Chaitanya Karamchedu: Indian-American teen finds affordable way to convert seawater into drinking water
Compiled by: Team GI Youth
(September 27, 2023) “1 in 8 people do not have access to clean water, it’s a crying issue that needs to be addressed,” said Portland resident Chaitanya Karamchedu. Living in the part of the US where the Willamette River and Columbia River converge, the Indian-American teenager saw that despite the presence of two large water bodies, people still had problems accessing clean water. This nudged the Jesuit High School student to come up with an innovative idea to convert seawater into drinking water, an invention that won him $10,000 at Intel’s International Science Fair.
It all began when Chaitanya found that millions of lives are endangered due to a lack of clean and drinkable water, especially in developing countries like India. As per stats, 163 million Indians lack access to safe drinking water. “The best access for water is the sea, so 70 percent of the planet is covered in water and almost all of that is the ocean, but the problem is that’s salt water,” he said in an interview. For years, the idea of isolating drinking water from saline water has baffled scientists. Moreover, he discovered that desalination was inaccessible in many remote coastal areas due to its high implementation costs. This made him more determined to create an economical solution for seawater salination.
The idea struck him in his high school lab. “The real genesis of the idea was realising that seawater is not fully saturated with salt,” he revealed. This led him to work with an absorbent polymer to filter out pure water from the water bonded with salt. Unlike traditional thinking that considered seawater as fully saturated with salt, he found that only 10 percent of seawater was actually saline, while the remaining 90 percent remained untapped and not bonded to salt particles. Staying away from conventional desalination efforts, Chaitanya focused on this abundant 90 percent of seawater that was not directly saturated with salt. His goal was to develop a cost-effective method to extract drinkable water from this portion. This novel approach has the potential to revolutionize access to clean and safe drinking water for millions of people worldwide who currently struggle with inadequate water resources.
The widely practiced method of desalination not only faces challenges related to cost but also raises environmental concerns. High energy consumption is one of the primary drawbacks of conventional desalination techniques, which has raised environmental concerns due to its carbon footprint and potential ecological impacts. Chaitanya’s innovative approach to desalination, however, offers a promising alternative by being a cost-effective and energy-efficient solution.
If his method proves to be scalable and sustainable, it could not only provide a more environmentally friendly way to produce freshwater but also significantly reduce the economic burden associated with desalination projects. This kind of innovation is essential for ensuring access to clean and safe drinking water while minimising the negative impacts on the environment.
Chaitanya, who was also named among the Regeneron Science Talent Research semifinalists, has made a groundbreaking discovery that stands as an example of the power of innovation and dedication in addressing one of humanity’s most pressing challenges — access to clean and safe drinking water. His unwavering commitment to finding a solution has the potential to transform the lives of countless individuals around the world.
(July 30, 2023) Over one-third of children and adolescents with disabilities have little or no accessibility to sports and physical education, according to a UNICEF study, although the majority have them access to medical, transportation and cultural services. In 2021, a report by the American College of Sports Medicine showed that physical activity among children with disabilities is four-times lower than their non-disabled counterparts. It is a gap that Indian-origin teen Rakshith Srinivasan hopes to fill by creating an enabling ecosystem through research and innovation, to increase access and make people aware of the role sports medicine can play in bettering the lives of children with disabilities. His non-profit, Unlimited Potential (UP), has achieved many milestones in a short span of time, and has raised $100,000 from community donors. [caption id="attachment_32239" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Rakshith Srinivasan[/caption] The change maker envisions an inclusive world where children facing physical challenges have the necessary tools to overcome them and can actively participate in school sports. His focus is also on adults who can lead a more fulfilling life with sports despite their disabilities. “We believe that accelerating research and improving affordability will ultimately lead to fulfilling our vision of a world without wheelchairs by
The change maker envisions an inclusive world where children facing physical challenges have the necessary tools to overcome them and can actively participate in school sports. His focus is also on adults who can lead a more fulfilling life with sports despite their disabilities. “We believe that accelerating research and improving affordability will ultimately lead to fulfilling our vision of a world without wheelchairs by 2050," remarks Rakshith.
The multifaceted teen has also published a book titled ‘Overcoming Obstacles’ and has secured first place in Washington State Science and Engineering Fair 2023.
Passionate about making a difference
UP operates as a network of passionate high school students who are actively involved in sports and have a strong interest in science and research. These student volunteers collaborate with doctors and medical researchers from institutions like Seattle Children’s Orthopaedic Research Lab, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Special Olympics of Washington, and the University of Washington’s Institute of Sports Medicine.
