Top of the Class

#5 Winning the Intel Science and Engineering Fair and Conducting Research in School

November 07, 2020 Crimson Education Season 1 Episode 5
Top of the Class
#5 Winning the Intel Science and Engineering Fair and Conducting Research in School
Show Notes Transcript

What do you get when you cross Grey's Anatomy and the Just Dance video game? For 17-year-old Krithik Ramesh, you get an award winning science project that could revolutionise spinal surgery.

In this episode, the 2019 winner of ISEF (now sponsored by Regeneron) shares how he came up with the idea and the mindset that enables him to turn an idea into reality. You can read the project abstract here or see a short news story about his project on YouTube.

Krithik also has a not for profit to put solar panels on schools in India and he gives an insight into how the project got off the ground.

  • To connect with Krithik, visit his website or his LinkedIn.
  • To find amazing extracurricular opportunities near you, visit Crimson ECL.
  • To learn more about conducting research in high school, read this blog.

**Download the Ultimate Resource Bank for Science Students with the favourite resources from Krithik and other young scientists featured on the Top of the Class**

The Top of the Class podcast is powered by Crimson Education, the world leaders in university admissions. To learn more or to request a free and private consultation with your local Academic Advisor, visit Crimson Education.

Outro:

Hello, and welcome to the Top of the Class podcast. I'm your host Alex Cork, and in this episode, I chat with Krithik Ramesh. Krithik is 17 years old and won the 2019 Intel Science and Engineering Fair. Krithik chats to us about his award winning amazing project and he's not for profit based in India. He also shares these tips for high schoolers looking to compete in prestigious science competitions. Let's chat with Krithik Ramesh. Krithik, welcome to the show and it's fantastic to have you on. Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself.

Krithik:

So my name is Krithik Ramesh. I was the winner of the Intel International Science and Engineering fair in 2019. I'm the last Gordon E. Moore winner because Intel is no longer sponsoring the International Science Fair. For my project, I developed the world's most accurate spinal navigation system, using machine learning and augmented reality. I've lived pretty much my entire life in Denver, Colorado. And now I recently moved out to San Francisco to work at a startup.

Podcast Host:

We'll definitely get into the details of the project soon. But can you give us some background on what the Intel Science and Engineering Fair is exactly?

Krithik:

So um, the best way I like to describe Intel is it's like a Drake concert for nerds. And it's it's this really fun engaging environment. And it's also a competition. So essentially, Intel isef is an International Science and Engineering fair competition for runs over like 80 different countries, regions and territories. And people from all over compete at something called an Intel affiliated fair. So based off of your region, location, etc. Your barrier of entry would either be like a regional fair, a state fair if you're in the US, etc. And then for countries outside because of population, or whatever they've set up, it'll be like a National Fair, or some sort of regional regional standards. And if you win, at that selected fair or respective fair, you end up qualifying for ISEF. And of those 1800 ish kids that are lucky enough and privileged enough to be able to fly out, it's all expense paid, and everything is pretty much taken care of for you. And then you spend a week, sort of one engaging with other people. And it's sort of an experience, and that's sort of how I surf and society, for Science in the Public markets is that it's like a week full of experiences for you to find like minded researchers and look at like vocational opportunities that exist. And you spend the better part of that week meeting with fellow peers on Nobel laureates, highly successful entrepreneurs, etc. And then you have one day of judging, and as an employee, this is like 12 hours of back to back judging where you have an allocated time slot with different judges that you'll get a sheet with on the day of and as a result of that. You talk to different individuals in your profession, as you choose different categories. There's a total of 22 different categories. So anywhere between biomedical engineering, environmental sciences, behavioral and like the list just goes on and on. And then after that determination, you have one day of special awards, and then one day of grant awards. And that's when you figure out what you won or if you've won.

Podcast Host:

So what was the process that you had to go through to actually come out as the winner of the 2019 science and engineering fair?

Krithik:

Good questions. So I'm just sort of preface this a little bit. I remember when I was in middle school, my dad turned on CBS This Morning, like 60 minutes, and it was coming over. It was an interview series on Jack Andraka. And he was the winner. He was the Gordon one of the earlier Gordon winners. And I'd never necessarily put together that that was the you know, science fair, or anything else. It was just like a like a series that I saw. And I remember this particular moment of like confetti falling on him. And that moment in and of itself was like something I had, I just wanted and I never connected the dots. And then when I won it was this thing that went full circle was like, wow, like I've had the privilege of winning this now. And so, to sort of backpedal and talk about the actual processes, essentially, you bring your presentation with you. So your supplementary material, your boards, your any like visual instruments that you have that's been approved by the SEC, you have one day or pretty much like two days to set up everything. All of it gets checked by scientific review committee and then the institutional review boards for safety, making sure that your board doesn't have like knives sticking out of a head or something like crazy like that. So once everything is you know, within order, then you sort of transition into dodging and dodging for me I actually thought didn't go as well as the year before that. And it's like you meet with people that are very well versed in your field, but they have Like a PhD have worked in industry for X amount of years, I just have strong technical backgrounds. And they have a relatively stringent rubric that they they abide by, that goes over creativity, your scientific testing processes, your presentation, and an amelioration of different factors. And ultimately, they'll ask you questions regarding your project, you give them a demonstration. And then that's sort of the end end of it. And you do that multiple times throughout the day. And I think one of the most important parts that is overlooked in research is that your obligation as a researcher is twofold. The first is obviously like, you know, conducting your research, like doing the part, it's in the name. The second part is being an effective communicator of science, and a lot of people have for granted. But it's like, if you were, if you were super, super smart, and like you came up with this crazy idea, but no one understood what's going on, it's kind of difficult for for people to understand what's going on, right? So ISEF is like a really good example of being able to convey really complicated material in a really simple way.

