LAALITYA ACHARYA
UNITED STATES, 16
Project: Ocula and Nereid
Basic Human Needs: Health
Laalitya grew up watching many friends and family members be directly impacted by diabetes. She began to research the disease and discovered that diabetic retinopathy – damage to the eye’s retina – was a common precursor to diabetes. In November 2018, Laalitya created Ocula – an affordable, accessible and efficient diabetes detection system that uses images of the eye. She has since created a version of Ocula that detects the specific level of diabetes, which provides a more accurate treatment plan. Laalitya was motivated to continue using STEM to address global health problems. She had traveled to India and met many individuals who were ill from a lack of clean water. Laalitya’s experience in India led her to create Nereid in February 2019. Nereid is a cost-effective solution to detect bacteria-contamination in water for early detection of waterborne disease, which can identify the specific types of bacteria contamination present. Both Ocula and Nereid have successfully completed preliminary trials. For her innovations in STEM, Laalitya was recognized as a 2018 International Science and Engineering Fair finalist, the first-place winner at the 2019 Computer Science at National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, and the Gold Award winner at the 2019 Genius Olympiad. Laalitya continues to seek STEM solutions to change the world for the better.