A winner of the 2022 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes for the invention by a Mason high schooler. The prize money is $10,000. Every year, the Barron Prize honors 25 outstanding young leaders that have contributed a significant positive impact on people, involving their communities and the environment. Fifteen top winners each receive $10,000 for supporting their service work or higher education as published in a press release. Laalitya Acharya at the age of 18 invented Nereid, which is a low-cost that is accepted world-wide for the detection of water contamination within seconds.

The system uses Artificial Intelligence and it can be placed directly into water pipes for detection of microbial water contamination at low concentrations before the spread of infection. 

The device is a bit bigger than a cell phone, and Nereid costs approximately $75 and requires low power to operate. The device takes microscopic images of water and runs the photos through a custom neural network that Laalitya designed. After that, it transmits the information to a water plant or local authorities for notifying them of any contamination as stated in a release. 

The inventor is at present field-testing the Nereid in her hometown near Cincinnati as well as in Morocco, which is being conducted in collaboration with Columbia University’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders. 

Laalitya started her project at the age of 15 following a trip to visit India, where she and her family fell ill from drinking contaminated water. Laalitya resolved by addressing the water crisis and launched The Nereid Project for helping through innovation and education. 

Alongside the invention, the AI device has hosted more than 200 Water Summits for teaching people of all ages about the severity of water poverty and ways of helping to alleviate the same. 

Laalitya concluded saying, “I am truly grateful to everybody who has been a part of The Nereid Project’s journey. Our story has just begun, and I’m so excited to see where it goes.”