For the second year in a row, Presentation High School students are participating in Project Invent, a national nonprofit that empowers high schoolers to invent technologies that address real-world challenges. The program is led at Pres by science teacher and alumna Ms. Diane Fiock ’94 Rosenthal P’24, P’28, and continues to inspire bold, purpose-driven innovation in the classroom.

This year, one team—who call themselves the “Blockheads”—designed Pour Mate, a two-part assistive device that helps individuals with visual impairments or depth perception issues pour liquids safely and independently. The idea was sparked through conversations with their community partner, Jimmy, a blind airline mechanic who shared his struggle with aligning a pitcher to a cup and determining when to stop pouring.

Pour Mate uses sound cues to guide the user: a sensor on the pitcher detects alignment and beeps when it's positioned correctly, while a second sensor on the cup alerts the user when the cup is full. Compact, portable, and easy to use, the product was thoughtfully designed with accessibility, hygiene, and dignity in mind.

The Blockheads’ creativity and thoughtful design earned them the Moonshot Award for best overall product at this year’s Project Invent Demo Day—an incredible achievement that marks the second consecutive year Presentation students have brought home this top honor.

Pour Mate is just one of several impressive student inventions developed through Project Invent at Pres. Each team’s work is a powerful example of how our students are applying empathy, creativity, and STEM skills to make a meaningful impact.

"What I love about our product is that, while many tools exist to help the visually impaired pour liquids, ours is designed to support both individuals with visual impairments and those with various processing disorders. We worked really hard to make our device both portable and affordable—because you can’t put a price on independence." — Noopur J. ’25