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Gitanjali Rao (inventor)

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Gitanjali Rao is an American inventor, author, social activist, and a STEM student and advocate.

Gitanjali Rao
Gitanjali Rao in 2020
Born2005 (age 18–19)
Ohio, U.S.
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology (currently enrolled)
Known forWater lead-level measuring device (2018)
AwardsTime's 2020 Kid of the Year
Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge (2017)

Rao won the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge in 2017[1][2] and was recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30 for her innovations.[3] Rao was named Time's top young innovator of 2020 for her innovations and "innovation workshops" she conducts across the globe[4] and, on December 4, 2020, was featured on the cover of Time and named their first "Kid of the Year".[5][6]

Early life

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Rao was born in 2005 in Ohio[7] to parents Bharathi and Ram Rao.[8][9] She later moved to Lone Tree, Colorado and attended STEM School Highlands Ranch.[10][11]

Rao is of Indian descent. She enjoys Indian classical dancing and classical music.[12]

Rao has expressed interest in studying genetics and epidemiology.[13][14][15] She has conducted research at the University of Colorado.[16]

Inventions

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Tethys

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Rao was first influenced by a science kit her uncle gave to her when she was 4 years old.[17] When she was 10, she heard about the Flint water crisis while watching the news[18][19] and became interested in ways to measure the lead content in water. This led to her using App Inventor to develop a device called Tethys which was based on carbon nanotubes that could send water quality information via Bluetooth.[20] She collaborated with a research scientist at 3M[21] and in 2017, she won the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge and was awarded $25,000 for her invention, Tethys.[11][22][23]

Tethys contains a 9-volt battery, a lead sensing unit, a Bluetooth extension and a processor.[11] It uses carbon nanotubes, whose resistance changes in the presence of lead.[24] She learned about the carbon nanotubes while reading the Massachusetts Institute of Technology website.[25] She plans to work with scientists and medical professionals to investigate the potential of Tethys as a viable method.[26]

She presented her idea at the 2018 MAKERS Conference and raised a further $25,000.[27] As of January 2019, she was working with the Denver water facility and planned to have a prototype within two years.[28]

Epione

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In 2019, Rao developed a diagnostic tool called Epione for early diagnosis of prescription opioid addiction.[29]

Kindly

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Rao developed an app named "Kindly" that uses artificial intelligence that can detect cyberbullying at an early stage and has partnered with UNICEF to roll-out the service globally.[30][31][32]

Other works

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Rao is a three-time TEDx speaker[33][34][35] and is passionate about sharing her love of STEM. She has given over 200 talks and workshops in more than 40 countries.[36] She conducts innovation workshops for students throughout the globe in partnership with after school clubs, schools, science museums, STEM organizations and other educational organizations to promote a problem-solving curriculum for K-12 students.[37]

As of 2020, she is a member of Scouts and has enrolled in the Scouting STEM program in the United States.[38]

In 2021, Rao published her book, Young Inventor's Guide to STEM, which elaborates on her 5 Steps To Problem-Solving For Students, Educators, and Parents.[39] Sections of the book have been adapted for school use in Kenya and Uganda.[36]

In 2023 Rao enrolled at MIT and gained her pilot’s licence; in 2024, she plans to publish her second book, A Young Innovators Guide to Planning For Success.[40][41][42]

Awards and recognition

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In 2017, Rao won the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. The Middle Tennessee Council of the Boy Scouts of America recognized her as its STEM Scout of the Year in 2017. These honors led to her inclusion in the delegation for the 2017 BSA Report to the Nation.[43]

In 2018, Rao was awarded the United States Environmental Protection Agency President's Environmental Youth Award.[44]

In 2019, Rao was recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30 in the science category. She was awarded the Top "Health" Pillar Prize for the TCS Ignite Innovation Student Challenge in May 2019 for developing a diagnostic tool called Epione based on advances in genetic engineering for early diagnosis of prescription opioid addiction.[30][45]

In 2020, Time named her the top young innovator. She was also the first person to be named Time magazine's Kid of the Year.[46]

In 2021, Rao was honored as a Laureate of the Young Activists Summit at UN Geneva.[47]

