12-year-old female student makes lead-water detector

Gitanjali Rao started inventing since he was in kindergarten. 12 years old, she is "America's leading young scientist".

Gitanjali Rao said he now has more than 8 inventions. Among them, Tethys - a 3D printing device with carbon nanotubes and a mobile device application to check if the water is contaminated with lead in just 10 seconds, has just brought her the title "Home America's leading young science " with a $ 25,000 bonus.

Gitanjali Rao at the award - (Photo: CBS).

She revealed that she thought about making Tethys when she knew that Michigan communities were dealing with the harms.

After speaking with her family, she put herself in the shoes of people affected by contaminated water."I think about how they feel when they actually discover that there is lead in their water. That's really scary," she said.

So she looked at the serious side effects of lead exposure, such as rash, headache, vomiting, seizures, and even death, and then started using the invention experience. to help me out.

"At first I was trying to figure out how to remove lead from the water, but then realized it was a step too far, I had to withdraw it. Then I thought about making a device to detect lead-contaminated water for everyone to prevent." , she said.

Gitanjali Rao is testing his device - (Photo: CBS).

After studying water quality detection techniques, she found that she would need some hard-to-find supplies, such as carbon nanotubes, chloride and lead acetate. Fortunately, her parents helped one hand.

"My parents helped me get lead and carbon nanotubes. My parents really supported me to solve this big problem. Parents like me to think beyond the normal framework, want me to be aware of the situation. going on in the world " , she confided.

After that, she submitted a video application to the contest organizers and was selected as 1 in 10 people present in the final round.

After months of completing her real theory and model ideas, she went with her parents to 3M's headquarters in Minnesota and gave a five-minute presentation to the judges, then later. that is to answer their question for another 5 minutes.

Her device gives results in just 10 seconds - (Photo: CNBC).

Brian Barnhart - a jury member, shared with ABC news agency: "It is not too much to say that she really impressed us."

The end result is that she received the title of "America's leading young scientist" , along with a check worth $ 25,000.

Science is not Gitanjali Rao's only passion."I like to invent, research, but also like marketing," she said.

At this point, she is developing a business model that she hopes will help her Tethys device reach widely with every family.

"I want everyone to be able to buy Tethys because it is important to check the source of water you are using. Currently, this device is priced at $ 20, but when produced in large quantities, it will be significantly cheaper. " she said.

With the amount of bonuses she received, she intended to continue taking most of the money she had received to develop Tethys. The rest, she plans to give to the organizations she is working as a volunteer, such as the Children's Kindness Network, and spend a little on college.

"When I grew up, I wanted to be an epidemiologist and geneticist," she said.