16-Year-Old’s Ebola Test Wins Google Science Fair

JUST GOOGLE IT: Olivia Hallisey, a 16-year-old American, has won the Google Science Fair with a versatile Ebola assay card. (See it in action here.) Unable to test on the actual virus or Ebola patients, Hallisey created an approach that recognizes a protein from the virus. She beat thousands of other 13-to-18-year-olds from all over the world to advance to the round of 22 finalists and triumph. Projects from the runners-up included included a water purification system and a textbook question generator. See the full list of winners and their projects here.

Hallisey wrote in her project description that she created her test in response to current methods, which “are complex, expensive, and require unbroken refrigeration...and trained medical professionals.” Hallisey says her test, by contrast, gives reliable and cheap results within 30 minutes and can be stored at room temperature for up to three weeks.

The Fair celebrated all young scientists, including one in recent headlines. The Google founders reserved a seat for young maker Ahmed Mohamed, who tweeted a picture of himself and Google founder Sergei Brin.