“Introducing Tethys,” Gitanjali said with a smile. She held up her most prized invention — a little blue box with a tangle of colorful wires, a Bluetooth connector, a disposable cartridge, and something called a carbon nanotube sensor. “The easy to use, fast, accurate, portable and inexpensive device to detect lead in water,” Gitanjali explained.

She thought she might feel nervous here, but the words actually came out easily. She knew what she had in her hand could make a real difference in the world. After years of testing out different materials and compounds, experimenting and applying to different labs, Gitanjali truly believed this little blue box could save lives.
But would the judges and scientists think so too?

<THEME MUSIC>

I’m Angelina Tsuboi, a programmer, engineer, researcher and pilot. And this is Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls.

A fairy tale podcast about the real-life rebel women who inspire us. On this episode, we will be talking about Gitanjali Rao, an amazing inventor and science whiz with a heart of gold. At eleven years old, she won the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist” for a device she invented that can detect harmful levels of lead in drinking water. With innovation and determination, Gitanjali inspires us to find solutions to any problem that comes our way.

<END THEME MUSIC>

Gitanjali was always curious about the world around her. She loved playing piano, practicing Indian classical dancing, and fencing. She also did a lot of baking, or really, experimenting in the kitchen. If she didn’t have one of the ingredients she needed, she improvised and made it work with whatever she had. 

When she was four years old, Gitanjali’s uncle gave her a science kit for her birthday. She opened the box and stared at the test tubes and vials. What on earth was she supposed to do with these? 

She didn’t want to act ungrateful, but she’d been hoping for a Barbie Dreamhouse, not a science kit!

Gitanjali took out the instructions and held the tubes up to the light. She wondered what she could make with all these strange powders and liquids. Certainly not a Barbie Dreamhouse, but maybe something fun?

Pretty soon, Gitanjali was hunched over her kit, measuring different mixtures and compounds. It was like a giant puzzle, trying to figure out how each piece would react to another. She had so many questions and ideas! Gitanjali got so excited about doing experiments, that she asked her parents to help her make a special spot in their home where she could line up all of her equipment. It was a small room with green walls, black polka dots and a huge white table with her beakers, test tubes, and notebooks full of observations.

Then, when she was in second grade, Gitanjali’s parents signed her up for a STEM class. Gitanjali wore a lab coat to class, ready to dig into new experiments and ask hard questions. Her teacher told the class to think of a real-world problem and try to come up with a solution. The first thing Gitanjali thought of was how there are so many people on Earth and that humans need more space. So,  she started designing a chair that could go underground to make more space. She wasn’t allowed to dig through the floor to show what she meant, but it was thrilling for Gitanjali to draw pictures and make models with her classmates. 

She felt like science gave her this incredible power to ask What if…? And then to keep asking until she found an answer.

That second-grade class influenced Gitanjali a lot. Especially the seed of possibility that her teacher planted by asking, how can you take a real-world problem and come up with a solution?

When Gitanjali was nine years old, she read about a real-world problem that really scared and inspired her. The year was 2014, and many people in Flint, Michigan were getting sick and even dying from drinking contaminated water. The government wasn’t cleaning the water properly, and there were not many effective ways to tell which water was safe to drink. So, Gitanjali decided that she was going to invent a way. 

She poured through the science journals her parents kept in the house and learned about the latest technology. There was a sensor that scientists used to test for gasses in the air. It was a tiny tube of graphite, finer than a strand of hair, and yet it could do so much. Gitanjali wondered if she could experiment with this sensor to test for lead in water. 

“I need a carbon nanotube sensor,” she told her parents one day.

“A what?” her mother replied.

She was about ten years old at this point, and she knew exactly which research labs had this kind of technology. But whenever she called one of the labs to ask if she could do her experiments there, she heard the same response: No.

Why wouldn’t someone give her a chance?

Then, one day, in 2017, Gitanjali got some very good news. She had entered a contest for middle school kids called the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Each applicant had to make a short video describing an invention that could “solve or impact an everyday problem directly affecting them, their families, their communities, or the world.” 

This was exactly what Gitanjali felt most passionate about! In her video, she talked about the importance of  clean drinking water for all humans. She described her vision of creating an easy and inexpensive test that anyone could use to check their water. She showed her model of the test she’d made out of cardboard. And she called it Tethys, which is the name of the Greek goddess of fresh water. 

A few months later, Gitanjali got a phone call. “Congratulations, Gitanjali! You have made it to the finals.” Gitanjali smiled so big her cheeks hurt. She and nine other finalists would be paired with a mentor who could help them build a working prototype of their inventions. Then, Gitanjali would get to present her invention at the 3M Customer Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The winner would earn a $25,000 grand prize and the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”

The summer leading up to the finals, Gitanjali met with her mentor, Dr. Kathleen Shafer, a research specialist at 3M. Together, they brainstormed and conducted their own experiments—some that worked, and some that didn’t.  Getting the wrong result was part of the process so they could figure out what to try next. Gitanjali spoke to hundreds of experts and manufacturers so she could figure out how to use the nanotube sensor in water. And with Kathleen’s help, Gitanjali designed a working model of her brand new device.

And that’s how, after months, or really years of dreaming and planning, experimenting and researching, Gitanjali stood on stage in front of a panel of judges and scientists, holding a very important blue box she had designed by 3D-printing it on her computer. She explained how it worked in a calm, clear voice: 

“Carbon atoms link together in a beehive shape and connect to create a tube — a nanotube. The carbon nanotubes respond to changes in the electron flow. If there is lead in the water, the lead sticks to the carbon ions, creating resistance. Tethys measures that resistance, and sends the data to a smartphone app to give the status of lead in water.” 

When Gitanjali finished, the audience cheered. She carefully answered their questions, feeling confident and proud of her work. And then, she waited to hear the results…

America’s Top Young Scientist award of 2017 goes to… Gitanjali Rao!

Gitanjali’s hands started to shake and her jaw dropped. Inside her head, she was screaming with joy. She tried to act calm as she made her way onto the stage to receive her trophy. She also knew exactly what she would do with the $25,000 prize money: she promised she would use it to work more on Tethys, as well as donate to her favorite charity and save for college. 

That really was just the beginning for Gitanjali. In 2020, TIME Magazine named her the first ever TIME Kid of the Year, and she is still experimenting and creating new inventions today. She’s made a phone app that helps people confront cyber-bullying and is working on a diagnostic test to help fight addiction, just to name a few. She’s also very dedicated to inspiring everyone to find some way they can ask questions and seek solutions. 

As she says, “If I can do it, you can do it, and anyone can do it.”

So Rebels, when you see something that seems unfair or have a question that feels like it has no answer, remember, you have the power to change that. Follow your curiosity and keep pushing yourself to seek solutions. And if you hit a roadblock, you can always ask for help. That’s how we can each make a real difference in this world.

This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.This episode was narrated by ME, Angelina Tsuboi. It was produced and directed by Joy Smith, with sound design and mixing by Reel Audiobooks. The story was written by Sara Weiss and edited by Abby Sher. Fact checking by Joe Rhatigan. Our executive producers were Joy Smith and Jes Wolfe.Original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi.A special thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team, who make this podcast possible! Until next time, staaaay rebel!