Oh, avast ye! A lass of but twelve winters hath crafted a clever contraption that spares us from blazin' doom!
2023-12-04
Avast ye, mateys! I be tellin' ye a tale 'bout a wee lass, a mere 12 years o' age, who be craftin' a miracle contraption to detect fire! 'Tis true, me hearties! This young lass be savin' lives with her genius!
Imagine being able to prevent a fire from spreading and destroying your home, your belongings, and your loved ones. Now, imagine being able to receive a text message on your phone that alerts you of that unattended fire in your house, even when you are away. And what if you learned that the person who invented that device is only 12 years old? That's right, 12 years old.Meet Shanya Gill from San Jose, California, who was so affected by a fire in her neighborhood that she designed a fire detection system that is more effective, faster and cheaper than traditional smoke detectors.
Shanya’s interest in fire prevention was sparked by a tragic incident that happened in the summer of 2022 when the restaurant behind her house burned down. "The inspiration for my project came from the summer of last year when the restaurant behind my house got burnt down to ashes because of a kitchen fire," Shanya said. "Ever since that, my mother was ever so cautious about house fires, and I would often have to go back into the house and check if the kitchen burners were running just as we were leaving. So, I wanted to build this device because not only to, you know, alleviate that stress on my mother but also because the world needed a better fire detector."
Shanya’s fire detection system uses an affordable thermal camera that is connected to a tiny computer to detect warm objects and heat sources, such as unattended fires, in real time. It alerts people with a text message on their phone, letting them know there is an unattended fire in the building. Shanya entered her invention in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge and won the $25,000 Ascend Award for her project. She plans to use the money to further develop her invention and make it available to the public.
Her story is an inspiring example of how young people can use their passion, curiosity, and creativity to make a difference in the world. She also encourages other kids with inventions to not be afraid of failure and to pursue their ideas. Shanya is a true inspiration for all of us and reminds us that age is not a limit when it comes to making a positive difference in the world.