Global Indianstory Global Indian YouthKavya Kopparapu: Indian-American innovator’s device can predict brain tumours in seconds

Kavya Kopparapu: Indian-American innovator’s device can predict brain tumours in seconds

Written by: Charu Thakur

(August 21, 2022) In the summer of 2017, while reading a story about the US Senator John McCain, who was then battling the aggressive brain cancer – glioblastoma, Virgina-based Kaavya Kopparapu stumbled upon some startling facts. A high school junior then, she was shocked to learn that the prognosis for glioblastoma hasn’t improved in 30 years, and the patients typically survive for only 11 months after the diagnosis. The disturbing reality led her into cancer research, wherein she found a disconnect – as most research was focussed on diagnosing and treating cancer, using the cancer’s genetic signature to find the most effective treatment was a territory less explored. “To me, that was really surprising because we know so much more about the brain now, and we have so many improved chemotherapy and surgery techniques. It blew my mind that, despite all of that, we haven’t gotten any better at improving patient quality of life and prognosis,” the innovator told Harvard Edu.

This led the Global Indian to invent GlioVision, a deep-learning computer system powered by artificial intelligence that predicts brain tumour characteristics in a matter of seconds, with 100 percent accuracy and in the cost of traditional methods. Talking about the innovation, she told Harvard Edu, “Around 40 percent of glioblastoma patients have a genetic mutation that renders the standard treatment completely ineffective. So, these patients receive all the negative side effects of chemotherapy without any of the benefits of the treatment. That shows why genetic testing is so important.”

Innovator | Kavya Kooparapu | Global Indian

Kavya Kopparapu

The innovation, which has been granted a patent, won her the 2018 Davidson Institute for Talent Development Scholar Laureate, 2018 Regeneron Science Talent Search Finalist, and 2018 US Presidential Scholar. Kavya, who also made it to TIME’s 25 Most Influential Teens of 2018, is currently a senior at Harvard University.

This love for science developed as early as middle school when Kavya saw two scientists performing an elephant toothpaste experiment at a science fair. “Basically, it’s when two chemicals are poured into a beaker together, and you get this giant column of foam that shoots up through the reaction. Seeing that as a sixth-grader, I was like, Woah, that’s cool. I want to do stuff like that as a job,” she told Seventeen. That was the beginning of her inning in the world of STEM, as the innovator fell in the love with engineering and understood how it could be used to impact people’s lives.

And she did exactly that when at age 16, she helped her grandfather, who was suffering from diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that damages blood vessels in the retina and can lead to complete loss of vision by making Eyeagnosis, a 3D printed smartphone app that recognises signs of diabetic retinopathy in photos of eyes and offer a preliminary diagnosis. She understood that timely diagnosis was important. “The lack of diagnosis is the biggest challenge. In India, there are programmes that send doctors into villages and slums, but there are a lot of patients and only so many ophthalmologists. What if there was a cheap, easy way for local clinicians to find new cases and refer them to a hospital?” the innovator told HerStory.

An alumnus of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Northern Virginia, Kavya also runs Girls Computing League, a non-profit dedicated to girls and low-income students’ access to advanced computer science topics to encourage more diversity in the tech field. “We’re really focused on teaching emerging technology to students across the world. We’re actually the first organisation to hold an artificial intelligence conference for high school students,” added the girl whose non-profit is now in 15 states of the US as well as in Japan. In the last few years, it has supported many initiatives including the biggest high school AI conference, coding clubs at schools, teacher professional development workshops and more. For the innovator, working for Girls Computing Code is the biggest achievement so far. “Being able to directly interface with the people that I’m impacting at our events has been amazing. They’re the whole reason that I do it.”

