GITANJALI RAO
Award-Winning Inventor, Futurist & Scientist
TIME Magazine’s 2020 "Kid of the Year”
Author of “Young Innovator’s Guide to STEM”
STEM Promoter; Developer of “Epione” and “Kindly”
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY
Gitanjali Rao is an 18-year-old inventor, aspiring scientist, author, speaker, and an active promoter of STEM around the world. She was recognized as America’s Top Young Scientist and was a recipient of an EPA Presidential award for her patented invention of an innovative lead contamination detection tool. Gitanjali is also the inventor of “Epione”, a device for early diagnosis of prescription opioid addiction using genetic engineering, and “Kindly”, an anti-cyberbullying service using AI and Natural Language processing.
She was honored as Forbes “30 Under 30 in Science” in 2019 for solving an environmental issue of lead contamination and TIME’s “Top Young Innovator” and “TIME Kid of the Year” for her innovations and STEM workshops she conducts globally, which has inspired over 85,000 students in the last three years across 46 countries. She has raised over 100K for the refugee students and maker spaces. Gitanjali is the author of the book “Young Innovator’s Guide to STEM” available in 6 languages, which guides students, educators, or teachers through a self-developed prescriptive 5 step innovation process. The book is used as a formal STEM curriculum in Kakuma refugee center and rural schools across the globe.
She was appointed as a UNICEF Youth Advocate 2021 for using science for solving social problems such as cyber-bullying and developing solutions for environmental protection and recently received the Muhammed Ali Humanitarian and Martin Luther King Beloved Community award for her selfless service for the refugee camp students.
Currently, Gitanjali is a freshman at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is currently working on research focused on faster and more accessible vaccine fabrication and delivery mechanisms utilizing microarray needle patches.
TOPICS
A Young Innovator’s Journey Using Science & Technology as a Catalyst for Social Change
Gitanjali will share her journey, some of her recognized innovations, her process of
innovation, the importance of the organization’s support in opening up their doors
and a call to action where each one of us can help make a difference in society.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
A 5-step Innovation Process
Newer technologies to explore
Actionable next steps to make a difference
Key points for organizations to involve Youth
Youth, AI & The Future of Work: AI Mastery - AI Strategy - AI Research (Workshop: half-day in-person experience)
With AI being called a digital intern, the question is what happens to the real ones? What happens to entry level employees whose entry paths into the workforce seem to narrow with every day? It’s time to reimagine the role of entry level workers and interns to empower them to drive innovation instead of just executing grunt work.
Gitanjali will provide guidance on how companies can adapt their workforce and take full advantage of the brilliance of their younger employees.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Engage and retain Gen Z workers: harness youths & unique skills, create talent growth paths, accelerate AI initiatives, build functions and roles that are supplemental to AI (Human + AI)
Prepare youth to lead in AI: develop a digital native workforce pipeline using interns and entry-level roles, reimagine the workforce and the roles of tomorrow, catalyze collaboration across hierarchies.
5-Step Innovation Process (Workshop)
The workshop supplements any efforts to introduce innovation, creative problem-solving, and social empathy early in the schools. Gitanjali hopes to inculcate the spirit of innovation and a discipline of following a methodology that everybody can easily understand and adopt.
She guides participants through a prescriptive process that details steps with examples where they can start with an idea and create a solution.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Interactive segments built based on responses
An overview of worldwide contests, fairs, and challenges that welcome innovative solutions
An overview session that emphasizes to the participants the need for innovation, the role of innovation in community, the practical mechanics of how to go about developing solutions and use the provided resources for future efforts.
