COLUMBUS, Ohio — Few high school students in the country can say they have a patent to their name for an invention, but 17-year-old Damian Earley is the exception.
“I feel pretty accomplished with what I’ve done, and yeah it will feel good to move on,” said Damian Earley, a junior at Columbus Whetstone.
Earley recently earned a patent for his Garbage Lot device that keeps trash cans upright and from falling over.
“I’ve put in many, many hours, many dozens of hours into this project, and to finally see it come through with a big award like this was pretty awesome,” said Earley.
The Garbage Lot invention is a major part of his young life story.
“I was walking home from the bus stop in 7th grade and I noticed all the alley garbage and recycling bins were falling over and spilling waste,” says Earley.
But as the Whetstone High School Junior continues along with his studies and sports, he’s considered selling the patent to help pay for his college education.
“Like all the rights to the patent or working together with a company for a royalty,” said Earley.
“Whether it is ultimately something he sells, or if it does turn into a business he’s a participant in, it’s great to have just real-world experience with how all this stuff works,” said Damian’s father, Matt Earley.
Earley said the invention, and the experience with Invention Convention, has boosted his confidence and challenged him to continue problem-solving.
Although he is still searching for that perfect college, he hopes to one day pursue a career in civil engineering.
“I’m sure I’ll come up with ideas in the upcoming years and maybe they’ll be good enough to be like hey, I can come up with a solution for this,” said Earley.
