Teenage tech stories - Camellia Sharma
Each month, Tech For Good speaks to one teenage entrepreneur about their incredible achievements in the world of tech, and how they’re contributing to making the world a better place.
Name: Camellia Sharma
Age: 14
Born: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Achievements: From the medical to the naval industries, Camellia Sharma’s projects are far-reaching. This 14-year-old has developed an Alzheimer’s-detection tool, a water leakage-detection system and a fish-counting algorithm, just to name a few. Camellia has won over $50,000 in cash prizes in various STEM competitions, including Broadcom MASTERS and the SM Young Scientist Challenge.
I am a 9th-grade student in the Centre for Medical Sciences at Mills E. Godwin High. It is a STEM-intensive magnet school specialising in the medical sciences.
I like building things. Last year, I designed diverse 100-metre-long hulls for the ocean-going tankers and container ships using a professional naval architecture software. Then, I 3D-printed 20cm-long scale models from the resulting engineering drawings. Finally, I analysed the relative fuel efficiencies of the hulls in a testing tank that I designed and built.
I play football and I am currently working on my soccer referee license. I also love snorkelling, painting, knitting, sewing, and gourmet cooking.
I was motivated to work on Alzheimer’s Disease because my great aunt is suffering from numerous neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s and dementia.
I started by downloading MRI images from Open Access Series of Imaging Studies and Neuroimaging Informatics Tools and Resources Clearinghouse. It is amazing how much usable data is available freely online!
In the next step, I extracted anatomical features using ITK-SNAP. Once again, it is freeware. Finally, I applied machine learning algorithms to identify possible cases of Alzheimer’s Disease and I compared my results with those in the databases. It worked so nicely that the clinicians have included their diagnoses in the anonymized databases.
I am passionate about the environment. We can substitute our sources of food, but there is no alternative for air and water.
Approximately 48.6 billion cubic metres of water are lost annually worldwide in the water distribution systems, costing an estimated $14.6 billion. Amazingly, 15% of the freshwater is lost in the ageing water pipes of the United States.
I was surprised to find how little is being done to reduce this loss of water. To me, it’s a no-brainer. Why spend so much money and resources on purifying water and then lose it to the leakages?
The leak detection system sends electrical pulses through underground pipes to detect breaks in the pipes. The technology has been used by phone and cable companies for decades. Interestingly, it has not been deployed for detecting the breaks in buried pipes. I needed to innovate to adapt the technology to the uninsulated pipes.
Fish are an important source of food and a vital part of the aquatic ecosystem. The fish population is dwindling because of climate change, overfishing, pollution, etc. Knowing the fish population in a waterbody is essential for estimating the extent of damage and the benefits of the remedial actions.
I applied computer vision to count and artificial intelligence to categorise the fish type.
Currently, the stock is estimated anecdotally from sources such as publications and fish caught annually. While so much sophistication has been achieved in other areas using AI such as face recognition, stock assessment is being largely ignored.
FishPopAI was my first time experimenting with CV. It was so much fun! Observing the results and marvelling at the power of CV algorithms was awesome.
I took numerous underwater photographs using AquaDrone, that I invented. It is a hybrid aquatic and aerial drone. I used the photos to perfect FishPopAI.
A GPS-enabled hybrid drone has the advantage of performing local studies in the context of a wide area. For example, in Minnesota, the drone could land on the water to study marine habitat in a lake and then fly to the adjoining lakes to see if there is a pattern among the water bodies spread over a wide area.
AquaDrone has many potential applications, ranging from marine biology to search and rescue and defence.
The awards have been transformational. They have reinforced my motivation to continue with STEM research. Showcasing the projects at luminary forums such as Broadcom MASTERS helps me draw attention towards important everyday topics such as water leakage and stock assessment.
The cash is a lovely bonus, but the recognition rather than money has been the real motivator for me. The possibility of having two technology patents before graduating from high school is thrilling!
I plan to get a degree in mechanical engineering. As the manufacturing base is shrinking in the country we need more people, especially women, in the traditional engineering disciplines.
Eventually, I want to start a STEM-oriented business with my brother Cameron. Researching viruses and vaccines is his primary passion. To the best of my knowledge, we are the only siblings in the country who are both Broadcom and YSC Finalists!
