Sealed Air Announces Grand Prize Winner of Third Annual Bubble Wrap Comoetition for Young Inventors
Eleven-year-old Tucker Haas Awarded $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond
in Conjunction with Ninth Annual Bubble Wrap® Appreciation Day
ELMWOOD PARK, N.J., January 26, 2009 - Tucker Haas, an eleven-year-old, home-schooled student from Charlotte, North Carolina has been named the Grand Prize Winner in the third annual Bubble Wrap® Competition for Young Inventors.
Sealed Air Corporation (NYSE:SEE), the creator of Bubble Wrap® brand cushioning, made the announcement to kick off today's nationwide celebration of the ninth annual Bubble Wrap® Appreciation Day, a special day commemorating America's favorite packaging material.
Haas' invention, entitled "My Personal Swing Thing," is a swing specially designed for children with movement disorders, providing adjustable back and neck support using different amounts of Bubble Wrap® brand cushioning. Haas competed against 2,200 entries from students around the country, ultimately winning the top prize and a $10,000 U.S. Savings Bond for his invention.
The inspiration for Haas' winning invention came from his younger sister, Lexi who has cerebral palsy. Haas noted in his submission essay that during family park outings, he was discouraged to find that his sister could not enjoy most of the playground equipment. This led him to devise a portable swing that would provide her with a more cradling enclosure to keep her from falling out, and create inner pockets where different gradations of Bubble Wrap® brand cushioning could be added to ensure she had the proper amount of upper back and neck support.
Haas' also likely derived inventive inspiration from his older sister, Hannah, whose "Sensory Wallpaper" for children with autism captured the grand prize in last year's competition.
"Sealed Air would like to congratulate Tucker Haas on his prize-winning invention, and commend him for coming up with a creative use for Bubble Wrap® packaging material that has the potential to positively impact other people's lives," stated William V. Hickey, Sealed Air's President and Chief Executive Officer.
Sealed Air Corporation also announced the second and third place winners of the competition:
o Second Place Winner ($5,000 U.S. Savings Bond): Corianne Cha, 13, North Brunswick, NJ - "Stroke Rehabilitation Color Chart" - A chart that helps stroke survivors gauge their recovering strength and guide their rehabilitation progress.
o Third Place Winner ($3,000 U.S. Savings Bond): Nathan Huber, 14, St. Peter, MN - "Bubble Learning" - An interchangeable flash card system designed to make learning fun for children.
"All three of our finalists have clearly embraced the spirit of ingenuity that is at the heart of this annual competition, and in our eyes their inventions are all winners," added Hickey.
In addition to their savings bonds, the finalists and their families were treated to a trip to New York City where they enjoyed an exclusive tour of Sealed Air's main Bubble Wrap® manufacturing plant in Saddle Brook, New Jersey; were honored at special awards dinner celebration at New York's famous Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center; and enjoyed front row seating at the off-Broadway hit show Blue Man Group.
About the Bubble Wrap® Competition for Young Inventors
The Bubble Wrap® Competition for Young Inventors encourages U.S. students in grades 5 through 8 to demonstrate their creativity and ingenuity by designing an invention that incorporates the use of Bubble Wrap® brand cushioning. Students were invited to submit original inventions along with a visual and written description that included the name of the invention, the purpose it serves, how it works and how the idea was formulated.
The Bubble Wrap® Competition for Young Inventors is administered in conjunction with the National Museum of Education and all submitted entries were judged based on their originality, creativity and practicality, as well as their benefit to society, marketability and overall presentation. This year's competition attracted more than 2,200 entries from 40 states, with entries that included everything from a holiday tree skirt and jewelry to a sanitary hand guard for escalators and a punching bag.
About Bubble Wrap® Brand Cushioning
Bubble Wrap® cushioning was invented by Sealed Air's founders in 1960 and was originally intended to be used as a type of textured wallpaper. The inventors quickly realized it was actually a superior cushioning material, and Sealed Air is now a global, Fortune 500 company that offers a wide range of packaging solutions, has operations in 51 countries and has annual sales in excess of $4 billion. Sealed Air is widely recognized for its strong commitment to innovation, and continues to be an industry leader in research and development. For additional information on Bubble Wrap® brand cushioning and the competition, visit www.bubblewrap.com.
About Sealed Air Corporation
Sealed Air is a leading global innovator and manufacturer of a wide range of packaging and performance-based materials and equipment systems that serve food, medical, and an array of industrial and consumer applications. For more than half a century, Sealed Air employees have applied deep understanding of customers' businesses and global trends to deliver sustainable packaging solutions. Operating in 51 countries, Sealed Air's widely recognized and respected brands include Bubble Wrap® cushioning, Cryovac® food packaging technologies, Jiffy® protective mailers and Instapak® foam-in-place systems. For more information about Sealed Air, please visit the Company's web site at www.sealedair.com.
