Stoller Middle School Student Wins Google Science Prize for Smart Bandage

A 13-year-old student at Beaverton's Stoller Middle School has a vision for a bandage that let doctor's know when it needs to be changed. And that vision has led to a $15,000 prize at the Google Science Fair.

Anushka Naiknaware - who lives in Portland - was one of the top eight finalists, taking home the LEGO Education Builder Award for her project, Smart Wound Care for the Future.

In addition to the money - which she will use to help get her bandages approved by the Food and Drug Administration - she will receive a trip to LEGO headquarters in Denmark and her own custom brick.

Naiknaware says chronic wound care is a commonly overlooked medical problem - that too often dressings are changed too frequently, leading to recurring infections and unnecessary pain. So, she developed a sensor that helps doctors analyze the state of a wound without removing the dressing.

Naiknaware says she is like every other 13-year-old.

"I love to read, figure skate, and conduct experiments," she wrote for the science fair's website.

She says her interest in science and engineering developed from frequent trips to OMSI.

"Although I have been inspired countless scientists and inventors, my first pick would be Marie Curie," she writes. "I admire her spirit and enthusiasm she had to continue her work in a time when women's contributions in science weren't appreciated."

She says she eventually hopes to get to a top graduate school like Harvard, MIT, or Stanford.

Naikaware was the youngest of the winners.

Photo courtesy Google Science Fair.