Podcast Host:

So is that what you've been judged on? Or is it a combination of different things?

Krithik:

Oh, yeah. So SMC, I would say that that's more of like a characteristic of like winning, winning, like winning projects, or winning individuals, that have a very good way of explaining non trivial concepts in a very easy and approachable manner. Because you're catering to audiences with one a technical background, but it may not necessarily overlap with your project. So being able to bridge the gap between those two is probably what leads to a very strong project.

Podcast Host:

Let's wind back the clock a little bit from the actual, you know, judging of the Intel Science and Engineering Fair. And I read that in terms of coming up with this idea. It had something to do with dancing and virtual reality technology. And I think that's really fascinating, like how ideas come about. And I think one of the first things that you probably need to be is problem aware, right? Like, you have to know that this is an issue in spinal surgery, and then you have to see the potential of a solution in something. So can you take us through how you put those two pieces together? And I guess, you know, the idea that ended up addressing that problem? Oh, for sure.

Krithik:

Okay. So, um, let's start with this. When we, when we usually we usually say that art imitates life, right? Like, it's, it's a, it's a representation of a real world. As a scientist, we're in like. or like a researcher in general, you're in this incredibly privileged position, that you get to see parallels and connections that wouldn't have otherwise existed unless you quantifiably looked at them. So from a researchers perspective, life imitates art. So if we start with this premise, and we sort of start with this idea that like, everything is connected. So I was watching Grey's Anatomy, and it's like, it was like, one of my favorite TV shows at the time, and still is, Derek Shepherd is like, operating on on one of his lab tests, and he has this really complicated spinal tumor. And one of the things he talks about is like, visualization of this anatomy is really difficult. Because what we're currently using is like a lifetime X ray. And like, it was sort of sitting in the back of my mind, like, hey, like, if we are working in arguably one of the most complicated parts of your body, why are we using something with arguably the least amount of visual accuracy. It's like, if you were trying, if it's like if a nature photographer was using, like a Nokia cell phone to take a camera, right? Like, it's just this, this doesn't make sense. And so that was something that was running in the back of my mind. And then the next thing was like I was playing Just Dance, and I wasn't particularly good at it. So instead of trying to get better at dancing, I sort of took liberty of figuring out how the motion capture system worked to sort of get better at it. So call it cheating, or whatever you may, but it worked. And the what the connection that I made there, where I saw the parallels was that motion tracking that we're doing for the body with Just Dance, is something that we could apply to spinal reconstruction surgeries to predict spinal behavior. So it's obviously when we're doing the dancing thing. It's predicting biomechanics, and all of spinal reconstruction surgery is heavily predicated on understanding the movement of vertebral bodies, as screws are being placed. So when when you sort of put those two things together, it really like it really clicked for me. And this is something that I say a lot is that when you go to ISEF, you'll see these projects and like my present party included, the technical names or projects are, are very esoteric, they have a lot of words that are very intimidating. And you're like, I have no idea what this is saying. I'm gonna have to Google like half of it, if not all of it. Like do you understand like the adjectives in between like the and and you're like, great, I don't know what like the the cytokine v complexes or whatever. But the thing is, they can inspiration for this product can come from anywhere. And that's what I've been like focusing pretty heavily on is that like, it doesn't have to come like most ideas don't stem from a lab. It's sitting outside are like this, this very nonchalant, super casual way of coming about these ideas. It's testing them in a rigorous environment that happens in a lab. The idea in and of itself doesn't.

Podcast Host:

So Grey's Anatomy and Just Dance was really it for you?

Krithik:

Yeah. So for me, it was yeah, it was a TV show that's about medicine. It's a soap opera and a dancing video game.

Podcast Host:

That's amazing. I mean, it seems like for me, that is a big leap to take. And I think some students and listeners will be saying, Well, how do you get a spinal surgery from just dance and Grey's Anatomy? Right. So obviously, it's about you and how your brain works. So can you talk us through I guess, how you have been more prepared to notice that moment in time where you can put those two pieces of information together? Like Are there any mentors in your life or previous experiences that you had? Where you can see these two opportunities, put two and two together and end up winning the science and engineering fair?