Through these partnerships, the volunteers gain insights into the research, understand its impact, and spread awareness about the gained information, raising funds in the process.
With a team of ten dedicated full-time volunteers and over 600 part-time volunteers spanning United States, Rakshith’s non-profit has achieved a remarkable feat. Since its inception in 2021, UP's campaigns have been instrumental in raising $100,000 for research through generous contributions from community donors whom the volunteers approached within their respective school districts.
[caption id="attachment_32256" align="aligncenter" width="539"] Rakshit Srinivasan at Seattle Children's Hospital[/caption]
The raised amount is enabling the funding of eight research programs in crucial areas such as prosthetics, bionics, muscular dystrophy, skeletal dysplasia, limb deformities, bone cancer, athlete mental health, and human-centred design.
Bringing community together
Team Unlimited Potential has not only garnered support from more than 500 donors but has also formed a dedicated advisory board comprising like-minded leaders with experience in the field of sports medicine.
The experts provide valuable mentorship to the volunteers. The advisory team assists in research selection, engages in donor discussions, plans fundraising campaigns, and facilitates connections with researchers and doctors.
It started when…
Rakhshith has always been interested in medicine, biology and sports. Three years ago, he suffered a grade 2 ankle sprain. “It was the varsity basketball season, and the sprain took me out of the playoffs. I really missed the time I was away from the team. I was frustrated for being away from sports – which is something what I love to do,” he said adding, “It was an eye-opening experience for me. It led me to think about how a lot of children might be missing sports due to their permanent disabilities.
Recognising that sports is one of the biggest unifiers and hobbies of everyone around the world, the youngster devoted his recuperation time in learning about sports medicine. He did extensive research on what's being done in the field to help the people who cannot play sports due to their disabilities or deformities and made up his mind to do his own bit.
Empathy for social change
Rakshith’s dedication not just comes from personal experience of being confined but also from empathy that he developed during a volunteering activity. As a ninth-grade student, he had volunteered to tutor the displaced children of refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine - an initiative of the non-profit, World Relief . Getting involved in the initiative changed his whole perspective of how he looked at life.
[caption id="attachment_32243" align="aligncenter" width="539"] Rakshith with Kids[/caption]
“The kids in the refugee base here were in an awkward situation, where they were attending school in a very different education system without even knowing the language properly,” he said.
“Apart from tutoring, just being with them, showing support and talking to them during their hard times gave me a sort of empathy towards others and helped me introspect how I’m fortunate enough but there are lots of people who are not, and I should use what I have been given to help others,” he remarked.
Overcoming obstacles
“While fund raising, we hear more ‘No’s’ than ‘Yeses’ says the youngster, but we keep going.’ Wearing many hats, the teen is not just passionate about sports medicine research and creating STEM awareness but is also an author and basketball enthusiast. His debut book ‘Overcoming Obstacles,’ delves into the cutting-edge research taking place in the field of sports science and research. “All proceeds from book sales would be directed towards the fundraising campaigns conducted by Unlimited Potential,” he says.
Aspiring to be an orthopaedic doctor, the teen has published scientific research papers about muscle soreness and lateral ligament ankle injuries in basketball. He has worked for several medical internships and plays varsity basketball at district level.
In March this year, he was thrilled to win the first prize in the 66th Washington State Science and Engineering Fair. “I was judged 1st amongst highly amazingly talented Washingtonians who participated in the state science fair. My research was about leveraging BC Amino acids compounds to increase energy in muscles lower micro-raptures thus preventing injuries in elite athletes,” he shared.
As part of LEAP (Leadership through Education, Activities, and Personal Development), a student leadership group of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), he is involved with WIAA events, meetings and community projects, and gets opportunity to be the voice of Washington’s more than 225,000 student-participants.
Born in India Rakshith is thankful for his parents' support in all his endeavours and is very close to his grandparents who live in India. “I feel that everyone has potential inside them, and I want to unlock that potential through my initiatives,” he says.
