Deepika Kurup, a fourteen year old teen won the prestigious "American Young Scientist" award along with a cash prize of $25,000 for her Solar Powered invention.
Deepika Kurup, who's parents hail from Trivandrum in Kerala and now currently living in Nashua, Boston recieved the award for designing an affordable water purifier that runs on solar power.
She has plans to use a part of her award to deploy these prototypes in India, where it is facing acute shortage of potable water.
Her invention uses two chemicals - titanium oxide and zinc oxide - which, when hit by sunlight, undergo a chemical change producing hydroxyl radicals that can destroy certain bacteria. Her innovation harnesses solar energy to disinfect contaminated water.
The Std IX student from Nashua high school, recently also competed in 'Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge' with nine other finalists and emerged as the winner after completing three rounds. Deepika was asked by 3M Scientists to come up with solutions to problems faced in the world. In this round, she designed a light-weight, non-inflammable spacecraft.
