Innovative Minds: Millie Pradawong

Thoreau Middle School | 8th grade | 14 years old

MACRO: Machine Learning-Augmented CRISPR Reprogramming Optimization

About the Idea

Millie designed a computational tool that predicts how gene editing can redirect microalgae metabolism to produce more biofuel while balancing growth and efficiency.

Why did you enter the 3M Young Scientist Challenge?

I entered because I wanted to take an idea stuck in my head and turn it into something more serious. I kept thinking about microalgae biofuel because it sounds so promising: algae can grow quickly, absorb carbon dioxide, and produce oils that can be used as fuel. But then I learned that making a biofuel system actually work is much harder than just saying "use algae." That made the project more interesting to me. I wanted to focus on the hard part which is how to increase oil production without hurting growth. The 3M Young Scientist Challenge seemed like the right place to test whether I could explain that idea clearly and make it matter to people who may not already know about microalgae or CRISPR.

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

My favorite invention of the last 100 years is CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. I think it is fascinating because it changed what scientists can do with DNA. Before learning about CRISPR, I thought of DNA mostly as information. CRISPR made me realize that DNA could also be edited in a much more targeted and meaningful way. The part I find most interesting is that CRISPR came from bacteria. It was not invented out of nowhere. Scientists noticed a system bacteria already used to defend themselves and turned it into a tool for research, medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology. I like that because it shows how many useful ideas might already exist in nature, but we have to notice them first.

In 15 years I hope to be...

In 15 years, I hope to be a physician scientist. I want to work with patients as a doctor, but I also want to keep asking research questions because I like the part of science where the answer is not obvious yet. I am interested in biology because it is never as simple as I first expected. There is always another layer. I hope I am working on problems where medicine, biotechnology, and real human needs meet. I also hope I am still the kind of person who gets excited by a strange question and follows it further than I planned.