Time names 15-year-old Gitanjali Rao first 'kid of the year' after she invents device to test for le

Time names 15-year-old Gitanjali Rao the first 'kid of the year' after she invents a device to test for le

Time named Gitanjali Rao as the 'kid of the year.' She is a 15-year-old teenager who invented a mobile device that tests for lead in drinking water. She's also developed a phone and Web tool named Kindly, which uses artificial intelligence to detect possible signs of cyberbullying.

“Observe, brainstorm, research, build, and communicate.” That is what the brilliant young scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao told actor and philanthropist Angelina Jolie about her process, over Zoom, from her home in Colorado, during a break in her virtual schooling. Just 15 years old, Rao has been selected from a field of more than 5,000 nominees as TIME’s first-ever Kid of the Year. She spoke about her astonishing work using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying, and about her mission to create a global community of young innovators to solve problems the world over.