(February 13, 2024) Who would have imagined that art could be sold as NFTs (non-fungible tokens), creating new opportunities for artists, particularly digital ones, to earn money and transforming the art world like never before? One example is Laya Mathikshara, a teenager from Chennai, who ventured into this realm, using NFTs to showcase her passion for art. In just three years, the 16-year-old has achieved a remarkable feat, earning $1 million through the sale of over 100 NFTs, a significant milestone in the digital art scene. "It opened up a range of new possibilities that people were unaware of. It began as a hobby but soon I saw my art getting collected rapidly, and realised the power of NFTs and blockchain," Laya tells Global Indian. [caption id="attachment_35771" align="aligncenter" width="656"] Laya Mathikshara[/caption] Fascination for digital art Growing up in Chennai, Laya loved engaging in artistic activities from a young age - mixing colours, experimenting with chalk, and doodling in her notebooks. However, it wasn't until the pandemic offered her ample time that she decided to delve deeper into digital art, especially being fascinated by the animation film The Lion King. "That's when I began learning 3D art and blending creative concepts,
ours, experimenting with chalk, and doodling in her notebooks. However, it wasn't until the pandemic offered her ample time that she decided to delve deeper into digital art, especially being fascinated by the animation film The Lion King. "That's when I began learning 3D art and blending creative concepts, recalls Laya, who devoted a significant time to online resources like YouTube and Blender Guru.
As a youngster fascinated by coding and robotics, she discovered digital art at the crossroads of technology and art - a concept that sparked her curiosity. "The idea of blending the two seemed interesting and somewhat unconventional." Unlike the traditional forms of art, she found the realm of digital media particularly exciting. "Physical mediums didn't interest me as much as the digital ones did."
While honing her craft as a digital artist, she parallelly began following digital artists on social media and observed a trend where they were showcasing their work as NFTs. A term that she had earlier stumbled upon in Clubhouse - a social audio app - opened up new possibilities for monetising her artwork. "I expanded my understanding of blockchain by actively listening to different individuals and gaining insights from various viewpoints, not only from an artistic perspective but also from the perspective of a day trader, a techie, or a business person. That's how I got to learn things a little quicker than usual as otherwise I would have only one dimension of knowledge," says Laya.
What began as a fun activity to turn her artwork into NFTs soon evolved into a scalable venture, with her artworks getting collected rapidly. "Scaling up wasn't intentional, but as my previous works gained traction and were collected by others, I found myself regularly creating new pieces. It became almost like a domino effect — each creation leading to the next. I always had something lined up for the following week, and before I knew it, it had turned into a long and fulfilling journey," smiles the teenager, whose work has been exhibited across the globe.
Three months after listing her first artwork as an NFT, she woke up to an Instagram story announcing that it had been collected. "I remember darting around my home, exclaiming, "Oh my god, it's real!" It didn't fully sink in until I logged into my MetaMask account and saw funds deposited there," says Laya, adding, "That moment made me realise that this wasn't just some magic internet money, it's serious. Initially, I brushed off my first sale as a mere coincidence. But as I continued to upload more of my artwork, witnessing them being collected back-to-back, I realised it's not just luck," says Laya.
In the last three years, she has created a portfolio that boasts of over 100 collected artworks for a whopping $1 million. Ask her about her strategy, and she quips, "Creating art consistently. Moreover, I was active on every social media platform, including Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Clubhouse, where I engaged with others," says the teenager who also hosted an art exhibition in the Metaverse to foster connections with other digital artists. "I curated the exhibition, featuring works from around 50 artists, hence providing exposure to their art as well. This initiative allowed me to engage with visitors, understand their artistic journeys, styles, and perspectives on NFTs." In addition, she welcomed constructive feedback, which played a crucial role in refining her artwork.
Championing causes through her art
However, for Laya, being a digital artist is more than just monetising her work through NFTs. She is using her art for causes close to her as she recognises it as a powerful tool to connect with a broader audience. In 2021, she made a short film Gratitude, appreciating the efforts of frontline workers during the pandemic, which earned her a nomination at the Busan International Kids and Youth Film Festival and All American High School Film Festival. Moreover, it was screened at AMC Theatre in Times Square. The same year, she collaborated with Space X for Falcon 9 launch as one of the 50 NFT artists whose art was auctioned. The proceeds went to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital for cancer research. "Collaborating with a renowned brand while supporting a noble cause was truly rewarding," says the digital artist whose AR artwork was showcased at COP28.
Laya was only 13 when she began experimenting with digital art and kept trying new styles as she loved creating art. "I realised as a young person I could
create so much impact, something I had never thought about in my weirdest dreams. This gave me a lot of self-confidence. She says her biggest learning in the process has been to never hesitate to try something new. "You never know where it will take you."
