Gitanjali Rao (inventor) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gitanjali Rao
Born	2006 (age 17–18) Nashville, Tennessee
Alma mater	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (currently enrolled)
Known for	Water lead-level measuring device (2018)
Awards	Time's 2020 Kid of the Year Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge (2017)

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

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

Early life

Rao is of Indian descent. She enjoys Indian classical music. As of 2018, she lived in Lone Tree, Colorado and attended STEM School Highlands Ranch. Rao has expressed interest in studying genetics and epidemiology. She is conducting research at the University of Colorado.

Inventions

Tethys

Rao was first influenced by a science kit her uncle gave to her when she was 4 years old. When she was 10, she heard about the Flint water crisis while watching the news 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 and in 2017, she won the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge and was awarded $25,000 for her invention, Tethys.

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. She plans to work with scientists and medical professionals to investigate the potential of Tethys as a viable method.

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

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.

Other works

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

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

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

In 2023 she 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.

Awards and recognition

Winner of the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge in 2017.

Recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30.

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.

Awarded the United States Environmental Protection Agency President's Environmental Youth Award in September 2018.

Named Time (magazine) top young innovator of 2020.

Was the first person to be named Time magazine's Kid of the Year in 2020.

Honored as a Laureate of the Young Activists Summit at UN Geneva in November 2021.

See also

In Spanish: Gitanjali Rao para niños