Maya Burhanpurkar facts for kids

Maya Burhanpurkar is a super smart Canadian researcher who has done amazing things in science since she was very young! She was born on February 14, 1999, in Orillia, Ontario, Canada. She's known for her work in different science fields, from making special medicines to studying how our world changes.

Maya's Early Life and Education

Maya grew up in Orillia, Ontario. She finished high school in 2016 at Barrie North Collegiate Institute. After that, she studied physics at Harvard College, which is a very famous university.

Later, Maya won a special award called the Rhodes scholarship. This scholarship allowed her to study Computer Science and the Philosophy of Physics at Oxford University in England. It's a big honor for students!

Maya's Amazing Science Projects

Maya started doing science experiments when she was very young. She even built her own lab in her family's basement!

Fighting Germs with Smart Medicine

When Maya was just 10 years old, she volunteered at a hospital in India. This experience made her want to help people. Two years later, when she was 12, she created a special kind of medicine. This "intelligent-antibiotic" was designed to kill only bad pathogenic bacteria, like E-coli. It was smart because it left the good bacteria in your body alone, which is important for your health.

Helping with Alzheimer's Research

At 13, Maya won a top award at the Canada-Wide Science Fair. Her project looked at how safe two medicines for Alzheimer's disease were for the heart and stomach. Alzheimer's disease is a condition that affects memory. Maya was inspired to study this because her own grandfather had Alzheimer's disease.

Exploring Physics and the Arctic

When Maya was 14, she did important research in physics. She won another Platinum Award at the Canada-Wide Science Fair for this work. She also helped a team in Steve Mann's lab make the first physical detection of something called "absement." This is a complex idea in physics, but it shows her deep understanding of the subject.

Maya also competed in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. She was also chosen as a finalist for the 2013 Google Science Fair.

Filming Climate Change in the Arctic

Maya went on an expedition to the Arctic. While there, she filmed a documentary about how climate change is affecting the Inuit communities who live there. Famous people like Chris Hadfield (a Canadian astronaut) and Margaret Atwood (a famous writer) were part of her film. This documentary won an international award called the Gloria Barron prize.

Maya's Awards and Recognition

Maya has received many important awards for her work and achievements:

• In 2013, she was named one of Canada's Top 20 Under 20. This means she was one of the top 20 young people in Canada under the age of 20.
• She received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. This medal honors Canadians who have made significant contributions.
• In 2010, she was named the Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year. This award recognizes young people in Ontario who have shown outstanding qualities.

See also

In Spanish: Maya Burhanpurkar para niños