Naperville Teen's Invention Earns Spot At White House Science Fair

Caption: Trisha Prabhu, 14, and Congressman Bill Foster, “the only physicist in Congress” visit at the 2015 White House Science Fair.

A Neuqua Valley High School freshmen earned a coveted spot in the 2015 White House Science Fair where she talked up her computer project that uses science to curtail cyber-bullying.

Trisha Prabhu, 14, who lives in Naperville, learned about research showing that the human brain’s decision-making region is not fully developed until age 25. The research got her inspired to help teens rethink how they treat others.

She developed a computer program called “Rethink” that alerts users when an outgoing message contains language that is potentially abusive and hurtful. Preliminary analysis showed that adolescents who use “Rethink” system are 93 percent less likely to send abusive messages than those who are not warned about the consequences of their actions prior to sending a message.

Trisha earned a spot in the 2014 Google Science Fair to showcase her innovative project.

Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11), the only physicist in Congress, visited the fair that celebrated the achievements of students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education competitions from around the country.

“America has always been a nation of innovators and makers, and it’s good to see that tradition continuing with the next generation,” Foster said. “I was especially pleased to see Trisha’s efforts to stop cyber-bullying. Not only is this a serious problem that needs to be addressed, but her work is an excellent example of the solutions that are possible when creative thinking is paired with a strong foundation of STEM skills.”

Read more about Trisha’s project.