Young Innovator Spotlight: Vaanan
How one middle school student is improving water quality detection using citizen science to provide clean water access to communities across Canada.

Over the summer, Future Design School’s Level Two Young Innovators program united a cohort of seasoned young problem solvers to take their big ideas to the next level. Using the same user-centered design methods being leveraged by today’s top companies, our campers demonstrated impressive ingenuity and developed some incredible solutions.
After learning about water issues facing several First Nations communities in Canada, our Young Innovator, Vaanan, was inspired into action. Vanaan developed an ingenious solution leveraging an inexpensive spectrometer, an external device that can identify different properties within a water sample and link it to an app that could be easily accessed by anyone’s smart phone. “I think we could be doing a lot more to support our indigenous communities” says Vaanan.
Driven by empathy and a desire to have a positive impact, Vaanan hopes to work with leaders in indigenous communities to help ensure access to safe water. Vanaan hopes not only to provide a helpful way for ongoing data collection, but also to raise public awareness around contaminated water issues and seek government support for better water purification systems.
Young Innovators Camp brings BIG ideas to life. Kids are empowered to develop their creative genius while learning about design thinking and experiencing their own entrepreneurial journey. Registration is open for Summer 2018 across North America. Click here to find a camp in your city!
