Gitanjali Rao; Highschooler and Scientist makes Time’s “Kid of the Year”, Trinity Mathis
https://time.com/5916772/kid-of-the-year-2020/
Gitanjali Rao, a 15 year old highschool student from Lone Tree, Colorado was recently named Time’s “Kid of the Year”. She was selected from over 5,000 nominees and even more impressively is Time’s First “Kid of the Year”. Rao is a young scientist who has done work in many things such as using technology to address issues such as cyberbullying, contaminated drinking water, and opioid addiction. First, she has developed an app called Kindly which is an app that uses AI technology to detect early stages of cyberbullying. The app picks up on certain keywords and phrases that the user types and alerts if those certain phrases would be considered bullying. Second, she is working on a device that detects lead in drinking water. The device is a carbon nanotube that creates resistance when lead interacts with the carbon ions. This device then sends the data to a smartphone app, alerting you of potential lead in your water. Lastly, her interest in genetics has led to developing a device that detects prescription opioid addiction. Her research/development is based on using the mu opioid receptor gene’s protein production in order to detect early addiction.
Through her accomplishments, Rao aims to inspire other young people to make change and to create and innovate.
https://time.com/5916772/kid-of-the-year-2020/
https://www.npr.org/2019/01/29/687788715/a-13-year-old-science-entrepreneur-wants-to-bring-her-water-testing-device-to-ma
https://www.usnews.com/news/news/articles/2020-12-04/colorado-student-scientist-named-times-kid-of-the-year
What do you think about Rao’s accomplishments? How does this inspire you to create and innovate?
Which one of her projects do you like the most/ find most interesting and why?
Why is it important to expose and teach kids about the STEM field/careers? Do you feel like kids are ever “pressured” to go into STEM fields?
Of her projects I find the opioid detector to be the most interesting as I am very interested in genetics and that is a very creative application, this inspires me to also think about genetics creatively. I feel as if the drinking water test has the most relevant and influential implications. It is important to teach children about STEM careers as they are growing areas with a lot of opportunity.
ReplyDeleteCarissa Bersche
I think these achievements are amazing and its inspiring to see such young people doing great things, this inspires me and probably many others to do something with our ideas, I think the detector is a really good technology we can use in the future to protect young children from threats. STEM fields are really important as they decide where our future goes, and exposing kids to this is really good so the pressures can be broken down, some of them could be thinking its only for a group of people yet its for everyone.
ReplyDelete-Tyler A.
One her projects I find interesting is the cyberbullying one. I wonder what made her want to make that, I wonder if maybe she experienced or had other close people experience being cyberbullying. I think that it is cool and wonder if it could be done with offensive slurs. I think that it is important for children to have at least a look into stem and some knowledge and experience.
ReplyDelete-Angeline Upchurch
The project I find most interesting is her development in a device that detects opioid addiction because the science behind it is very interesting. I think for her age it is so inspiring that she is choosing to address such prevalent and important issues, issues maybe not your average teenager would be thinking about. I think that all children should be exposed to STEM field/careers, but not be pressured to go into it if they don't truly want to.
ReplyDeleteTrinity Mathis
I think her achievements and projects are very interesting and it inspire kids to go out and do things. The project I find most interesting is the device that detects prescription opioid addiction. -Alyssa Butts
ReplyDeleteI am really impressed by her accomplishments, especially for a 15 year old. Her idea to create a device that can detect lead in drinking water is the most interesting to me. I think her device is a great idea for people that don't know their water is contaminated. For instance, I'm not sure if her device for be useful for people in Flint, Michigan who already know their water is contaminated. There is pressure for kids to do STEM, but I don't think it's a bad thing (I might be biased because I'm a STEM kid). The more young people we have in STEM the more adults we'll have who understand the world around them. That's what's causing the issues we have right now, people think the virus is a hoax or that it's actually a bacterial infection. If more people were in STEM we'd have less conspiracy theorists.
ReplyDelete-Ilori Tankpinou
Her device that can detect lead in drinking water by measuring the interaction between carbon ions and lead is the most interesting to me. I think it's astonishing that someone who is only 15 invented such a device. She's at the front lines for sparking innovation and scientific curiosity within young people. -Shirin Saha
ReplyDeleteI like her project that involves the use of AI technology for cyber bulling because personally Ive found that more and more younger kids have o to use social media and a lot of times they are bulling because they feel that its easier since its over the screen. I can say that for myself and many weve all either been on the receiving end or have seen with our own eyes cyber bulling and I just think that If there was something in pace that actually stopped it from its source it would be a nice advancement to help improve this issue. - Raquel Morgens
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