New London — The fact that his notion for a popcorn shooter received a sideways glance from his teachers didn’t dissuade 13-year-old James Ceidel from brainstorming another inventive idea.

Ceidel, an eighth-grader at the Renzulli Academy at Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School, switched gears to come up with a handy way to erase a whiteboard. It uses a rug-wrapped cylinder on elastic holders to swipe and contains a fluid if needed for extra cleaning.

His and a host of other inventions were on display Friday during the judging phase of this year’s Invention Convention and Inquiry Project Expo. The Renzulli students came up with everything from Lego removers and solar battery chargers to lollipop pain relievers and pouches for crutches.

The Renzulli Academy is a special program for gifted students in grades 5 through 8, a total of 90 students this year. Other schools, including the STEM Magnet Middle School on Friday, have held similar conventions this month with hopes of being chosen for the regional finals.

Ceidel said it was his fourth year participating and previous inventions have included special wheelchair brakes and a gutter cleaner using an inflatable plastic tube.

“I want to be a civil engineer and architect,” Ceidel said.

Kayla Mateo, a 13-year-old who speaks three languages, even came up with a slogan for her flavored ibuprofen pops: “Need to feel better in a snap, just use the Lolli-Zap.”

Mateo said the idea was a way to deliver medication for those who can’t stomach flavored liquid medicines.

Emilia Skrabacz, who broke her foot during a basketball game and was on crutches, developed a practical invention called the Crutch Buddy — two notebook-sized pouches that hang from a set of crutches.

“I didn’t want to rely on someone else to carry my binders around for me,” she said.

Annette Park wowed the judges with “Sunny Side Up,” a portable, solar-powered battery charger using a plastic soda bottle with a solar panel inside attached to a battery. Her invention addressed the “lack of affordable, efficient green energy products being used.”

The students presented the inventions and the logic behind them to a group of about two dozen Electric Boat employees, engineers and designers, who volunteered as judges for the day’s competition.

“It makes it that much more special to have professionals here,” said Rebecca Cipriani Reyer, a Renzulli Academy science teacher.

Reyer said the convention encourages creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

The group from EB, who all convened for roundtable deliberations after examining the inventions and questioning the students, appeared impressed by what they saw. Judges consider the originality, effectiveness, practicality and need of each invention.

“They came up with some good ideas,” said EB chemical engineer Ray Filosa. “I think it’s rewarding for the kids and for us.”

The judges and teachers will ultimately make recommendations on which of the students might be chosen to represent the school at the regional finals at Goodwin College on April 9. Inventions could go all the way to the state finals to be held at the University of Connecticut on April 29 and the national finals that start June 1 in Washington, D.C.

g.smith@theday.com