“I started following the Flint water crisis two years ago when I was nine,” said Gitanjali Rao. Gitanjali was chosen from a field of 5,000 US-based nominees, which was whittled down to five finalists by a committee of young people alongside comedian and TV presenter Trevor Noah.She and the other four finalists will be honoured in a TV special next Friday. Gitanjali, a seventh grader, also saw firsthand how complicated it can be to test water for lead by watching her parents, Bharathi Rao and Ram Rao, try to test the water in their Lone Tree, Colo., home. The book focuses on sharing a roadmap to innovation with a practical process for innovation and foolproof tips to compete in STEM and other contests. The 3D-printed box is about the size of a deck of cards and contains a … The young mind was keen to notice that half of the world is facing this problem. "A Young Innovator's Guide to STEM" creates an innovation movement for anybody under the age of 18. “Most of my code was done there. She won the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge in … Gitanjali Rao, a 15-year-old Indian-American scientist and inventor, was named Time Magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year. Each year, TIME for Kids picks the coolest and most helpful new inventions. ... Rao's invention … Gitanjali Rao speaks onstage during The 2018 MAKERS Conference at NeueHouse Hollywood on February 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Highlands Ranch, CO 80129-2381. “So I really want to put out that message: If I can do it, you can do it, and anyone can do it.”. Gitanjali Rao, 12 year young innovator who has invented a quick, low-cost test to detect lead contamination in water. Inspired by watching the news coverage of the Flint, Michigan water crisis, Gitanjali invented a water treatment device that Flint residents could use in their homes to see if … Lone Tree, Colorado. "A Young Innovator's Guide to STEM" creates an innovation movement for anybody under the age of 18. Time, which also produces the child-friendly Time For Kids, teamed up with children’s TV channel Nickelodeon for the new award. She was recognized as Forbes 30 Under 30 for her innovations. This year, we let her take the lead. "The other nine kids, they were also such amazing kids, so for her to stand out the way she did with a peer group like this is like an exclamation point on top of it. Gitanjali Rao: A Young Scientist of America At the age of 11, Gitanjali won the 3M Young Scientist of America, with her outstanding innovation of Tethys Water Lead Contamination Detector. STEM School Highlands Ranch. Rao’s invention is named Tethys, after the Greek Titan goddess of clean water. Gitanjali Rao opens up about her passion for science live on "GMA. Gitanjali Rao presents her discovery to a panel of scientists and school officials at the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. CBS News She's one of many who love science at school, but one of the few who turned an idea into an invention, said teacher Simi Basu. Gitanjali Rao, Time magazine’s inaugural kid of the year, has used technology to address contaminated drinking water, opioid addiction and cyber-bullying. A TRAILBLAZING teen is Time Magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year for inventing a water cleaning invention after creating a cyber bullying app. It was frustrating the first couple of times, but towards the end, everything started coming together. The 15-year-old scientist has used technology to address contaminated drinking water, opioid addiction and cyberbullying, First published on Fri 4 Dec 2020 03.58 GMT. ... My favorite invention is Medical Resonance Imaging or MRI. Last year, climate activist Greta Thunberg became the youngest ever person of the year when she was given the honour at age 16. "She really wants to change the world," said Jennifer Hartsell Stockdale, an attorney who was Gitanjali's STEM program teacher in Tennessee. Gitanjali Rao, 11, works on her lead testing device at home in Lone Tree, Colo., in an undated handout photo. A seventh grader that we featured in July for inventing a lead-testing device in drinking water has won a prestigious award for her invention. Seventh-grader Gitanjali Rao from Lone Tree, Colo. presents her winning invention at the the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge finals in St. Paul, Minn. "She has the intellectual capacity to learn anything she wishes, the confidence to take on every project ... and the perseverance to complete anything she starts.". In early March, 2020, inventor Gitanjali Rao had planned an event to launch her latest invention, an anti-cyberbulling service called Kindly.The COVID-19 crisis escalated to a global pandemic in the days before her launch party, and the difficult decision to postpone her event was made. “I was appalled by the number of people affected by lead contamination in water and I wanted to do something to change this.”