have more hands on deck!

It may take some time to properly and effectively blend the two programs and communities. While it was necessary to announce that the Connecticut and Massachusetts Invention Convention team will be leading programming in these locations, we want to take a little more time to consider the best and most effective ways to represent our communities and share information with you all. Our updated logo that includes both Connecticut and Massachusetts and a Massachusetts landing page on our website are just a few of the first steps. 

Yes, there will be more changes to be announced. These changes will guide our organization into the future of STEM, invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship education, but will not impact the curriculum, competition(s), or resources offered by Connecticut and Massachusetts Invention Convention. These additional anticipated steps in our transformation will not take effect until the 2024-2025 program year. Stay tuned for more details!