Gitanjali Rao (inventor) explained

Gitanjali Rao
Birth Date:2005 (age)
Birth Place:Columbus, Ohio
Alma Mater:Massachusetts Institute of Technology (currently enrolled)
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Known For:Water lead-level measuring device (2018)
Awards:Time 2020 Kid of the Year
Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge (2017)
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Gitanjali Rao is an American inventor, author, social activist, and a STEM student and advocate.

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 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

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

Rao is of Indian descent. She enjoys Indian classical dancing and classical music.[11]

Rao has expressed interest in studying genetics and epidemiology.[12] [13] [14] She has conducted research at the University of Colorado.[15]

Inventions

Tethys

Rao was first influenced by a science kit her uncle gave to her when she was 4 years old.[16] When she was 10, she heard about the Flint water crisis while watching the news[17] [18] 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. She collaborated with a research scientist at 3M[19] and in 2017, she won the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge and was awarded $25,000 for her invention, Tethys.[20] [21]

Tethys contains a 9-volt battery, a lead sensing unit, a Bluetooth extension and a processor. It uses carbon nanotubes, whose resistance changes in the presence of lead. She learned about the carbon nanotubes while reading the Massachusetts Institute of Technology website.[22] She plans to work with scientists and medical professionals to investigate the potential of Tethys as a viable method.[23]

She presented her idea at the 2018 MAKERS Conference and raised a further $25,000.[24] As of January 2019, she was working with the Denver water facility and planned to have a prototype within two years.[25]

Epione

In 2019, Rao developed a diagnostic tool called Epione for early diagnosis of prescription opioid addiction.[26]

Kindly

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.[27] [28]

Other works

Rao is a three-time TEDx speaker[29] [30] and is passionate about sharing her love of STEM. She has given over 200 talks and workshops in more than 40 countries.[31] 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.[32]

, she is a member of Scouts and has enrolled in the Scouting STEM program in the United States.[33]

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.[34] Sections of the book have been adapted for school use in Kenya and Uganda.

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.[35] [36] [37]

Awards and recognition

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.[38]

In 2018, Rao was awarded the United States Environmental Protection Agency President's Environmental Youth Award.[39]

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.[40] [41]

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.[42]