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Published on 21, Aug 2022

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Anika Puri: The Indian-American teen helping spot elephant poachers in real time with her device

(November 2, 2022) A chance visit to a market in Mumbai during her India trip some four years led Anika Puri to a shocking visual - rows of ivory jewelry and statues. For decades, the ivory trade has been illegal globally, and elephant hunting is prohibited in India since the 70s. However, coming across a market that had unabashedly displayed ivory products took Indian-American teens by surprise. "I was quite taken aback. Because I always thought, 'well, poaching is illegal, how come it is still such a big issue?" the New York resident told Smithsonian Magazine. The revelation changed her outlook towards poaching and led the innovator to invent a device that could spot elephant poachers in real time with 91 percent accuracy. That visit to the Mumbai market led Anika to research and look up statistics on the internet, and the results were startling. She learnt that Africa's forest elephant population declined by 62 percent between 2002 and 2011. Not just this, the rapidly diminishing habitat and pressures from human activity have had a dramatic effect on the elephant population in India. In 2017, the Union Environment Ministry reported that there were 27,312 elephants on average in India, which

res from human activity have had a dramatic effect on the elephant population in India. In 2017, the Union Environment Ministry reported that there were 27,312 elephants on average in India, which was a decline from the 29,576 elephants recorded as the mean figure in 2012. She knew that she had to do something to protect the species from poachers.

[caption id="attachment_23684" align="aligncenter" width="703"] Anika Puri invented ElSa to spot elephant poachers in real time[/caption]

Though drones are currently used to detect and capture the images of poachers, Anika realised that they aren't accurate enough. It was after watching a handful of videos of elephants and humans that she noticed that the two differed vastly in terms of their movement, especially their speed, their turning patterns, and other motions. "I realised that we could use this disparity between these two movement patterns to increase the detection accuracy of potential poachers,” the innovator added.

This initiated a two-year-long journey of building ElSa (Elephant Saviour), a low-cost prototype of machine-learning software that can observe and analyse the movement patterns of humans and elephants in thermal infrared videos. The Indian-American teen says that ElSa is four times more accurate than the existing detection methods, and its software is even compatible with low-cost cameras, thus eliminating the need for high-resolution thermal cameras. So how does it work? She revealed to the magazine that ElSa uses a $250 FLIR ONE Pro thermal camera with 206*156 pixel resolution that plugs into an off-the-shelf iPhone 6. The camera and the iPhone are later attached to the drone, which helps the system produce real-time inferences as it flies over wildlife parks identifying if the objects below are humans or elephants.

[caption id="attachment_23685" align="aligncenter" width="609"] Anika Puri won the Peggy Scripps Award for Science Communication[/caption]

This project led her to the 2022 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, the world's largest international preschool STEM competition, and also won her the $10,000 Peggy Scripps Award for Science Communication. The Global Indian was thrilled and honored to share the stage with teens who "enjoy science and research."

It was right after her ninth grade that her love for artificial intelligence blossomed when she was selected for Stanford AI Lab's summer program. Her initial enthusiasm was based on AI's "limitless possibility for social good" but she soon discovered that since data is collected and analysed by humans, it does contain human biases. "It can reinforce some of the worst aspects of our society. What I realised from this is how important it is that women, people of color, all sorts of minorities in the field of technology are at the forefront of this kind of groundbreaking technology," she added. As a result, she founded a nonprofit mozAlrt, a nonprofit which inspires girls and other underrepresented groups to get involved in computer science using a combination of music, art, and AI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYfZfS9Mg2k

During one AI conference, Anika met Elizabeth Bondi Kelly, a Harvard computer scientist, who was then working on a wildlife conservation project using drones and machine learning. The teenager approached her with the idea of catching animal poachers using movement patterns, and soon Kelly became her mentor for the project. It was under her guidance that Anika started working on the prototype which the innovator says has 91 percent accuracy.

Anika, who is currently studying electrical engineering and computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has plans to expand her movement pattern research to other endangered animals, including rhinos. The innovator is keen to implement her software in national parks in Africa.

Reading Time: 6 min

Electroshoe to the rescue: How innovator Siddharth Mandala’s device keeps women safe

(April 23, 2022) He was 12 when the infamous Nirbhaya rape case shook the nation in 2012. People took to the streets asking for justice, and his mom was one among them. Curious about the protests and confused about the word rape, Siddharth Mandala joined his mom for one of the protests. “A 40-year-old woman came up to me, and told me not to be like rapists. I didn’t even know what rape meant back then. This was a catalyst for me. I ended up surfing the internet, asking my friends and teachers to get a grasp on this concept called rape. Understanding the gravity of the issue, I decided to do everything in my capacity to prevent sexual assault,” Siddharth tells Global Indian. This awareness led to the birth of Electroshoe, a small badge that can be clipped onto any footwear, or worn as a ring or pendant and can be easily activated during any threatening situation by pressing. “It pulls out two sharp pointers, mimicking stun gun’s mechanism, and pierces through clothing, and even skin to electrocute the attacker,” explains Siddharth who took two years to build a working prototype; and another three years to create a market-friendly

gh clothing, and even skin to electrocute the attacker,” explains Siddharth who took two years to build a working prototype; and another three years to create a market-friendly product by interviewing over 500 women across India and California.