Krithik:

That's a great question. So you know, how I mentioned like, life imitates art. So a lot of the research that I did before this was in fluid dynamics and aerospace, like aeronautical engineering. So complete departure from this right, and like I used to do, and then computer science was somewhere in between these two things. So think about it this way, the what I worked on in computational fluid dynamics is like, it's called fluid structure interaction. So thinking about how these really complicated airplane wings, flutter and behave under under different kinds of stresses. And as you can see, like one spine, you also have to significantly consider the biomechanics or structural stresses, etc. So there was a lot of tangential relations that you could put together there. So I think for me, the biggest thing that I've been fortunate enough was that having a strong technical background in something that you're interested in, will serve you really well. And whether that's in mathematics, or, or literature, or anything in between it, it serves its purpose. So let me let me give an example. I like to stop and smell the roses, but also analyze the color saturation, like being able to look at look at something and then take it at face value, but then also understand the non trivial components of it is what makes a good researcher and like, it's what makes people that when science fairs, it's the ability to look at something, be interested in it, and then pursue it in a way that you have a strong foundational understanding of what's going on. Because, like anything in research, is the intersection of what we already know, and what you can do to move it forward. And the best way to do that is to learn as much as you can, in a technical manner.

Podcast Host:

I completely appreciate that. And I think that's an amazing way to go about solving problems and thinking about research. But I know a lot of students would probably stop themselves from having a go at these things, thinking that I'm only a student, I'm not a researcher. In that sense, what did you do it to make that mental leap from being a student to being a researcher?

Krithik:

Oh, definitely. So like, ageism is such an issue. Like it's been a very prevalent issue in academia for quite some time. But the privilege of I guess, being in 2020, despite everything going on, is that like, we're seeing a culture shift of younger people getting into big reputational like reputation labs and being able to do like legitimate research. Like I remember, this, all of this, all of my research career started in seventh grade, I really like the triple seven Max, Max eight came out. So essentially what it was is like, they It was a new aircraft with a split wingtip. So how to bottom part, one to top part, and in 10th grade, he was like, I might need to understand how that works, tramped over everything. So I built this out of foam. And then I reached out to every single University with a wind tunnel within 100 miles of me and Colorado. And all of them said, No. So every single one, so I ended up building my own wind tunnel to go test it. And so what I recognized was that because of how much resources like how many resources are available right now, because of the internet, a lot of education has been democratized, it means that like things that used to be hidden behind like paywalls, or, like, expensive college degree is very accessible to us now, and fine. Even teachers, or someone with a little bit of background can serve a lot in getting you to be able to do research, and it seems daunting, being like cold calling and doing all of that stuff. But at the bottom of every Research Initiative is like why do you want to know it? And like I refer like something I try to live by is like trying to be this engineer with a heart of gold. And essentially what that means is your compassion is the the only thing rivaling your compassion is your need to understand how things work. And for me, that meant like trying to figure out how Spanner reconstructions worked using using machine learning. And the whole thing is like Think of it this way, like if you cold I had to cold call like maybe 40 neurosurgeons before one of them responded to validate my research. And the thing is, if you're under 39th call, it's very easy to say that you want to quit. But then it was all for nothing. Making that extra call was the thing that made it through. And all it takes is just one person to say, yes, one person. And a lot of the previous winners that have one I said before, if you ask them about their trials and tribulations, so all say, the amount of adversity they face until one person was willing to give them a hand. So it seems very daunting and like, chances are, you will get rejected outright by a lot of people. But the sort of journey of finding one person willing to help you is one worth traveling.

Podcast Host:

Yeah, it's interesting that you see yourself being able to achieve so much more at school, whereas I speak to a lot of students, and a lot of them say that they don't have time, or that they think that it's not going to contribute to their overall score. Oh, definitely what they're at school to do, which is to get a good school, go to university, etc. So and so they kind of think, well, if I'm going to do it, I'll do it light up. You know, I'll do it after I finished school. So I focus on my academics now. And then all that research and all that kind of thing is more like a university, or even, you know, 10 years down the track type of thing that they might look at. And I know you're a pretty busy guy balancing school and wind tunnels and calling 40 surgeons. How did you all make that happen whilst at school? How did you really balance it all?

Krithik:

Good question. So I guess a little bit of perspective, as I took nine classes, all honors, and AP, every like every single year, I was varsity swim. I was president of tech club, I made debate nationals, I was a debate Captain Tournament of Champions. Quite a few other things. But the one thing that like kept me motivated and like legitimately made me interested in what I was doing, is being able to understand that, like research and the extracurriculars that you do is a natural extension of whatever you were doing in class anyways. So like, it's a more applied version, right? So let's just say you are in AP Lang, for us listeners, or I guess it's technically an international class. If you're in AP, English language, a lot of the rhetorical analysis, the critical thinking that's required is the same things that I use in debate like consistently, and frequently, the ideation, the the narrative, the development of strong analyses, all of those things were a natural extension. And if anything, it made me stronger in school. And the same thing applied to research is like applying these STEM concepts and scientific processes and methodologies that we learned through classes like AP, bio, and AP Chem, are things that easily translate into the real world. So for people that see it as like, two completely different entities, changing that perspective, to understand that anything you learn in class is something that is generally applicable to the real world helps a lot with context and how you manage your time.