Web3 community - the easy access
In the last few years, the NFT marketplace has expanded, and digital artists like Laya have found a platform to showcase their art, irrespective of their age, gender, nationality, or identity. "Unlike traditional avenues, which require formal education or credentials to showcase their art, the digital art operates on inclusivity and openness, allowing anyone to participate without rigid rules," says the artist who is happy that digital art has now evolved as a viable career option. "It has given hope to many people that they can create impact and be a part of something this big." Moreover, the emergence of the Web3 community has expanded opportunities through encouragement and experimentation. "The space focuses more on collective growth than individual success."
She has exhibited her artworks across the globe but feels a lot of people look for utility even in art, and this mindset needs to change. "What's the purpose of it is a question that they are trying to constantly find an answer to. It is more of a philosophical problem than mediums of art."
A self-taught artist, Laya has plans to pursue a degree in art after she completes her schooling. Currently, a student of The International School Bangalore, she calls AR art and microscopic art the future. "We will probably move towards art forms that we can't see through naked eyes and feel a different dimension altogether. Recently microscopic art is gaining momentum. Artists are using microorganisms and arranging them to create visually appealing pieces. They grow these microorganisms in interesting patterns to make them look artistic," Laya signs off.
(February 14, 2023) It was 3.30 am in Singapore, and Sparsh was neck-deep in an assignment when an email popped up on his laptop. It read that the 17-year-old has won the Children's Climate Prize 2022 for his innovation - a thermal floater. "I was shocked and didn't know what to do. I screamed in joy, and I think I might have woken up some of my neighbours," laughs Sparsh, as he connects with Global Indian. The National University of Singapore student, who has received SEK 100,000 to develop his project (which converts energy from the sun into electrical energy), is ecstatic that he can now show his idea to the world. "I might be biased, but I think it's a revolutionary idea," adds the teenager, who hails from Patna. The idea first struck him when a family member back home fainted due to extreme heat, owing to a two-day blackout. "This annoyed me. Renewable energy is available in plenty but none of it is provided to us through regular supply of energy." He dove deeper into the idea, and started researching on the net, and realised that renewable energy is costly and takes up a lot of land space
ugh regular supply of energy." He dove deeper into the idea, and started researching on the net, and realised that renewable energy is costly and takes up a lot of land space (for installation). "That's when I decided to come up with a solution that was cheap, efficient and compact at the same time." Sparsh was all of 14 when he resolved to find an answer.
[caption id="attachment_27504" align="aligncenter" width="577"] Sparsh won the Children's Climate Prize 2022[/caption]
An interest that turned into passion
Electronics was something that fascinated the Patna-born even as a kid. Like most kids, he would dismantle all the toys to know what was inside. "Whenever I saw the television, I wanted to know what was inside it," he smiles, adding, "When our TV stopped working, I asked my dad to not trash it, as this was my chance to take a sneak peek into it. I actually broke it down to find what was inside it, but didn't understand a thing as I was just 8," he laughs. That's when he understood his inclination towards electronics.
[caption id="attachment_27506" align="aligncenter" width="763"] How Thermal Floater works[/caption]
But things took a turn for the best when Atal Tinkering Labs (ATL) made it to his school when he was in Grade 7. Sparsh became one of the first students to enter it. "The Lab allowed me to view all the opportunities with electronics,” he says. “For the next few years, I learnt about electronics, 3D modelling, animation and coding."
Building a thermal floater
His first brush with ATL opened up a pathway of opportunities, so when he saw the problem of power outage in Patna, he knew he had to find a solution. While renewable energy was the solution, he still had to create an idea that was feasible and cheap to use the energy. The next two years went into research, a period he calls "challenging." "With no prior knowledge on thermo dynamics, material science and renewable energy, I had to read a lot to learn the concepts. Moreover, I had to check the feasibility of the idea before coming up with a prototype," reveals Sparsh, who came up with an impressive way to mitigate climate change by using thermal energy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pzfj9m32MA
So, what exactly is a thermal floater? "It's a device that generates electricity from the heat of the sun. Unlike the solar panels, it uses water bodies, which hasn't been explored much before," explains the innovator, who has used the Seebeck effect to produce electricity. "In the thermal floater, the hot side is the sun and the cold side is the water body. So, when electrons move from the hot side to the cold side, electricity is generated." By making use of water bodies, it reduces the pressure on land resources and helps create potential for countries where land resources are scarce. Being a clean source of renewable energy, the thermal floater also helps reduce the evaporation from ponds, reservoirs and lakes, thus providing an environmental benefit of the solar-thermal energy in areas that are susceptible to droughts, as water loss due to evaporation can add up over time and contribute to a shortage.