[caption id="attachment_15377" align="aligncenter" width="478"] Siddharth Mandala[/caption]

The Hyderabad born and raised reveals Electroshoe activates an alarm sound to alert nearby police stations and sends location to family members. “It can even sense angst in a conversation, and can raise alarm,” adds the entrepreneur. With a built-in solar plate, it recharges itself when exposed to sunlight. “The idea was that it should be something that women can carry with them easily all the time,” adds the 21-year-old.

An incident caused a shift

Born in 2000 to a businessman father and a criminal lawyer mother (now a homemaker), Siddharth loved to build things as a kid. And he found time to pursue his interest in his growing years. But the Nirbhaya rape case pushed him to put his innovative side to better use, and that’s how Electroshoe came into existence. But it was an uphill climb with many obstacles in the path. He taught himself programming and coding with the help of mentors from Linkedin and social media. While his prototype failed 17 times, he also faced electrocution twice. But Siddharth never gave up.

But things started to shift when he moved to the US to pursue further studies. “I grew up reading about startups in the Silicon Valley and wanted to be a part of that environment. But I realised it was more about finance and investment,” reveals Siddharth. Around the same time, he met Zach Latta, founder of the hack club, who told him that San Francisco was the place to be for his startup. “I dropped out of my college in California and lived homeless to fundraise for Electroshoe. My parents sold their house in India to send me to college in America. Hence, I didn’t tell them. I used to go to meetups and pitches for free food, where I tried to convince as many people as possible to help me out," reveals the young innovator who didn’t find much support from investors.

[caption id="attachment_15372" align="aligncenter" width="847"] Electroshoe[/caption]

An uphill task

But that didn't deter Siddharth who tried making “shoe attachments from greeting card sound chips that make a sound when you step on them” and tried to sell them in San Francisco. But he didn't know where he could meet women. “I tried standing outside Starbucks and selling them to women. That did not work. I realised that only two types of people will listen to me: My parents, friends, and people who are interested in me. So I went on dating apps. I’d go on dates and somewhere in the conversation would show the product and sell it to them. This is where we found the first 50 users,” reveals Siddharth who returned to India and worked on his product.

Siddharth, who is pursuing a degree in international relations and computer science from Claremont Mckenna College, spent six years turning a prototype into a product “that has gone through almost 30 iterations.” It is no secret that electric shock can often cause internal damage, even leading to cardiac arrest or trauma. However, Siddharth reveals, “We spent years creating the exact amount of voltage to ampere ratio that electrocutes lethally but not enough to kill a person." But he had to face a blow ahead of its launch owing to the Covid 19 pandemic. “We were very close to partnering with Telangana police but Covid first wave kicked in,” says the boy who has branched out his personal safety company to real estate and crypto.

[caption id="attachment_15376" align="aligncenter" width="631"] Siddharth Mandala working on Electroshoe[/caption]

Innovator-turned-activist

Apart from being an innovator and entrepreneur, Siddharth is also an activist who started a nonprofit Cognizance Welfare initiative with his friend Abhishek to spread awareness about rape. “Together we filled over 50 potholes in Hyderabad, we made underprivileged children build inexpensive GPS trackers to track their younger siblings and prevent human trafficking, we even helped a California-based non-profit adopt a village called Kanigiri in Andhra Pradesh and helped them build libraries and infrastructure,” beams Siddharth with pride, adding, “We even built an education class module and spent three months travelling to different cities educating young children about sexual assault and how to detect it very early.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMck9K6D15o

Siddharth, who has come a long way, advices youngsters to “get started and build something already. Even if it’s broken, miscalculated, and consumes most of your time, do not worry. These things usually take time, however, the key is to put something out and let the world see it and show you the path.”