Podcast Host:

Yeah, absolutely. So you didn't feel like you were sacrificing anything to pursue these extracurriculars. I mean, obviously, there have been some kind of sacrifice, whether that be in your homework, or in your study time, or whatever it might have been. And I'm sure there's some students thinking, how does this guy find the time to do all this stuff? Is it making sure that when you come home, that you're just applying yourself and thinking about these extracurriculars? You know, straight off the bat?

Krithik:

Uh, yeah, I mean, there was definitely a consistent lack of sleep and like, I would never promote that. But that was from my, sort of, if we're using me as like a as a as a martyr for where you can improve. Like, time management is something I struggled with a lot. But what I recognized was that understanding how to very keenly know your schedule, where you know, your downtimes you know, how much energy you're gonna have to have after XYZ, or anything else helps a lot. And the other thing is also, like waking up with a determination of what you want to accomplish, helps a lot with your motivation for the rest of the day. So obviously, no one goes about it with like, I'm gonna solve spinal reconstruction surgeries. And then like, it's like, endless boundless excitement for the rest of like, you know, the next six months that you work on a project, it's more like, I'm waking up with the intention of being the best version of myself. So like, if it was swimming, then I'd be like, I want to set a new PR for my swim, family debate tournament, I want to be like, I want to go undefeated, or I want to win, like most outstanding speaker. And that sort of mentality definitely motivated me enough where like, it was like, if I wanted to do other things, I'd be like, what is the end goal for me? It's being the best at XYZ field. And what what is that necessarily, like? What does that necessitate? And for me, maybe that was studying more, or if it was like compromising certain grades or like certain, not the highest standards that I could keep, but something that I was happy with, but also allowed me to pursue things that I legitimately acquired.

Podcast Host:

Yeah, I mean, I guess that's a good way of thinking about it. And that's a really strong clarity. And I think that's a struggle for a lot of students because often students Just eyeing off that score they want. And it's not such a great goal to have. Yeah, it can be debilitating. And also the test can come along. And you might be sick that day, or there might be a few questions that you didn't exactly pay for. And all of a sudden, that goal of getting the great score is kind of out of the window. But it seems that you had like a little bit more of a sense of purpose and clarity as to why you're doing things, what you were hoping to achieve, and how it would impact in other areas of your life as well.

Krithik:

So that's the thing, right? So it's a little, it's a little interesting that you bring that up, because I, I sort of say this sort of as a joke and sort of not where I'm like, my dream job is to be a destination wedding planner. So like, I'm very, I've dedicated my whole life to stem i've i've done non stem, I've run the gamut of like things that I've really been interested in. But what I recognize is, you may not necessarily know what you want. But working in a way that like, genuinely prepares you to try everything in like a mindset manner is really useful. So like, I've realized, like maybe some things aren't for me, like I thought it'd be an excellent fashion Easter, but like, obviously, that didn't work for me. But the experience in and of itself is good. So like trial, and error is not a bad thing. So my biggest phrases, make as many mistakes as possible, so that you prevent the big ones. Like that's all of like machine learning in general, and pretty much anything else is that we sort of like chastise this ability to make mistakes, as if like it's completely frowned upon. But the way that I see it is like if you're willing to make mistakes, it means that you learn one you learn more from them. And then to making these little mistakes along the way allows you to course correct so that you don't make like a large or erroneous action.

Podcast Host:

I think a lot of students just check themselves on autopilot as they go through school. And they just don't really question why they were involved in this club or why they were involved in this team, that just thinking Well, no, the school won't steer me wrong. I'll be part of these things. And I kind of enjoy it. I may as well keep doing it. But it sounds like you were going through different things and having different experiences, and really questioning why am I here? What do I want to achieve? What am I trying to get out of this? How's it going to help me in other areas of my life and that hope to get you out of bed in the morning and have more clarity about what you wanted to do outside of school? Is that fair to say?

Krithik:

Definitely. Yeah, like high school is a place where like, it seems like the stakes are really high. And to some extent they are but it's also like a place where there's enough forgiveness to learn. And what a mind that's what you're there to do, right? So being able to look at an environment and say this is either working or isn't or really ask yourself with deep introspection, like, does this legitimately make me happy? Or am I here for resume padding? Or like, Am I here because my friends are here or like, what truly makes you happy is something that like it took me a lot of time. I was in like maybe seven clubs freshman year. And like, obviously, I didn't like all of them. And it took me quite a bit of time to figure out which ones I did like and which ones I didn't. But once I knew that, like swimming, computer science and debate where my things I could wholeheartedly invest myself in it without having regrets.

