Jack Andraka has big summer plans, and we don't mean at the beach. Photograph courtesy of Andraka.
Almost as soon as Jack Andraka, a sophomore at Glen Burnie’s North County High School, won the top prize at last year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, he’d decided on his next project. Not satisfied with winning $100,000 for developing a five-cent paper strip that stands a chance of becoming the world’s best—and cheapest—test for pancreatic cancer, Andraka set his sights on something bigger: Qualcomm’s $10-million Tricorder X-Prize.
After reading about the international competition to bring the tricorder—Star Trek’s legendary piece of medical technology—to life, Andraka gathered four friends he’d made at the Intel fair to pursue the prize. “I just thought it would be cool to have a team of all high-school students,” he says.
All they have to do to win is create a wireless, handheld device capable of monitoring a patient’s vital signs and diagnosing 15 diseases ranging from sleep apnea to atrial fibrillation.
Andraka, 16, and his partners hope by the end of the year to develop a working prototype that can be used to diagnose most of the diseases and to have a refined product by the time the contest closes in 2015. So far, all their communication has been via Skype, but they plan to spend the summer working together at either Harvard or MIT.
For his portion of the project, Andraka is working on a handheld MRI machine and a sugar-cube-size device that will measure the concentration of various proteins in the bloodstream and, with the help of proprietary software, diagnose diseases based on what it finds.
Although the researchers are young, they’re not without resources. All have access to labs—Andraka himself spends about 25 hours a week working at DC’s Naval Research Laboratory. With that sort of time commitment, it may be no surprise that he’s never seen an episode of the show that inspired the project. Says Andraka: “I mostly don’t watch TV.”
This article appears in the May 2013 issue of The Washingtonian.
Local High School Student Aims to Make “Star Trek” Gadget a Reality
He may not have a driver’s license, but he has an international patent.
Almost as soon as Jack Andraka, a sophomore at Glen Burnie’s North County High School, won the top prize at last year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, he’d decided on his next project. Not satisfied with winning $100,000 for developing a five-cent paper strip that stands a chance of becoming the world’s best—and cheapest—test for pancreatic cancer, Andraka set his sights on something bigger: Qualcomm’s $10-million Tricorder X-Prize.
After reading about the international competition to bring the tricorder—Star Trek’s legendary piece of medical technology—to life, Andraka gathered four friends he’d made at the Intel fair to pursue the prize. “I just thought it would be cool to have a team of all high-school students,” he says.
All they have to do to win is create a wireless, handheld device capable of monitoring a patient’s vital signs and diagnosing 15 diseases ranging from sleep apnea to atrial fibrillation.
Andraka, 16, and his partners hope by the end of the year to develop a working prototype that can be used to diagnose most of the diseases and to have a refined product by the time the contest closes in 2015. So far, all their communication has been via Skype, but they plan to spend the summer working together at either Harvard or MIT.
For his portion of the project, Andraka is working on a handheld MRI machine and a sugar-cube-size device that will measure the concentration of various proteins in the bloodstream and, with the help of proprietary software, diagnose diseases based on what it finds.
Although the researchers are young, they’re not without resources. All have access to labs—Andraka himself spends about 25 hours a week working at DC’s Naval Research Laboratory. With that sort of time commitment, it may be no surprise that he’s never seen an episode of the show that inspired the project. Says Andraka: “I mostly don’t watch TV.”
This article appears in the May 2013 issue of The Washingtonian.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Every Bus Line in DC Is Changing This Weekend. Here’s What to Know.
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Bans on Underage Vaping, Swastika Graffiti, Synthetic Dyes: New Virginia Laws Go Into Effect in July
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
More from News & Politics
Speaker Johnson’s Megabill Prayers Likely to Be Answered Before Holiday Weekend, Wrongly Deported Maryland Man Faced Abuse in El Salvador Prison, and We Found Some Yummy Nepalese Food
Pardoned J6er Will Join Ed Martin’s Justice Department Office, Trump Outlines Hypothetical Alligator Escape Plan, and We Have Fireworks Show Recommendations
The “World’s Largest Outdoor Museum” Is Coming to DC. Here’s a Preview.
A Cult Classic of Cannabis Brands Is Making Its DC Debut
The Commanders Wine and Dine DC Council Members; GOP Senator Suggests Tax Language Was “Airdropped” Into Spending Bill; and Trump Wants DOGE to Investigate Musk
100 Reasons to Love DC Right Now
How DC’s Attorney General Got So Good at Double Dutch
DC Council Ponders New Way to Expel Trayon White, the GOP’s Budget Bill Advances, and We Found You Some Tacos With Ethiopian Flair