Photos: TIME Magazine announces its first-ever Kid of the Year, 15 y.o Gitanjali Rao

TIME Magazine has announced its first-ever Kid of the Year – 15-year-old scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao.

Rao's love for science began at the age of 10 when she discovered carbon nanotube sensor technology, which uses molecules to detect chemicals in water, and her passion grew from there. 

Prior to being named Kid of the Year, Roa was listed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List for developing a mobile device in 2017 to test for lead in drinking water – an innovation she made to address the Flint, Michigan water crisis.

Her most recent project is an app called Kindly that uses artificial intelligence to detect cyberbullying online at an early stage. 

Roa was selected from a group of more than 5,000 nominees, but judges were astonished by her use of technology to combat a number of social issues ranging from contaminated water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying.

Angelina Jolie interviews @TIME's first ever kid of the year, Gitanjali Rao.

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— best of angelina jolie (@bestofajolie) December 3, 2020