Kiara Nirghin

Kiara Nirghin is a South African inventor, scientist, and speaker. She is known for her award-winning work on a method to increase food security in drought stricken areas that won the 2016 Google Science Fair. Since 2018, she has attended Stanford University as an undergraduate.[5]

Kiara Nirghin
Born (2000-02-25) February 25, 2000
NationalitySouth African
Known forCombating drought with a low-cost, biodegradable Super-absorbent Polymer made out of Orange Peels.[1]
AwardsGrand Prizewinner in Google Science Fair (2016)[2]

Community Impact Award of the Middle East and Africa in Google Science Fair(2016)[3]

Time Magazine's Top 30 Most Influential Teens (2016)[4]

The Innovation

Kiara was sixteen years old at the time of her win at the Google Science Fair. She is known as the sole founder of her project titled: "No More Thirsty Crops."[6][7] In response to one of South Africa's worst droughts in 45 years, with the lowest ever rainfall since 1904 and in 2015, the country only receiving 66% of the annual average rainfall, did Kiara start her research. SAPs absorb and carry about 300 times its weight in liquid relative to their own mass. When a SAP is cross-linked with polymerization, the product is water retaining hydrogels that act as a reservoir of collected water in soil. However, these SAPs are not biodegradable, costly and full of acrylic acid, sodium hydroxide and other chemicals. Kiara developed a unique super-absorbent polymer that holds hundreds of times its weight in water when stored in soil. It is biodegradable, inexpensive and free of harmful chemicals, unlike the manmade materials currently used. The polymer, made entirely from waste products, improves the environment, increases the chance for plants to sustain growth by 84% during a drought and can increase food security by 73% in disaster-struck areas.[8]

Activities

Kiara has often spoken out on the importance of diversifying the STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields to include young girls.[9] As a speaker at TEDx [10] and Forbes Africa [11] she has identified herself as an influential speaker. In September 2017, Kiara was a speaker at the Lead S.A Change Makers Conference. [12] In 2018, Kiara was nominated as a Regional Finalist of the 2018 United Nation’s Young Champions of the Earth. [13]

References
  1. "Teen Wins Big for a Homemade weonXD". Scientific American. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  2. "16-year-old South African invents wonder material to fight drought". CNN. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  3. "South African teen wins Google prize for orange peel innovation". BBC. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  4. "The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016". Time. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  5. "How can girls change their communities? Kiara Nirghin has it down to a science". assembly.malala. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  6. "16-year-old South African invents wonder material to fight drought". CNN. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  7. University, Stanford (30 January 2020). "Stanford student's invention gives her a worldwide platform to advocate change". Stanford News. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  8. "KIARA NIRGHIN SOUTH AFRICA, 18". Three Dot Dash. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  9. "How can girls change their communities? Kiara Nirghin has it down to a science". assembly.malala. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  10. "TEDxPretoria". TED. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  11. "MTN Business and Forbes Woman Africa host second Leading Women Summit". Biz Community. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  12. "Kiara Nirghin: Teen Scientist Leading the Way!". Lead SA. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  13. "Kiara Nirghin South Africa REGIONAL FINALIST, AFRICA". Young Champions of the Earth. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
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