"Imagination Becomes Reality"... Gyeongbuk Office of Education Opens First 'Convergence' Invention Festival

The ‘2023 Gyeongbuk Office of Education Invention & Maker Festival,’ hosted by the Gyeongbuk Office of Education and organized by the Invention Experience Education Center (Director Lee Gye-sook), kicked off on the 19th at the outdoor plaza of the Invention Experience Education Center in Gyeongju city.

This festival is the first fusion festival where invention and makers meet, under the slogan “Creating Imagination in the Mecca of Invention.”

Gyeongbuk Office of Education Invention Experience Education Center

On the first day of the festival, about 1,300 elementary, middle, and high school students from 15 schools in the Gyeongbuk region are expected to visit the Invention Experience Education Center to enjoy a total of 65 experience and exhibition programs.

In particular, this festival is operated in three courses: the ‘Filling Course,’ which focuses on designing ideas and exhibiting results centered on invention and makers; the ‘Growing Course,’ which emphasizes technical elements such as 3D and VR; and the ‘Hyeyum Course,’ which focuses on patent, competition, and self-production experiences.

Also, the ‘Invention Ideathon’ competition, which solves given problems with ideas applying 40 invention principles, will be held over two days.

A student participating in the ‘Invention Ideathon’ competition expressed excitement, saying, “I made great memories participating in a new competition in Gyeongju with my homeroom teacher and friends and enjoying the festival for two days.”

Besides the experience and exhibition booths, the tournament-style mini sandbag competition held as an on-site participation booth raises the festival’s excitement with lively racing games showcasing students’ brilliant ideas. The camera doll, which takes instant photos while walking around, allows students visiting the festival to keep memories of the Invention & Maker Festival in pictures.

Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Office of Education, said, “We have prepared a diverse and high-quality festival where invention and makers meet,” adding, “I hope this festival becomes an opportunity for students’ imaginations to become reality.”

The Invention & Maker Festival runs for two days from the 19th to the 20th, operating from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and all experience fees are free. Families interested in invention and making can participate over the weekend.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.