15-Year Old Genius Gitanjali Rao Is Time Magazine's Kid Of The Year 2020
She was picked among 5,000 nominees by the judges for her contributions made in the field of science to help communities and societies. She, with her inventions, had addressed several social issues -- cleansing contaminated water, cyber bullying and even addiction.
It is common to see kids seek inspiration from adults, however, today, some kids are actually becoming an inspiration not just for other kids, but also adults.
Meet 15-year-old Gitanjali Rao, who has been awarded by TIME magazine as the first-ever kid of the year.
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She was picked among 5,000 nominees by the judges for her contributions made in the field of science to help communities and societies. She, with her inventions, had addressed several social issues -- cleansing contaminated water, cyber bullying and even addiction.
In an interview with American actor Angelina Jolie, she expressed her emotions for being awarded with this honour, ¡°I don't look like your typical scientist. Everything I see on TV is that it's an older, usually white man as a scientist. It's weird to me that it was almost like people had assigned roles, regarding their gender, their age, the color of their skin.¡±
She added, ¡°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. Because, from personal experience, it's not easy when you don't see anyone else like you. So I really want to put out that message: If I can do it, you can do it, and anyone can do it.'
One of her creations -- called Tethys -- is a water safety tester that individuals can carry with them wherever they go -- whether camping or areas where acquiring clean water is difficult. The device has four basic components, -- the main device, a processor with built-in Bluetooth housed in a 3D-printed box, a 9-volt battery and a cavity to enter testing cartridges.
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The sensor is dipped in the water, which analyzes the chemicals in water, looking for contaminants and gives a report straight to our smartphone using Bluetooth. This creation of hers also bagged her the honour of America¡¯s Top Young Scientist.
In 2018, she was also awarded the US Environmental Protection Agency President's Environmental Youth Award. She is also a three-time TEDx speaker.
She currently attends STEM School Highlands Ranch, however, she wishes to study genetics and epidemiology at prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