. ", Andy King/Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. While X-Ray was a remarkable invention that allowed us to peek inside bodies without surgery, it was limited in clarity and detail. A schoolgirl aged 11 has been honoured as "America's top young scientist" for inventing a quick, low-cost test to detect lead-contaminated water. Greta Thunberg named Time magazine's person of the year. Tethys, Gitanjali Rao's lead detector. Read what she has to say below. 8773 Ridgeline Blvd. Gitanjali Rao, 15, … The website featured an article on new technologies used to detect hazardous substances, which Gitanjali figured she could adapt to detect lead. Time began awarding its man of the year honour in 1927, later updating it to person of the year, but this is the first time it has named a kid of the year. 15-year-old Indian-American Gitanjali Rao, a "brilliant" young scientist and inventor, has been named by TIME magazine as the first-ever 'Kid of the Year' for her "astonishing work" using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying. Super smart 12-year-old from Lone Tree shows off her invention on Tonight Show We already knew Gitanjali Rao was one of the Smartest Kids in Colorado - and … Gitanjali Rao won the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Gitanjali is a three-time TEDx speaker, and on 10 August 2018, she appeared in ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jimmy Fallon where she demonstrated her invention ‘Tethys’ on national television. Gitanjali presented Tethys to a panel of judges this week in a live competition at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minn. She was named the grand prize winner and received a $25,000 prize. Gitanjali Rao, a Colorado teenager who invented a mobile device to test for lead in drinking water, is Time's Kid of the Year for 2020. Using carbon nanotube sensors similar to those developed by MIT, these tiny carbon tubes can detect lead in water. Gitanjali Rao Gitanjali Rao is 12 years old and is a 8th grader at STEM School Highlands Ranch in Highlands Ranch, CO. She was named America’s Top Young Scientist of 2017 by the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge with a device to detect lead … ", He added, "She is the kind of young person that we can all look forward to what she’s going to do for society. 2017 Winner. Built apps to tackle cyber safety, opioid addiction, and more. “I have a room with green walls and black polka dots and a huge white table for all my experiments,” said Gitanjali, who also plays piano, swims, fences and dances. Colorado seventh-grader Gitanjali Rao wants to find solutions to real problems, so when she learned about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan on the news, she wanted to help. Inspired by the Flint water crisis that happened in Michigan in 2014, Rao went on to give birth to her invention named Tethys. At home, Gitanjali worked on her project in the “science room” she asked her parents to create for her when they moved from Tennessee to Colorado. “My goal has really shifted, not only from creating my own devices to solve the world’s problems, but inspiring others to do the same as well. Gitanjali Rao developed a device called Tethys to detect lead in water. She said she hoped she could inspire others to dream up ideas to “solve the world’s problems”. The woman whom Gitanjali said inspired her to pursue science and follow her passion to develop the lead testing kit believes Gitanjali can do it. Press Trust of India Dec 04, 2020 13:39:01 IST. A 15-year-old scientist and inventor has been named as Time magazine’s first “kid of the year”. The result is Tethys, a sensor-based device designed to detect lead in water faster than other techniques currently on the market. "I had so many failures when I was doing my tests. Gitanjali spent months trying to convince local high schools and colleges to give her lab time to continue her experiment. She said she found a way to help solve the problem while browsing the MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering’s website, a site she said she checks weekly to see “if there’s anything new.”. A TRAILBLAZING teen is Time Magazine’s first-ever Kid of the Year for inventing a water cleaning invention after creating a cyber bullying app. Gitanjali Rao, Inventor At the age of just 11 years old, Gitanjali dreamed up a solution to a problem many had overlooked. Gitanjali reached out to her parents, both engineers, her teachers and experts at local colleges and universities for help. Gitanjali Rao is an Indian-American inventor, author, scientist and a STEM promoter. After coming across an MIT project that uses nanotechnology to measure harmful levels of gases in the air, she realized that the material was sensitive enough to detect lead in water. Then again, there aren’t many 15-year-olds like Gitanjali Rao. Most of the spills and failures were made there.”