An innovator at heart, he has designed a hardware wallet and a mobile app that can protect people, and their funds safe in the crypto space. "When I was in California, people in the NFT and crypto space were being kidnapped and beaten to share their private crypto keys. Once shared, even police can't trace down the funds. So the wallet acts like additional security feature," concludes Siddharth who loves working out in his free time.

Follow Siddharth Mandala on Linkedin

Reading Time: 5 min

Sarvesh Prabhu’s bio-insecticide is a boon for farmers

(February 18, 2023) Sarvesh Prabhu can leave audiences spellbound with his live performances of Carnatic music, beat you at a game of chess or show you some swift swimming strokes. Playing a piano comes naturally to him. Academics? Well, he is good at that too. When he is not doing any of the above, you can find him patiently searching for insect larvae in the millet field, in the middle of a hot afternoon! The 17-year-old represented India at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Atlanta, USA last year and won the third prize and US $1000 in the biochemistry category for developing a cost-effective bio-insecticide from the leaves of the ‘bullock’s heart’ (Annona reticulata) popularly known as Ramphal. “My diverse interests and activities have helped me develop into a well-rounded individual capable of bringing joy, creativity, and compassion to the world,” smiles Sarvesh Prabhu, a research intern at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hyderabad, in conversation with Global Indian. How it began During the pandemic-induced lockdown, Prabhu took to gardening, like many others. “But the yield was disappointing due to insect damage. After some thinking and a few experiments, I created a

="https://www.globalindian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Global Indian.

How it began

During the pandemic-induced lockdown, Prabhu took to gardening, like many others. “But the yield was disappointing due to insect damage. After some thinking and a few experiments, I created a bio-insecticide using Ramphal as it was the only tree in my garden that wasn’t damaged by pests,” says the youngster. It taught him the basics of chemistry, biochemistry, and entomology. “It ended up creating an affordable solution for small-scale farmers.”

The project titled, ‘A novel study of bio-insecticidal properties of Annona reticulata’ showcased the bio-insecticidal properties of the leaves of the plant. Traditionally, the extracts of various parts of this plant have been used to treat diseases like dysentery and pediculosis. The study revealed that extracts from its leaves could be effective against three disastrous pests, with the mortality rate ranging from 78-88%.

The use of chemical insecticides increases the cost of cultivation from ₹2,000 to ₹4,200 per acre, they also destroy the beneficial insects and contaminate the soil and food produce. On the other hand, bio-insecticide is eco-friendly and the cost of making the insecticide from leaves costs ₹27 per litre, making it affordable.

Global reach

“The solution not only protects crops but also generates additional income through selling the fruits for food and the leaves for producing the bio-pesticide,” points out Sarvesh, who presented the outcome of his research at the world’s largest pre-college science fair in Atlanta.

For Sarvesh, the ISEF will always hold a special place in his heart. “Interacting with delegates and individuals who shared similar aspirations broadened my perspective,” recalls the young researcher, describing the competition as nerve-wracking.

Post his first overseas trip to US, Sarvesh traveled to the UK and then to South Korea as part of the Atlas fellowship and Korean Cultural Centre India respectively in October-November last year.

“These trips have been instrumental in shaping my personality,” says the youngster, who was also awarded the first prize and Rs one lakh by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, as part of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Innovation Award for School Children.

Diversity at home

The son of a central government employee, Sarvesh was born in Lucknow and studied across India, including including Mumbai, Bangalore, Kozhikode, Raipur and finally Hyderabad. “My father's job required frequent relocations, which allowed me to learn new languages and cultures,” says the youngster, whose mother is a home maker.

Academics, he says, was never challenging for him, although he was often close to the attendance cutoff. “Nonetheless, I wrote my exams with confidence and passed them easily,” adds Sarvesh, who describes his school days as being "seldom in school" as his focus was on learning and exploring the world through interactions with people and their experiences.

Exploring scientific research

His internship at the ICRISAT's Entomology department commenced in September last year. It offered him an opportunity to gain practical experience in insect biology and research.

“I learn the methods for rearing insects and studying their life cycles. Besides, I participate in bioassays, such as detached leaf and pod bioassays and diet feed-based bioassays,” explains the XII student of FIIT JEE junior college, Hyderabad.

Visiting ICRISAT at least thrice a week, he also gained expertise in Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) and High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis and basic phytochemical testing.