Winning accolades
The concept has won him Children's Climate Prize 2022, and he is now keen to bring his "revolutionary idea" to a larger audience in the coming three years. He wants to use the prize money to file a patent and work towards the making of a full-fledged prototype, so that it could reach the market as soon as possible. Currently studying computer engineering at the National University of Singapore, Sparsh plans to launch his startup in the field of sustainability in the near future. "I also want the thermal floater to reach a wider audience in the coming years."
[caption id="attachment_27505" align="aligncenter" width="703"] Sparsh is currently studying at National University of Singapore[/caption]
While he is happy to have come up with a solution through thermal floater, Sparsh had a hard time balancing academics and project work. However, in his first year of graduation, he is happy to have found the right support system in his teachers at the NUS. "It's much easier to balance studies and thermal floater project here," says the boy, who loves photography and is also working on other AI projects. The teenager wants other youngsters to take the leap of faith, and use all the available resources to take that first step. "Believe in yourself, and develop the ideas that you have. Give wings to your ideas and dreams."
(November 30, 2022) In 2017, two people were killed in East Delhi when a large mound of garbage in the Ghazipur landfill collapsed, sweeping people in the vicinity into a nearby canal. Spread over 70 acres, with a mountain of garbage higher than a 15-storey building, the lethal collapse was one more alarm bell in a city that was already choking. Watching the tragedy unfold on the news were Vihaan and Nav Agarwal, two siblings in Delhi. "The next day, the whole city was engulfed in a blanket of smoke. When we read about it in the newspaper, the connection between waste and air pollution became clearer," Vihaan said. Delhi generates 11,144 tonnes of trash per day and up to 250 tonnes of municipal solid waste is burned every day, releasing 2000kg of PM10 and 1,800 kg/day of PM 2.5. Over one-third of the air pollution in Delhi is caused by burning waste in landfills. Vihaan was 14 at the time and Nav only 11, but growing up in Delhi had already taken a toll on their health, especially as Vihaan was asthmatic. Their time outdoors was severely curtailed, for the most part, they weren't allowed to play outside. "We
14 at the time and Nav only 11, but growing up in Delhi had already taken a toll on their health, especially as Vihaan was asthmatic. Their time outdoors was severely curtailed, for the most part, they weren't allowed to play outside. "We had five to six air purifiers at home, and we were not allowed to play outside. We had online school even before the pandemic," Vihaan said in an interview.
[caption id="attachment_24853" align="aligncenter" width="383"] Nav and Vihaan Agarwal[/caption]
Leading the way by segregating at home
Taking inspiration from icons like British naturalist David Attenborough and the storied conservationist Jane Goodall, the brothers began separating their waste at home, setting aside the recyclables. "The thought process in our mind was like, our waste shouldn't go there, our waste shouldn't become fodder for this fire," Vihaan said. They collected such a mountain of trash that their grandfather told them sternly, and only half in jest, that one of them, either the boys or the trash, had to go. However, they realised that their segregated waste was being mixed again after it was collected. When they contacted recyclers, they were told that they had too small an amount to be picked up.
One Step Greener
The brothers rallied a team together through the neighbourhood WhatsApp group. In 2018, they founded One Step Greener, an organisation aimed at preventing pollution caused by waste.
It marked the start of the recycling initiative that would earn the boys one of the top awards for children - the 2021 KidsRights International Children's Peace Prize. As they received the prize from Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, they entered an elite club of young, global changemakers, including Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg. The Dutch prize includes an education grant and a cash award of 1,00,000 euros. "It's an old saying, but everyone's collective effort does actually make a difference," Vihan said afterwards.
They started with 15 homes in 2018, and four years later, the organisation has grown to cover schools, offices and over 1,500 households across Delhi. They have plans to expand to Kolkata and thanks to the exposure the Global Indians received through the KidsRights award, there is a fair amount of international interest as well. The organisation also works to spread awareness about the importance of recycling.