. “Our first question was, ‘Is this what you really want to go after? Gitanjali Rao, 11, was awarded the title of "America's Top Young Scientist" as well as a $25,000 prize. "It's not hyperbole to say she really blew us out of the water," said Dr. Brian Barnhart, an Illinois school superintendent and one of the seven 3M judges. The US-based publication announced the award Thursday, citing her ability to use technology to “tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying”. Gitanjali Rao, 15, from The Lone Tree, Colorado, was announced as Time's 2020 winner just one year after being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. The book focuses on sharing a roadmap to innovation with a practical process for innovation and foolproof tips to compete in STEM and other contests. When Gitanjali was named one of 10 finalists in the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge earlier this year, she was able to partner with a 3M scientist to help develop her innovation. A scientist, an innovator, an author, Ted Ex speaker and a learner of Indian classical dance. The device utilizes carbon nanotube sensors –- similar to the technology Gitanjali saw on the MIT website –- to detect lead. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? She also plans to save some of the $25,000 for college. February 7, 2018, 12:32 PM Gitanjali Rao wowed the world when she was awarded $25,000 and the title of "America's top young scientist" in January for her invention, a lead-detection device … Gitanjali Rao, from Denver, Colorado, has invented new technologies across a range of fields, including a device that can identify lead in drinking water, and an app and Chrome extension that uses artificial intelligence to detect cyberbullying. If there is a problem, Gitanjali is sure to … Kid of the Year Gitanjali Rao, 15, is an inventor. 13-year-old Gitanjali Rao with her lead detection device named Tethys. Gitanjali Rao, from Denver, Colorado, has invented new technologies across a range of fields, including a device that can identify lead in drinking water, and an app and Chrome extension that … It can then send the results to a smartphone. From Rookie Mag: . There was no real expectation that she would necessarily finish, but the journey itself would be the learning experience. Gitanjali Rao won the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge in 2017. So if no one else is gonna do it, I’m gonna do it.” Related: Eleven-year-old Gitanjali Rao won the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge with a … In Flint, elevated levels of lead were found in the city's water supply after the city disconnected from Detroit's water line as a cost-cutting measure and began drawing water from the Flint River in April 2014. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. “Because, from personal experience, it’s not easy when you don’t see anyone else like you. ", "I knew all these failures, which were learning experiences, would make my experiment better. She is from Lone Tree, Colorado. The idea struck her when she was watching the news about Flint water crisis. Gitanjali Rao is just 15 year old who won the TIME Magazine’s ‘first ever Kid of the year 2020’. ", Gitanjali plans to continue on her goal "to save lives and make the world a better place.". Rao told Jolie. Seventh-grader Gitanjali Rao from Lone Tree, Colo. presents her winning invention at the the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge finals in St. Paul, Minn. Singer Bruno Mars donates $1 million to victims of Flint water crisis, 'They're my superheroes': Boy, 6, serves lemonade and doughnuts to police. Gitanjali Rao, 11, works on her lead testing device at home in the family's "science room" in Lone Tree, Colo., in an undated handout photo. Gitanjali selected these items from TIME’s list of the 100 Best Inventions of 2020. Everything I see on TV is that it’s an older, usually white, man as a scientist. Gitanjali's portable invention - named Tethys, after the Greek goddess for fresh water -- allows a sensor linked to a mobile app to give an accurate, almost immediate analysis. Because it’s a sizable problem.’”, He continued, “Then you go one day at a time. Meet the 11-year-old who developed a new method of testing for lead in water. It turned out she had a lot more determination.”. She is curious toward learning science and technology and always wanted to solve world issue. In an interview with actor and humanitarian Angelina Jolie, Gitanjali said: “I don’t look like your typical scientist. She said that work “is going to be in our generation’s hands pretty soon. -- An 11-year-old girl inspired by the Flint, Mich., water crisis has been named “America’s Top Young Scientist” after she developed a device that can quickly detect lead levels in water. Gitanjali plans to invest most of her 3M prize money back into her project to make it commercially available. “We had to learn as she asked questions,” said Ram Rao. Gitanjali Rao, a 15-year-old budding scientist from Colorado has beaten out 5,000 competitors for the honor of Time's "Kid of the Year." Rao was named America's top young scientist in 2017 and one of Forbes' 30 under 30 in 2019. "Advice I would give to other kids would be to never be afraid to try," Gitanjali said. “I had been following the Flint, Michigan, issue for about two years,” Gitanjali Rao told ABC News. Gitanjali Rao. According to Gitanjali, her goal is to study genetics and epidemiology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. Rao, of Lone Tree, Colorado, is an American inventor, author and a STEM promoter.