Podcast Host:

Yeah, I think that's such an important lesson, particularly for all the student listeners, because I was one of those students, I went through school and basically did anything and everything under the sun. And a lot of the time I didn't really clearly think about why I was doing them. And looking back, I wish someone had sat me down and said, Hey, you know, you're spending all this time in three or four different orchestras or your sporting teams? And how about you do something that might be your own passion, which at the time was really the environment. But I never really felt like I had the time because I was always rushing off to another activity. So having that deep introspection, as he said, I definitely recommend that for all students to really have that moment and say, what is it that I really want to do? And who knows, you could end up coming up with great ideas that go on to win science fairs to just on the Intel side of things, what made you want to compete in it, because you could have just done the research and been like, Oh, that's interesting, and hopefully shared it in a few different places. But there must have been something with someone who said, 'Hey, you should go to Intel this looks pretty cool.'

Krithik:

So I've been competing in sciences for quite some time. So I sort of had this like constant exposure to Broadcom, ISEF, STS, Davidson, etc. So from like a very objective perspective, sure, I was cultivating an environment that like sort of, you know, was conducive to competing in science fairs. But if we take a step back, ISEF specifically, um, I remember watching a 2017 ISEF highlights video. And it was particularly interesting to me because I got to see they rent it out. Disneyland and that was that was a big selling point. I'll be honest, it's pretty cool because every single year whether it's in Pittsburgh or Phoenix or Anaheim, they always end up like renting a fun place where like they have a mixer they have a baseball the rent on a baseball game for you, which is like nuts. The food is free. It's incredible. So that was a like, for freshman year Krithik, very shallow, also still very shallow in that regard of free free food and fun games and activities that's paid for. I was like, Yeah, that's great. That's, that's ideal. But something that probably is more realistic is that like, I'm a very community driven individual. So like, for me, people matter more than anything. So if I'm around the right people, it feels really good. And as a byproduct of that, like going to isef was one of the first times that I had the ability to meet with other people that were so in tune with, like my goals, or like, understood exactly what the trials and tribulations of a research kid were. It helped me a lot in finding my clarity. And watching those videos, and then being able to go was like an absolutely surreal experience, which is arguably the reason why I got motivated to try over and over again, like every single year that I competed, and ISEF is arguably one of the most life changing experiences I had throughout high school for that reason is that the people that you meet are phenomenal. And revolutes, that lens is something that like I would I would argue is one of the most like formative weeks of my of my high school tenure.

Podcast Host:

Yeah, absolutely. Just getting around people that are like minded and thinking outside of the box is so important. Which leads me to my next question. You know, they say you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and who are some of those people that you spend the most time with, I guess, you know, that has elevated you or you have elevated them to be the best versions of themselves.

Krithik:

For sure. So let's let's sort of break this down into a couple of things. So if I had to go with mentors, I'd say Thomas Letts, Mr. Letts, he was sort of my flight instructor. And he helped me a lot with the my initial, you know, footings with research. And he was the first person that legitimately made me feel like I can make an impact in research, despite my age, or like I could legitimately become someone that that could make foundational changes and in whatever field that I choose to pursue. So that one that I owe a lot to Mr. Letts. The next person, I would say are, if I had to choose two teachers, it would be miss when my computer science teacher, because a lot of the work that I do now is foundational to computer science, machine learning, etc. And I really got my footing in everything that I learned from from her. And she's one of the most, she also taught me how to be compassionate. And that's something I value a lot. And that's sort of like her as an individual is what sort of taught me the engineers at the heart of gold. And same thing with my math teacher, Mrs. Gagaline. And she she was really foundational in that aspect as well. And she she helped me with learning that I too, have limitations and that I cannot solve everything, but that's okay. And learning that where you find your strengths is for me, it was in helping other people, whether that was through my research or volunteer projects, etc, that I dedicated my time towards helping others and that that's that was the bottom line, whether or not I could do everything was secondary. And then in terms of friends, Grant Kelly is someone that I respect a lot, he's just like someone from high school that like he's, he's one of the very few people that can make me laugh, because I didn't he was outside sounding too boastful, myself, like a relatively funny person, like in social settings. So like, if you can make me laugh, I have a lot of respect for that. And like she, he's just one of those people that like, he has this knack for making me laugh. Very hard. And like, I really appreciate that because it shows you that being making mistakes and laughing at yourself, and others, it's okay, as long as it's in good nature. And then Ana Maria, someone that's the last one, probably the five are arguably one of the most important is she, she's definitely someone that's that's taught me a lot about being a good person. And I think we take that for granted a lot, especially in research and like in a very competitive environment. We forget that, as accomplished as she is, she's incredibly grounded, and she's one of the most compassionate people I've ever seen. So being able to sacrifice some of your own personal achievements for collective good, is something that she's taught me. And, of course, my parents who've endlessly helped me throughout all the endeavors.