Sarvesh says ICRISAT's Entomology unit has one of the best insect-rearing facilities in India, maintaining five to six insect cultures year-round and providing a regular supply of insect cultures and training on rearing and screening protocols to other research institutions.

“My internship with Dr. Jagdish Jaba, Scientist in the Entomology department, is extremely beneficial. I gained a lot of knowledge about insects and research methods. The guidance for research is excellent,” he says.

What’s in store?

As for his future plans, Sarvesh wants to pursue a career in research and natural sciences. “But right now, my entire focus is on preparing for my board exams (in February-March).”

Sarvesh is also a socially conscious person who strives to make a positive impact on the community. “I established ‘The Healing Hut’ a non-profit organization aimed at making mental therapy accessible to those who might not otherwise have access,” says the youngster, who has been able to provide a path of recovery and healing to many people struggling with mental health issues.

Follow Sarvesh Prabhu on Linkedin

Reading Time: 5 min

Creating impact: Meet the 5 young Indian innovators driving change

(January 21, 2023) "Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things." These words of Theodore Levitt stand true for the brigade of Indian teen innovators who are helping solve the biggest issues, one problem at a time. From saving the earth to creating social impact, this new generation of precocious youth is solving the problems of today with ambitious, ground-breaking technology. Global Indian turns the spotlight on such young innovators who are breaking the glass ceiling with their innovations. Zain Samdani As a 15-year-old visiting India from Saudi Arabia, Zain Samdani had no idea that this family vacation was set to change the course of his life. A meeting with his partially paralysed distant maternal uncle left him “shocked.” In the era of technology, seeing his uncle dependent on others for every small thing was nothing short of a horror. That encounter nudged this robotics enthusiast and innovator to develop Neuro-ExoHeal, an exoskeletal hand rehabilitation device that utilises neuroplasticity and Azure technology to help patients with neurological damage recover faster at an affordable price. The innovation not only left Google CEO Sundar Pichai impressed but also made the 21-year-old win Microsoft 2022 Imagine Cup World Championship, which is

ly left Google CEO Sundar Pichai impressed but also made the 21-year-old win Microsoft 2022 Imagine Cup World Championship, which is considered as the ‘Olympics of Technology’ with more than 10,000 participants from 160 countries.

[caption id="attachment_17917" align="aligncenter" width="587"] Zain Samdani[/caption]

"Having been interested in robotics from a very young age, I started working with prosthetic designs in 2013. But I realised that a cosmetic prosthetic hand could cost between ₹1-₹2 lakh while a robotic prosthetic hand was available anywhere between ₹40-₹50 lakh. I knew that affordability was the key. But the meeting with my uncle only strengthened my passion to find an affordable solution," Zain told Global Indian. The earliest prototype made him one of the 16 global finalists at the Google Science Fair in 2016, and later the advanced version recreated the magic in 2019. "My uncle could feel the sensation on the very first day of using Neuro-ExoHeal. It’s something that otherwise takes weeks or months to achieve."

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Jui Keskar

India is home to 0.58 million persons living with Parkinson's disease, and Pune-based inventor Jui Keskar's abode was no different. Having seen her uncle battle the illness for the past nine years with incessant rounds to the hospitals, she was keen to help him. But how? The question gnawed away at her, until the 2020 lockdown came as a blessing in disguise for the teenager, giving her the time to dive into research and find a potential solution to helping her uncle. While scrolling through heaps of data on the internet, the innovator realised that the medication depended on the tremor history, and there was no device to measure them.

[caption id="attachment_20519" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Jui Keskar[/caption]

That was a turning point for the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2022 recipient as she decided to develop a wearable device to measure tremors and analyse data to chalk out a customised medication for the treatment. After months of hard work, the innovator nailed the solution in JTremor-3D, a wearable device that enables the tracking of tremors every 1/10th of a second in a person's body, and stores the data in a Cloud database, which is then sent to the doctor after the information is processed. Embedded with sensors and accelerometers and gyro meters, this device helps in producing the data that can help determine the course of action for a patient.