Accolades galore
Vihaan and Nav Agarwal haven't seen their teenage years through yet but have a long list of accolades to their credit already. Vihaan is also the First Asian to win the Children's Climate Prize, 2019 in Sweden and is an Ashoka Youth Venturer. Fifteen-year-old Nav has shown a talent for oration, which he uses to inspire people to join his green movement. He won the Children's Climate Prize along with his brother, was a jury member of Times of India's Young Change Leaders Contest, was named BBC's Earth Champion, is the winner of the Global Social Leaders Award and the Action for Nature Eco Hero Award.
(November 9, 2023) A thought-provoking yet unfortunate statistic from the World Health Organisation reveals that fire-related incidents claim an estimated 180,000 lives each year on a global scale. And one such accident gave California-based innovator, Shanya Gill the motive to build an affordable fire alarm using thermal imaging and software-based occupancy detection. It was a late summer afternoon when the kitchen of a restaurant in San Jose had a fire accident. Even though the staff on the spot tried their best to contain the fire, the restaurant was eventually destroyed. "It was right behind my house," said the 13-year-old in a recent interview, "Since then, my mother became increasingly cautious, always asking me to double-check that the kitchen stove was turned off before leaving our house." A few days later while studying, the young innovator stumbled upon the intriguing capability of thermal cameras to identify heat loss in homes during the winter season. This newfound knowledge sparked her curiosity, leading her to research more about whether these cameras could potentially expedite the detection of house fires compared to conventional smoke detectors. "With an early warning system, we could save thousands of lives every year,” the Global Indian said. And that
e about whether these cameras could potentially expedite the detection of house fires compared to conventional smoke detectors. "With an early warning system, we could save thousands of lives every year,” the Global Indian said.
And that is where it all changed for her. The innovator's fire alarm design recently received top honours in the foremost middle school science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competition sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific and the Society for Science. Shanya also won a prize award of $25,000 for her innovation. "It's a very proud moment for me. I plan to continue working on projects that will help make society a safer place," the innovator said after winning the award.
Towards a better world
An outstanding student, Shanya has been a dedicated contributor to various school projects since her first-grade year. Currently, a sixth-standard student at Stratford School – Sunnyvale Raynor Middle School in San Jose, this young innovator devoted countless hours to refining the theory behind her fire alarm design. To create her fire-detection system, Shanya linked a budget-friendly thermal camera to a compact computer. She then skillfully programmed the system to identify individuals as warm, moving entities and heat sources, such as an active gas burner, as stationary hot objects.
The innovator coded the system to dispatch a text message if it detected a heat source but no human presence for a continuous period of 10 minutes. Subsequently, the prototype device was affixed to the kitchen wall. She conducted numerous tests at different times of the day, with individuals entering the camera's field of view from diverse angles to ensure its reliability. "It took me some time to conduct all these experiments, however, it was a lot of fun," she shared. Her system has been able to consistently identify human presence with a 98 percent accuracy rate and detect heat sources with a 97 percent precision.
Ultimately, Shanya's system demonstrated an impressive accuracy rate, successfully identifying human presence 98 percent of the time and detecting heat sources with a 97 percent accuracy. Furthermore, it reliably dispatched text messages 97 percent of the time in cases where a heat source was left unattended. "With further improvements," the innovator believes, "this device has the potential to outperform traditional smoke detectors in terms of accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and speed of emergency response."
She might have won the award, but the innovator hasn't stopped testing the reliability of her device. "In order to deploy at a large scale, I am doing experiments where the device would be placed on the ceiling like a smoke detector. There, the device can draw power from existing electric lines and view a wider area," she said.
Colourful feathers in her cap
But, if you thought this innovator was all about books, you are very wrong. A champion swimmer, water polo, and table tennis player, Shanya is an all-rounder. "I thoroughly enjoy engaging in sports, as it has been a passion of mine since a young age,” she expressed. Interestingly, that's not all. Shanya also has a passion for crafting, coding, and sharing her knowledge with younger children. Looking ahead, she aspires to pursue a career as a biomedical engineer. “By combining my love for biology, desire to make a difference, and passion for innovation, biomedical engineering is the perfect fit for me,” the innovator said.
Rakshit Srinivasan at Seattle Children's Hospital[/caption]
Rakshith with Kids[/caption]
Rakshith Srinivasan[/caption]
Sparsh won the Children's Climate Prize 2022[/caption]
How Thermal Floater works[/caption]
Sparsh is currently studying at National University of Singapore[/caption]
Nav and Vihaan Agarwal[/caption]