Podcast Host:

I was going to ask when the parents were going to come into the list, but I guess it's pretty obvious that they're going to be a big part of your life. But I'd love for you to just to explain a little bit more about the role your parents play, or have played in your life today. Instead, a lot of students have that battle of they would love to pursue other interests, but they are fearful that it might take away from focusing on the academics at school, which at the end of the day feels like the priority of your school life. So when you're investing all this time and calling surgeons and building wind tunnels and competing in science fairs, where your parents ever like, Hey, have you done your study or anything like that? Or were they just you know that they see the value in what you were Doing and they just let you do it.

Krithik:

Um, good question. Definitely there was, initially, there was a lot of like miscommunication between me and my parents about like, exactly what was going on, like, why was I always outside like doing XYZ and like, not necessarily inside working on stuff, even if I was finishing them in a timely manner. But, you know, as my relationship with my parents really sort of deepened later on into high school, it became apparent to them, like, why I was doing what I was doing, and they became incredibly supportive. It's difficult for parents, especially like my parents came from India. So like, the concept of extracurriculars is rather foreign to them. Oh, making that transition, like, you know, raising me in like a, like an in an American educational environment that like something that's so foreign to them, it was definitely a little bit of a transition. But once they sort of saw what I was able to do, and like the real benefits that I was procuring from them, and the the knowledge, the technical abilities, and how it sort of played into my academics naturally anyways, they were they were much more for it. And I guess $75,000 didn't hurt either.

Podcast Host:

No, it certainly doesn't hurt and, you know, supportive parents, I think is so key, and particularly around the barrier of extracurriculars, because I think a lot of parents can get a bit, Oh, geez, my child has taken a lot of time away from school. And they're doing a lot of things other than their homework. And other parents are telling me that their child is doing four to five hours of homework a night, and my child is spending a bit of time on this project that they're really passionate about. And it can make parents a little bit nervous. So did you ever have like a sit down conversation with your parents? Or was it more that they kind of saw what you were doing and kind of got a sense of it through osmosis and then they really understood more about what you were trying to achieve?

Krithik:

Definitely the latter, I really had to have that like formal conversation, my parents was like, hey, like, this is the path I've chosen, it was more of like, them sort of like watching and observing what was going on. And they realized that I was working on stuff that had real world implications, and like coming from parents that, you know, both worked in and around computers, it was sort of a little bit of a departure for them to see me work in engineering or medicine or not necessarily computer science. But once they saw, like, one that it really helped me become a more well rounded, well versed person. And like when I say well, well rounded, I mean, like, someone that has a real world understanding of pragmatism that exist, like, when you're sort of in high school and college, you can, it's very easy to, to be sheltered by just your coursework. But step outside of that realm, and really seeing what's going on, it helped them as much as it helped me. And it also work in the sense that like, my nonprofit is predicated a lot of on my engineering abilities, and like what I noticed in the real world, so being able to go back to a community that my parents came from in rural India was was something that, you know, was very pleasing to them. And also, like, made them very proud.

Podcast Host:

Can you talk a little bit more about the not for profit, because I've heard about it, but our listeners most likely haven't come across it. And I know it does some fantastic work in rural India. So yeah, if you just discuss how that came about, and how it continues to date, that would be fantastic.

Krithik:

Yeah, sure. So it's a mix between like my like, my debate abilities and engineering. But so there was this resolution in debate, he was like, developed countries are to help developing countries. And it seems like pretty immediate, like, yeah, like duh, like, countries that are not as well off should be helping countries that should be held by or aided by countries that are well off. But what we sort of started realizing was that the aid that we were providing, or at least the manner in which we were providing it made these countries more dependent on us, which is sort of like counterintuitive rights, like you like the help we were help giving them medicine made them really dependent. So my whole thing was, what if we were able to create sustainable infrastructure that was like a one time investment that fundamentally helped these countries long term. So my nonprofit was sort of predicated on this premise of helping rural India where like my grandfather and my father from, and the way that I went about this was providing solar panels to the schools. So that one, it was a one time investment. It provided jobs by bolstering the economy, like micro economy, I guess, of providing jobs, these individuals and also sustainable energy that like made them grid independent. So now we're providing them with renewable energy. And it allows them to have more consistent electricity access, and reallocate resources towards hygiene products for women or like renovating bathrooms providing better stationary equipment, things that could have been a one time investment that we could have provided, it's now something that they can provide for themselves. So it's something that's really close to me and something that wouldn't have spurred unless I pursued my extracurriculars as much as I pursued my academics.

Podcast Host:

Amazing. Yeah, it sounds like an incredible project. And I know that there's people out there who would listen to that. And say how does that even get started? I mean, you went from a debate topic to providing solar panels for schools in rural India. I mean, there's a lot of things that happen in between their, their timeline, like, was it debate topic one week and solar panels the next? Or was it over the space of a couple of months? Right, right.