Follow Jui Keskar on Linkedin

Nikhiya Shamsher

A hospital visit for her project, Compassionate Clowns, changed Nikhiya Shamsher's life forever. She was just 14 when she saw a man who had had half his jaw removed due to oral cancer. Upon inquiring about him, the nurse affirmed that he was one of the few lucky ones to survive. Unable to get the ghastly image out of her head, she began researching on oral subject and found staggering statistics. Five people die every hour because of oral cancer, and India itself accounts for almost one-third of the cases in the world. It's the late diagnosis that accounts for high mortality rate.

[caption id="attachment_20379" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Nikhiya Shamsher receives Diana Award for Prince Williams and Prince Charles[/caption]

Perturbed by the condition of the patients, she found her eureka moment in QuitPuff - a diagnostic device that could help early risk detection of oral pre-cancer and cancer. Explaining the process of its functioning, the innovator told Forbes India, "It is a simple principle, it detects a biomarker present in the saliva, and changes colour. The more the biomarker, the darker the colour will be, which means the higher the risk of developing oral cancer." The device contains QuitPuff reagent which changes colour after an individual spits in it and heats it for 15 minutes. One can compare the colour to the colour chart to understand the risk stage. Priced at ₹38, QuitPuff has already been tested on more than 500 patients.

Follow Nikhiya Shamsher on Linkedin

Siddharth Mandala

He was 12 when the infamous Nirbhaya rape case shook the nation in 2012. People took to the streets asking for justice, and his mom was one among them. Curious about the protests and confused about the word ‘rape’, Siddharth Mandala joined his mom for one of the protests. After surfing the net, he understood the gravity of the issue and decided to do everything in his capacity to prevent sexual assault. This awareness led to the birth of Electroshoe, a small badge that can be clipped onto any footwear, or worn as a ring or pendant and can be easily activated during any threatening situation by pressing. “It pulls out two sharp pointers, mimicking the mechanism of a stun gun and pierces through clothing, and even skin to electrocute the attacker,” explains Siddharth. He took two years to build a working prototype and another three years to create a market-friendly product by interviewing over 500 women across India and California.

[caption id="attachment_15377" align="aligncenter" width="574"] Siddharth Mandala[/caption]

The 21-year-old reveals Electroshoe activates an alarm sound to alert nearby police stations and sends location to family members. “It can even sense angst in a conversation, and can raise alarm,” the entrepreneur told Global Indian. With a built-in solar plate, it recharges itself when exposed to sunlight. “The idea was that it should be something that women can carry with them easily all the time."

Follow Siddharth Mandala on Linkedin

Vinisha Umashankar

"We have every reason to be angry. But I have no time for anger. I want to act. I am not just a girl from India. I am a girl from Earth and I am proud to be so.” These words of the 15-year-old innovator and environmentalist Vinisha Umashankar received a thunderous standing ovation at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021. The teen from Tamil Nadu, who was the only school student to earn a spot among the finalists for The Earthshot Prize 2021, was invited by Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge, to speak at the World Leaders’ Summit at the COP26 in November 2021.

[caption id="attachment_17446" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Vinisha Umashankar with her solar-powered ironing cart.[/caption]

At 12, the teen innovator started the idea of inventing a solar-powered ironing cart while accompanying her mother to deliver ironing clothes. Seeing six ironing vendors in her neighbourhood, she realised how charcoal burning is a threat to the environment. She found her eureka in solar power which effectively substitutes charcoal. The innovation won her the Children's Climate Prize in 2020 helped her get a slot as a finalist at The Earthshot Prize in the Clean Our Air category in 2021. “I was happy that environmental innovations like a solar ironing cart got due recognition. It can play a crucial role in reducing environmental damage and climate change. I hope my innovation motivates students to innovate on products that could help protect the environment for future generations. I am happy that the solar ironing cart is my little contribution towards an ambitious goal," she told Global Indian.

