Innovative Minds: Isha Joshi

Joyce Kilmer Middle School | 7th grade | 13 years old

Tracking Parkinson’s Symptoms and Stages with HandPD Dataset in a Mobile App

About the Idea

Isha developed Tracking Parkinson’s Symptoms and Stages with HandPD Dataset in a Mobile App

Why did you enter the 3M Young Scientist Challenge?

I joined because I wanted to dive deep into solving a problem dear to me. Additionally, the videos of previous participants in the challenge motivated me to go further with my project. The Young Scientist Challenge also gives me the opportunity for a priceless mentorship opportunity, if I am chosen as an Improving Lives Finalist.

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

My favorite invention is the paper centrifuge made for inexpensive diagnosis of Malaria. This was invented by Manu Prakash, a researcher at Stanford University. This is my favorite because the paper centrifuge is inspired by the ancient whirling-toy, which I loved to play with when I was younger. Additionally, this paper centrifuge is very inexpensive and does not require any electricity or much medical training, which is perfect for remote locations in sub-Saharan Africa and India that are Malaria prone but do not have the means for normal centrifuges.

In 15 years I hope to be...

A machine learning engineer.