15-year-old Gitanjali Rao develops app to tackle water contamination crisis
The young scientist was inspired to create the device after the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
TheGrio collaborated with The Weather Channel and Pattrn to share their series Faces of Change – people of color doing the work to promote green solutions and sustainable communities.
At just 15-years-old, Gitanjali Rao is helping to make a difference in the water we consume. The young scientist and inventor created a device called ‘Tethys,’ which detects lead in drinking water faster and cheaper than current methods out there today.
The young scientist was inspired to create the device after the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
“We use something called carbon nanotubes sensor technology, which allows you to pick up traces of lead in water and translate it into a value that someone can read on a smartphone,” says Rao.
“I created an app which tells you that your water is either safe, slightly contaminated or critical. And overall, this test takes anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute.“
Rao was declared TIME magazine’s first kid of the year for 2020. She’s written a book and speaks to kids around the world in hopes of inspiring others.
“I found my passion and stuck with it,” says Rao. “And the biggest thing is other kids, while they do find their passion, they probably don’t know where to go with it. So hopefully my workshops, my book is able to give them that moving on point.”
Check out the full video.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s new podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
You Might Like