Follow Vinisha Umashankar on Linkedin and Twitter

Reading Time: 5 min

Arunima Sen: The innovator solving the world’s pressing problems

(September 5, 2024) "Kalpana Chawla's story inspired many people. She came from a small town but nothing could beat her determination to dream big and achieve it. At a time when her field was largely male-dominated, she broke stereotypes to convert her dreams into a reality. Little did she know that she would inspire millions of girls like me, who were forced to back off from their dreams or not." That's how innovator and technologist Arunima Sen begins her TedX Talk. The girl whose curiosity about science and technology led her to become an innovator and a designer, is now finding solutions to the world's most pressing problems. From developing a device that determines micronutrient levels in the human body using hair strands to building a prototype of an energy-efficient solar hybrid bus to a green building, the 23-year-old is keen to find answers. The STEM enthusiast, who aspires to work towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Goals, was named a 2020 Global Teen Leader of the We Are Family Foundation and is one of The Mars Generation’s 24 under 24 Innovators in STEAM and Space. An innate love for science Growing up in Bengaluru, Sen was always surrounded by

c="https://www.globalindian.com/youth/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/arunima1.jpg" alt="Arunima Sen | Global Indian" width="613" height="633" />

An innate love for science

Growing up in Bengaluru, Sen was always surrounded by discussions on varied scientific research projects, thanks to her parents, who worked at the Indian Space Research Organisation. The environment helped ignite a scientific temper and fanned her curiosity. This early interest in science found her gravitating toward global problems, for which she decided to find solutions using STEM. As she tended to her autistic brother's special needs, she would often ponder over the various problems that humans face, and try to look for solutions. For this, she would spend hours reading on the internet about scientific advancements. As she did her research, she found that technology is at the root of everything, and when combined with engineering, it can positively impact society. "As youngsters, we are the future of this country and the world. We need to come up with solutions," she told a daily.

Solving global problems

As early as Class 10, she was selected for The Junior Academy conducted by The New York Academy of Sciences - a program meant for teenagers interested in science and finding solutions to different problems. Her first project was measuring the micronutrients in a person's body, for developing countries like South Africa, India, and South-East Asia, providing data on health problems is essential. Sen, who believes that micronutrients play an important role in health, worked on a prototype called Arduino Pro Mini that gives an exact measure of micronutrients in the body. "We wanted to make this method non-invasive, so what we do is collect strands of hair and dip them in a particular chemical solution. Once the solution absorbs the nutrients from the hair, it is analysed via spectrophotometry. To put it in layman's terms, we measure the wavelength that the nutrients emit using spectrophotometry. By observing these wavelengths, we get to know if there is a deficiency of micro-nutrients or not," she told edexlive.

[caption id="attachment_23347" align="aligncenter" width="422"] Arunima Sen with PM Narendra Modi while receiving Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar[/caption]

The Global Indian collaborated with like-minded students from Poland, Finland, and the USA to develop a cost-effective device. "It is small and has a spectral response range of 320-1000 mm, a range that works for all micronutrients that our project is working with. It is designed to be used either via Bluetooth with a compatible phone or a tablet or with an integrated touchscreen display to allow use in the most varied conditions,” Arunima said in an interview. Her research will help patients in India on a micro level.

Creating impact

Apart from it, she also worked on Homestead Greens - the high-rise buildings that can save energy and lower the emission of carbon - with students from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Norway, and Romania. While living in a locality that had frequent power cuts, she realised it wasn't a green building and produced a lot of carbon dioxide, thus adding to global warming. That's when she decided to work on a prototype of a building that was energy efficient as well as helped with harvesting rainwater - a design meant for commercial and non-commercial purposes. "One part of the building wall is covered with solar panels that help in trapping a lot of natural energy. We also have automatic lights that turn off or become dim when you leave the room. The building will also have a trellis of vines and climbers that run down the building. These plants will be watered by the rainwater harvesting system. This helps us save over a thousand litres of water," she added.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=38&v=XjVlvH5LV_E&feature=emb_title

The recipient of Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, who is pursuing her bachelor's in Computer Science and Physics from Ashoka University, is also a Yale Young Global Scholar of Yale University and a member of the Junior academy of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Even during the pandemic, she didn't put brakes on her work. During an interaction with the press, Arunima said, "I am currently being mentored by professionals from Sidewalk Labs — an urban innovation company working to make cities more sustainable and affordable for all. Since the pandemic had brought many discussions and assignments to a halt, my friend and I are working to resume it soon."

Arunima's journey is a powerful demonstration of the impact that determination, curiosity, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge can have. Despite the challenges she faced, she has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible, using her passion for science and technology to address some of the world's most pressing issues. Her work is not just about innovation; it is about making a tangible difference in the lives of people and the environment. She is a true changemaker, proving that age is no barrier to making a global impact.

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