'Awesome' Teen Sparks the Imagination

Agoura High student Noah Kline, 16, began inventing things at a very early age.

"He's always been intellectually curious," said his mother, Shonna Kline. "The first time I remember him applying for a patent was at the age of 7 when he created a foam ring that went around the bottom of a cup to prevent his younger sister ... from knocking over her drinks."

His latest invention is the re-working of a Ruben's Tube–a propane-filled cylinder that, when set afire, gives musical wavelengths a physical shape through flames. He was able to construct a prototype thanks to a grant from The Awesome Foundation, a Boston-based organization that distributes a series of monthly $1,000 grants to unusual projects and their creators.

Kline, an International Baccalaureate student, is the youngest person to receive such a grant.

"I love music," said Kline. "And when I attended Burning Man last year, I was intrigued with the idea of creating a large-scale engineering project that brought music and art to life."

Kline explains that once sound waves are filtered through the Ruben's Tube, which is covered with holes, they literally explode outward, becoming uniquely visual.

Kline has implemented this idea into a grand piano by gutting it, digitizing its keys and hooking it up to his prototype, effectively creating a sound and light-producing instrument.

Not a musician or performer himself, he hopes the "Kline Piano" will catch on in the entertainment world. "I'd love a performance artist to pick up on the idea and be interested in playing it some day," he said.

Kline is currently meeting with advisers from UCLA and USC in hopes of skipping his senior year to move onto college in the fall.

He hopes to pursue either aerospace engineering or bio medicine with a minor in business.

Shonna encourages parents to pay attention to their own little inventors. "I hope there are some little Noahs out there that feel some hope about thinking outside the box and that their parents realize how important they are in providing encouragement."