Meet Alumni:

Faraz Tamboli

2019 Young Scientist Challenge Finalist

Since participating in the 2019 Challenge, Faraz has continued to improve and enhance his entry project, Talk Motion. Faraz is currently in 9th grade and enjoys reading fantasy stories, making his own music and participating in Mock Trial Club.

Did you continue working on your 3M Young Scientist Challenge innovation?

Yes, I have continued to improve TalkMotion — a device that can translate sign language to voice and voice to sign language. When I presented the prototype in 2019, it was for a stand-alone product that translated sign language to voice and voice to sign language on a device. During the pandemic, when we all had to study over video conferencing software, as many of us were unable to go to school, learning became harder for everyone. I couldn’t imagine how it would have been for the deaf community. So, I decided to implement TalkMotion in the cloud. Since then, I have been working on a web portal. Throughout this journey I have enjoyed learning web technology and especially the challenge of running AI-based models in the cloud.

What are your favorite three school subjects?

This year: Biology, Applied Engineering and Principal of Computer Science are my favorite subjects.

What is your favorite innovation of the last 100 years, and why?

My favorite innovation is Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. What impressed me was the speed with which scientists were able to make the vaccine for a large population of the world in a cost-effective way. Not only did it save us during this pandemic, but such technology will be able to protect us from future viruses as well as many forms of cancers.

What are your plans for the future?

My dream is to pursue a career in biomedical engineering.

Describe your relationship with your 3M Mentor.

Mrs. Tesha Alston Dampier had been one of the most wonderful mentors I have had so far in my life. Over the summer she trained and guided me by providing a framework to come up with a solution to a challenging problem. She has been very supportive throughout my 3M Young Scientist Challenge journey. Meeting her at the event was one of the joyous moments for me. I never knew that this journey of friendship would continue even in the future. I am very thankful for being supportive even after the competition. I will never forget her teachings and cherish the wonderful experiences I had.