Plano East Senior High School student Arya Gurumukhi was named the winner of the 2024 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes.
The award is given to 25 young leaders annually who “have made a significant positive impact on their communities or the environment.”
“Nothing is more inspiring than stories about heroic people who have truly made a difference to the world,” Barron Prize founder T. A. Barron said. “And we need our heroes today more than ever. Not celebrities, but heroes – people whose character can inspire us all. That is the purpose of the Barron Prize: to shine the spotlight on these amazing young people so that their stories will inspire others.”
Arya was credited with inventing a novel catalyst to improve upon Bionic Leaf technology, a solar-powered device that mimics photosynthesis to create fuel. The invention, she hopes, can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and reduce energy insecurity for people in low-income and remote communities around the world.
According to a press release, Arya was inspired to work in clean energy after the 2021 power outages dubbed “Snow-VID,” when her family was stuck in an unheated apartment for a week.
She began reading research on artificial photosynthetic systems in online journals, emailing professors on the topic and working late nights in a lab at the University of Texas.
A year later, her prototype was able to cost-effectively produce raw fuel and published it as an open-source work for others to use. She then began partnering with NGOs and companies to distribute her device to low-income and energy secure communities, including more than 15 in South Sudan.
“I’ve learned that with strength and perseverance, I can accomplish anything,” Arya said. “And I’ve realized that we can create solutions that will help millions, but it requires courage.”
The 15-year-old junior has received other accolades for the invention including being a multi-prize winner in the Texas Junior Academy of Science (TJAS) competition, with a second grand prize and first place engineering 1 category prize for the Bionic Leaf project. She also won the fourth place award and $500 in the Energy: Sustainable Materials and Design category at the Regeneron ISEF 2024 competition.