Krithik:

Good question. So essentially, the way that it worked was like I was thinking about what is the most effective way that I can help these individuals. I was explaining this to my dad. And I was telling them about the debate thing. And he was like, yeah, this seems to be a really prevalent issue, especially in rural parts of India, because if you don't give them access to things you can expect them to develop as a country. And it starts with very grassroots movements. So then I was thinking about, like, what would be my own individual impact. So from an engineering perspective, I was like, everything that we produce has like a lifespan. And then ultimately, it's either by and large, the products that we end up providing are disposable, and they make you reliant on them. And then you can never get them or manufacture them yourself. So the only thing that like really came to mind that seemed relatively approachable, was providing renewable energy sources. And because there were like solar panels seemed like a very interesting way of getting into it is like solar panels have become much cheaper over the years, and the return on investment is insanely high. So sort of, you know, connecting the dots there a little bit with my, for my engineering understanding of like how solar panel technologies are. And then looking at the debate side of like the pragmatism that exist with developmental aid. I put sort of two and two together and then worked on reaching out to local grocery stores, getting a GoFundMe page up starting fundraisers, doing like boosters, all of these different things to get portions from like Indian grocery stores, restaurants, etc. And then I was able to raise enough money, that I was able to pursue this project, and then provide solar panels within like, roughly six months.

Podcast Host:

Amazing. Yeah, that's the kind of grassroots movement that you really need. Reaching out to community GoFundMe pages, that's the kind of thing that turns an idea into reality. I think a lot of people, particularly students don't necessarily realize the best time to do these kinds of amazing things is when you're a student. And it's when you've got that free time, you know, you don't have to pay off a mortgage for a house. And it really gives you that flexibility to pursue what you want to pursue. So it can be the best time to do these amazing things and turn these ideas into reality. Oh, definitely.

Krithik:

I think I said this on NPR. And I gave him something that like a lot of people have asked me about, and I think is really important is that we see age as like, we tell elderly people or like play, you know, people like better aging, that age is just a number. And use that as like a way to like decrease the importance of age for people that are older. And I think the same can be applied to people that are younger is that age is just a number and, and being able to get past like the the cognitive bias that we are too young to make any sort of significant change helped me a lot. Because understanding that change can come from anywhere, and you see like incredible people all around the world that are making such an impact at such a young age. If you look at Malala, she did all that she won her Nobel Prize when she was a teenager. And it's incredible. And like the amount of work that she's done to sort of democratize learning for women, and like moving up in the social hierarchy. It's incredible. And you see people like those all around the world, making such a, like a fundamental change and knowing that like you can do that. And maybe it's not at that scale. But even making like a change in the microcosm of your own community is still changed. The net benefit is there.

Podcast Host:

Yeah, yeah, hundred percent. I think students just need to realize that's possible for them. Yeah. And I think that you might look at someone like Malala and say, Well, you know, she fought through a lot of different devotees. But that doesn't mean that, you know, there's a student living in the Safe Streets of suburbia, that they can't do the same, they can still go out and make a positive impact even on their immediate community. Sometimes I say to students, find something that annoys you and go out and make a change to that. Right. And I think

Krithik:

the the beautiful part of all of this activism that's been going on recently is how much we've been able to show that being young has has made a significant difference, the amount that we were able to, to sort of raise awareness and have a cultural change about the Black Lives Matter movement. And in previous attempts, like between Eric Garner, all of these other individuals, we saw so much activism happening, but not from younger demographics. This is the first time that we really saw a movement towards public health crises, trying to really make a stance for racial and justices and trying to ameliorate these situations. And a lot of this is being propelled by by people that are like 16, 18, 20. And it's really humbling to know that there's a community of people that are working With you, and that you can have a lot of references just by talking to your friend at this point, I completely agree. And I see people like Greta thunberg, and a couple of other people as well, we're just this voice of the youth writer was having this fantastic idea of protesting each Friday missing school. And then it snowballed. And now she's become this voice for a generation asking for change, she took like a, like a sail like a, an energy, like it didn't, it's literally a wind sail from Europe to get to the US instead of flying. It's so it's so motivating. And that's the thing, right? So like, sort of bringing it back to the eyes of a little bit here. Like the people that you meet at ISEF are exactly with that kind of mentality, that fundamental need to make a change, or a lasting impression is what drives all of us. And that's the one thing that you'll notice about people that win is that winning is sort of a secondary impact. It's a it's a byproduct of a mindset that you you cultivated over the time that you were doing research or whatever product that you have chosen. And keeping that in mind that staying grounded in what you're pursuing, will help you get farther because I didn't have this amount of success. When I first tried freshman year, I didn't get an ISEF. But for me, what I recognized was that instead of trying to play this game of, of who has a bigger paper, or who has more data, it was create a strong narrative, build a right idea, and suddenly you're passionate about and talk about it genuinely and authentically. And that seemed to serve me a lot better. And that's what serves all of these, like, fundamentally, really influential young people like Gitanjali Rao and everyone in between so well.

