Anushka Naiknaware

Scientist
In 2016, at age 13, Anushka Naiknaware was the youngest winner of the Google Science Fair, with her invention of a clever new bandage that tells caregivers when it needs to be changed.

Why you should listen

When Anushka Naiknaware was young, she would spend hours at the chemistry lab at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland and not leave until she had finished every experiment available. Her early interest was chemistry and mathematics, but she quickly learned that every branch of science is connected, including physics, biology and computer science. In fact, her winning Google Science Fair project loops together materials science, fractal math and biology.

Naiknaware has won many awards in notable science and math competitions. She was the youngest winner of the Google Science Fair in 2016, and she won the first-place Mathematics STEM Award at Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering Rising Stars), a premier competition run by the Society for Science and the Public. Naiknaware is inspired by Marie Curie, whose work contributed to major advances in modern medicine. Anushka admires her spirit and enthusiasm to continue her work in a time when women's contributions in science weren't appreciated.

Anushka Naiknaware’s TED talk

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