Gitanjali Rao Uses Invention as a Tool for Social Change
Gitanjali Rao became TIME’s first Kid of the Year after developing prototype technologies addressing lead contamination and cyberbullying.
Gitanjali Rao treats invention as a repeatable process: observe a problem, research it, design a prototype and keep testing.
2020
TIME Kid of the Year
Tethys
Lead-detection concept
Kindly
Anti-bullying tool
Starting with contaminated water
Inspired by the Flint water crisis, Rao developed Tethys, a prototype that explored carbon-nanotube sensing as a way to detect lead in water more quickly.
She later worked on Epione, related to opioid addiction, and Kindly, a service designed to flag potentially harmful language before it is sent online.
TIME’s first Kid of the Year
In 2020, TIME selected Rao from more than 5,000 nominees as its first Kid of the Year. The recognition highlighted both her prototypes and her effort to help other young people use science for community problems.
Innovation includes iteration
These projects should be understood as developing technologies, not universally deployed finished products. Rao’s strength is the full process—testing assumptions, seeking expertise and refining an idea.
Multiplying the effect
Through workshops and writing, she has taught young students to identify problems and build their own solutions. Her larger obsession is making innovation feel available to more people.
Sources: TIME, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
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