References

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  1. ^ Hall, Hanson; Kelly, Monica (February 7, 2023). "11-year-old scientist is developing a solution to help solve the water crisis in Flint, Michigan". 3M. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "Industry News". Journal (American Water Works Association). 109 (12). American Water Works Association: 80–85. 2017. doi:10.1002/j.1551-8833.2017.tb00038.x. ISSN 0003-150X. JSTOR 26653648. S2CID 247674952.
  3. ^ "Gitanjali Rao". Forbes.
  4. ^ "Seven Young Inventors Who See a Better Way". Time.
  5. ^ "Meet Time's First-Ever Kid of the Year". Time. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  6. ^ Chappell, Bill (December 3, 2020). "'Time' Names Its Kid Of The Year: Water-Testing Scientist Gitanjali Rao". NPR. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  7. ^ Eriksson, Karin; Tedesjö, Eva (June 4, 2021). "Gitanjali Rao: Vår generation är hetsig" [Gitanjali Rao: Our generation is hotheaded]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  8. ^ United States Patent and Trademark Office website, ‘’Journeys of Innovation’’ section, ‘’One girl’s commitment’’, retrieved 2023-11-20
  9. ^ "Indian-American Gitanjali Rao is on 'TIME' cover, Twitter churns out 'desi parents' memes". The Economic Times. December 4, 2020. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Martinez, Rose (April 2, 2021). "TIME's Kid of the Year shares why she's attending STEM School of Highlands Ranch". Denver Business Journal. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Prisco, Jacopo (February 15, 2018). "Gitanjali Rao wants to make polluted water safer with lead detection system". CNN. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  12. ^ Biswas, Enakshi. "TIME Magazine's first ever Kid of the Year: Gitanjali Rao - A Window Into The World Of Women". Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  13. ^ "Lone Tree girl named America's Top Young Scientist after inventing lead-detecting sensor to help residents of Flint, Mich". The Denver Post. November 23, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  14. ^ "What teachers can learn from America's top young scientist, 12-year-old Gitanjali Rao". Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  15. ^ "Indian American Gitanjali Rao is the winner of 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge". The American Bazaar. October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  16. ^ "Gitanjali Rao - Profile". sites.google.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  17. ^ Madeline Sofia (January 11, 2021). "This Teen Scientist Is Time's First-Ever 'Kid Of The Year'". Short Wave (Podcast). NPR. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  18. ^ "Finding Solutions to Real Problems: An Interview With Gitanjali Rao - Rookie". Rookie. January 11, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  19. ^ Ryan, Lisa. "11-Year-Old Creates Lead-Detection Device to Help With Flint Water Crisis". The Cut. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  20. ^ The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge (July 18, 2017), 2017 National Finalist: Gitanjali Rao, retrieved October 23, 2018{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ "Dr. Kathleen Shafer | Young Scientist Lab". www.youngscientistlab.com. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  22. ^ "The 12 year old inventor protecting your drinking water". BBC. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  23. ^ "Video: Meet the 11-year-old who developed a new method of testing for lead in water". ABC News. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  24. ^ Great Big Story (March 8, 2018), This 12-Year-Old Scientist is Taking On Flint's Water Crisis, retrieved October 23, 2018
  25. ^ "This 11-Year-Old Invented A Cheap Test Kit For Lead In Drinking Water". Fast Company. July 13, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  26. ^ Thorpe, JR. "This 11-Year-Old Girl Just Made An Amazing Innovation In How We Test For Lead, & Proved How Much Girls Rule In The Process". Bustle. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  27. ^ "Gitanjali Rao, America's Top Young Scientist of 2017, Nabs Another $25,000 For Lead-Detection Invention". Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  28. ^ "13-Year-Old Gitanjali Rao's Lead Detecting Invention Lands Her On Forbes' '30 Under 30'". CPR. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  29. ^ "STEM School student receives another national award for an invention". FOX31 Denver. July 23, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  30. ^ a b Yancey-Bragg, N'dea (December 3, 2020). "Time names 15-year-old scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao its first Kid of the Year". USA Today. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  31. ^ "Kindly". www.unicef.org. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  32. ^ Fritchman, Rebecca (February 25, 2022). "One girl's commitment". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  33. ^ TEDx Talks (June 7, 2018), A 12-year-old inventor's device for detecting lead in water | Gitanjali Rao | TEDxNashville, retrieved October 23, 2018
  34. ^ "A device to detect lead in water by a 13-year-old innovator | Gitanjali Rao | TEDxGateway - YouTube". www.youtube.com.
  35. ^ "A Young Scientist's Guide to Problem Solving and Innovation | Gitanjali Rao | TEDxChennai - YouTube". www.youtube.com.
  36. ^ a b Global Teacher Prize website, 2022 Finalists Global Student Prize page, article dated December 6, 2022
  37. ^ "Catching Up With TIME's 2020 Kid of the Year Gitanjali Rao". Time. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  38. ^ "Living the Scout Life - STEM Scout Named Time's First-Ever Kid of the Year". www.scoutshop.org. December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  39. ^ Rao, Gitanjali (March 16, 2021). A Young Innovator's Guide to STEM. ISBN 978-1-64293-800-5.
  40. ^ MIT website, MIT News section, Gitanjali Rao honored at White House “Girls Leading Change” celebration, article by Sarah Foote dated November 20, 2023
  41. ^ The Hindu website, ‘’Indian-American teen inventor honoured by Jill Biden for leading community improvement in US’’, article dated October 12, 2023
  42. ^ Mosley, Tonya (December 9, 2020). "15-Year-Old Innovator Named 'Kid of the Year' By Time Magazine". WBUR Here and Now. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  43. ^ "TIME's 2020 Kid of the Year Is a STEM Scout!". Scouting Wire. December 3, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  44. ^ "Girl Genius: This 12-year-old just invented device to detect lead in water". h2oradio.org. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  45. ^ "STEM School student receives another national award for an invention". FOX31 Denver. July 23, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  46. ^ "Gitanjali Rao: Time magazine names teenage inventor its first 'kid of the year'". The Guardian. December 4, 2020 – via Press Association.
  47. ^ "Young Activists Summit". UN.

Further reading

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