Henrico student's idea wins $10,000 science fair prize

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. - Rising Moody Middle School 8th grader Camellia Sharma spent the summer hanging out with her brother by the pool. But it was not all fun and games.

"Not many girls are into STEM," Camellia said, ”but I'm really proud that I sort of have my mind wired like this."

Her mind led her to take on the 2020 TCS Ignite Innovation Student Challenge.

It inspires students in 6th through 8th grade to answer the question, "How can we inspire the world?" by sharing an idea for a digital solution.

For Camellia, the subject she chose to tackle was easy. She has family members with glaucoma and shaky hands.

“If you have shaky hands, you may get a premature drop, so you get less medication than intended," she said.

Camellia designed a customizable device that uses artificial intelligence to deliver eye medication.

She won the $10,000 prize.

She has this advice for others interested in STEM: "If you're going to start a science fair project, you should do something your passionate about and just go with it."

Building on that passion is Building Better Minds.