In 2021, Rao was honored as a Laureate of the Young Activists Summit at UN Geneva.[43]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hall, Hanson . Kelly, Monica . 7 February 2023 . 11-year-old scientist is developing a solution to help solve the water crisis in Flint, Michigan . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190413144725/https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/particles/all-articles/article-detail/~/clean-water-lead-detection-young-scientist-challenge/?storyid=e8ea94e9-95b7-448a-bd74-79fbbb0a5960 . 13 April 2019 . 7 February 2023 . 3M.
  2. Industry News . Journal (American Water Works Association) . 2017 . 109 . 12 . 80–85 . . 10.1002/j.1551-8833.2017.tb00038.x . 26653648 . 247674952 . 0003-150X.
  3. Web site: Gitanjali Rao . Forbes . en.
  4. Seven Young Inventors Who See a Better Way . . en-us.
  5. Meet Time's First-Ever Kid of the Year. December 4, 2020. Time.
  6. Web site: 'Time' Names Its Kid Of The Year: Water-Testing Scientist Gitanjali Rao . Chappell . Bill . December 3, 2020. NPR . December 8, 2020.
  7. https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/journeys-innovation/field-stories/one-girls-commitment United States Patent and Trademark Office website, ‘’Journeys of Innovation’’ section, ‘’One girl’s commitment’’, retrieved 2023-11-20
  8. News: 2020-12-04 . Indian-American Gitanjali Rao is on ‘TIME’ cover, Twitter churns out ‘desi parents’ memes . The Economic Times . 2023-12-05 . 0013-0389.
  9. Web site: Martinez . Rose . Apr 2, 2021 . TIME’s Kid of the Year shares why she’s attending STEM School of Highlands Ranch . 2023-12-05 . Denver Business Journal.
  10. News: Gitanjali Rao wants to make polluted water safer with lead detection system. Prisco. Jacopo. CNN. February 15, 2018. August 12, 2019.
  11. Web site: Biswas . Enakshi . TIME Magazine’s first ever Kid of the Year: Gitanjali Rao - A Window Into The World Of Women . 2023-10-09 . en-US.
  12. News: Lone Tree girl named America's Top Young Scientist after inventing lead-detecting sensor to help residents of Flint, Mich. . November 23, 2017. The Denver Post. October 23, 2018. en-US.
  13. News: What teachers can learn from America's top young scientist, 12-year-old Gitanjali Rao. October 23, 2018. en-GB.
  14. News: Indian American Gitanjali Rao is the winner of 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. October 19, 2017. The American Bazaar. October 23, 2018. en-US.
  15. Web site: Gitanjali Rao - Profile. March 14, 2021. sites.google.com. en-US. July 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210724023144/https://sites.google.com/view/gitanjalispages/profile. dead.
  16. This Teen Scientist Is Time's First-Ever 'Kid Of The Year'. Short Wave. NPR. Madeline Sofia. January 11, 2021. January 14, 2021. en-US.
  17. News: Finding Solutions to Real Problems: An Interview With Gitanjali Rao - Rookie. January 11, 2018. Rookie. October 23, 2018. en-US.
  18. News: 11-Year-Old Creates Lead-Detection Device to Help With Flint Water Crisis. Ryan. Lisa. The Cut. October 23, 2018. en.
  19. Web site: Dr. Kathleen Shafer Young Scientist Lab. www.youngscientistlab.com. en. October 23, 2018.
  20. Web site: The 12 year old inventor protecting your drinking water. BBC. en-GB. October 23, 2018.
  21. Web site: Video: Meet the 11-year-old who developed a new method of testing for lead in water. ABC News. en. October 23, 2018.
  22. News: This 11-Year-Old Invented A Cheap Test Kit For Lead In Drinking Water. July 13, 2017. Fast Company. October 23, 2018. en-US.
  23. News: This 11-Year-Old Girl Just Made An Amazing Innovation In How We Test For Lead, & Proved How Much Girls Rule In The Process. Thorpe. JR. Bustle. October 23, 2018. en.
  24. News: Gitanjali Rao, America's Top Young Scientist of 2017, Nabs Another $25,000 For Lead-Detection Invention. October 23, 2018. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20181024073607/http://socialgoodrevolution.co/2018/02/22/gitanjali-rao-americas-top-young-scientist-of-2017-nabs-another-25000-for-lead-detection-invention/. October 24, 2018. dead.
  25. Web site: 13-Year-Old Gitanjali Rao's Lead Detecting Invention Lands Her On Forbes' '30 Under 30' . CPR . February 2, 2020.
  26. Web site: STEM School student receives another national award for an invention. July 23, 2019. FOX31 Denver. en. August 11, 2019.
  27. Web site: Kindly . 2022-07-29 . www.unicef.org . en.
  28. Web site: Fritchman . Rebecca . One girl's commitment . . 11 May 2023 . 25 February 2022.
  29. Web site: A device to detect lead in water by a 13-year-old innovator | Gitanjali Rao | TEDxGateway - YouTube. www.youtube.com.
  30. Web site: A Young Scientist's Guide to Problem Solving and Innovation | Gitanjali Rao | TEDxChennai - YouTube. www.youtube.com.
  31. https://globalteacherprize.org/news/global-student-prize-finalists/2022-finalists-global-student-prize/693/693-Gitanjali-Rao Global Teacher Prize website, 2022 Finalists Global Student Prize page, article dated December 6, 2022
  32. Catching Up With TIME's 2020 Kid of the Year Gitanjali Rao . 2022-07-29 . Time . en.
  33. Web site: Living the Scout Life - STEM Scout Named Time's First-Ever Kid of the Year. December 3, 2020. December 4, 2020. www.scoutshop.org.
  34. Book: A Young Innovator's Guide to STEM . 2021-03-16 . 978-1-64293-800-5 . en. Rao . Gitanjali .
  35. https://news.mit.edu/2023/gitanjali-rao-honored-white-house-girls-leading-change-1120 MIT website, MIT News section, Gitanjali Rao honored at White House “Girls Leading Change” celebration, article by Sarah Foote dated November 20, 2023
  36. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/indian-american-teen-inventor-honoured-by-jill-biden-for-leading-community-improvement-in-us/article67411048.ece The Hindu website, ‘’Indian-American teen inventor honoured by Jill Biden for leading community improvement in US’’, article dated October 12, 2023
  37. Web site: 15-Year-Old Innovator Named 'Kid of the Year' By Time Magazine . Mosley . Tonya . December 9, 2020. WBUR Here and Now . December 9, 2020.
  38. Web site: 2020-12-03 . TIME's 2020 Kid of the Year Is a STEM Scout! . 2022-07-29 . Scouting Wire . en-US.
  39. Web site: Girl Genius: This 12-year-old just invented device to detect lead in water. h2oradio.org. October 23, 2018. December 4, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201204002740/http://h2oradio.org/GirlGenius.html. dead.
  40. Web site: Time names 15-year-old scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao its first Kid of the Year . Yancey-Bragg . N'dea . December 3, 2020. USA Today . December 8, 2020.
  41. Web site: STEM School student receives another national award for an invention. July 23, 2019. FOX31 Denver. en. August 11, 2019.
  42. Web site: Gitanjali Rao: Time magazine names teenage inventor its first 'kid of the year' . . . December 4, 2020.
  43. Web site: Young Activists Summit . UN . en.

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