Podcast Host:

Is there any other advice you would give to passionate scientists who would really love to try and do something like you've done,

Krithik:

I would say, my biggest thing that I've told a lot of kids is be playful. And, and playful, meaning that like approaching science fair as a competition, like, is probably the worst way to go about it. And it sounds counterintuitive, but it'll make a lot of sense when you're actually competing is that thinking of it as like a conversation with with some really intelligent peers is the best way for you to figure out if you've done the right project. If you're able to talk with someone intelligently about your project, in a in a very like in like a hypothetical coffee coffee place, then you've done it correctly, you have a start or finish and you have data, you have a narrative that speaks to your project. The background information is the technical details that you've amassed over reading, like hundreds of papers, literature reviews that you've done, the trials and tribulations of story that the meat of your stories, all the experimentation that you did, and bringing it all together. And sort of like the the day to day crescendo, if you will is is your results and discussion. And thinking of what you're building with research and for ISEF specifically, is a story. It's a story of your research. And I think starting with that premise will help a lot because everyone's heard a story about Joseph Campbell's here with 1000 faces. We know what the story archetype is. We've done it so many times documenting it in a quantitative way that makes it research. Exactly, exactly. It's about the journey, not the destination, or I guess it's a little cliche, but something along those lines. Yeah. Publishing, if you've ever read like pieces out of nature or sell, you'll notice that they like they explicitly, they spend so much of their of those articles talking about the background. And to give you context for how significant of an issue this is where, like how, why this is significant. And like that's the that's the same principles that you'll get like, if you read, if you read Harry Potter, and then you read a like a paper from Sel, you'll notice that there's actually a lot of similarities in the way that they present themselves. And you won't necessarily notice them unless you take a closer look. But it's there. And you'll you'll definitely notice it.

Podcast Host:

I'd love to know what's next for you. Yeah, they're in California working on a start up, you've just won the Intel science and engineering fair, it must feel like the world is at your fate. What do you say is been your priorities over the next year or two? Do you want to go to university? And if so, is there any university in mind?

Krithik:

Yeah, so as of right now, my my first priority is probably launching our app. So once that happens, I think a lot of my, you know, work will subside. My ideal profession, apart from being a wedding planner is being a flight surgeon. So that has a very strict academic hierarchy. So as a byproduct of that, I'm probably applying to universities very soon. And looking at Harvard as my top choice as of right now. So Cambridge is definitely my, my favorite. And that's that's sort of where things stand. The rest is still to be uncovered. And that's I guess that's sort of the fun in it.

Podcast Host:

Yeah, absolutely. And when you say Cambridge, you mean Cambridge, Massachusetts, right? Yes, yes. Cambridge avidin. MIT. Yeah. Okay, right, yeah, that's a fantastic goal. And I'm sure you'll apply in terms of, you know, creating that story, right? That's what it's all about when putting together a strong University application, the admission officers, they really want to know who you are and not just what your scores are and that type of thing.

Krithik:

Oh, definitely, exactly. It's it's that they try to build, like the community that I've met at all of these, like procedures, universities, or like just any university in general is that, like, everyone brings something to the table that you otherwise wouldn't have gotten, like, the sum of the parts is greater than each individual component. And, like keeping that in mind when like when you work in groups in general, or like when applying to colleges, like acknowledging that you have something to bring the table definitely helps a lot. And, and in the case that it doesn't work out, it just means that maybe the unit like the university wasn't a good fit for you, and just move taking that in stride.

Podcast Host:

Yeah, absolutely. So one thing I just need to clarify quickly, what exactly does a flight surgeon do?

Krithik:

Yeah, good question. So our flight, specifically what I want to be as a doctor for the International Space Station, so it's a very prestigious job. It requires a lot of academic training, I specifically want to work in something called pediatric cardiology and cardiology in general. And being a flight surgeon is something that like really excites me because I like aviation. And I also like medicine. So it seemed like a good intersection of the two.

Podcast Host:

I mean, that could make a pretty cool destination wedding, the International Space Station is a fantastic ceremony. But yeah, it sounds like you're on, you know, a fantastic trajectory. And wherever you end up, I'm sure it will be a fantastic experience, not just for you, for the people around you, who are influenced by your clarity and your ideas. And I hope the listeners who are tuned in today, really get that sense of not just who you are, and your advice and experience. So I hope you listeners are taking some things away today that you can apply in your own endeavors and your own projects to make sure that you're making the most of high school.

Krithik:

Yeah, that's so incredible. Well, I really hope that I made research just a little bit more approachable. And like, best of luck to anyone listening.

Podcast Host:

Thank you so much for your time critique. It's been fantastic to chat. And is there any website or place that students should go if they want to follow along your story a little bit more? Yeah, so um, my website is krithikramesh.com. And then I guess my Instagram handle is just Krithik Ramesh. that's usually where, where any life updates happen. And yeah, I usually don't post too much on social media. I've been trying to work on that and be more consistent. But yeah, that's that's pretty much the two biggest places you'll probably find me. Well, I know you're pretty quick on LinkedIn as well. So I'm sure our listeners can find you there. But otherwise Krithik. Thank you so much for joining us on Top of the Class.

Krithik:

Of course, bye bye.