North Gwinnett News

Two students from Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) have been named finalists in the National Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge. Nyambura Sallinen of Lanier High School and Keshvee Sekhda of North Gwinnett High School qualified for this prestigious competition with their project, "IdentiCan: The App That Detects Breast, Lung, and Skin Cancer." They submitted this project as eighth graders during the Gwinnett Regional Science, Engineering + Innovation Fair last year. This recognition is considered the highest honor in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) for middle school projects.

Nyambura and Keshvee are the first GCPS students to reach finalist status in this national competition. Jessica Holden, Director of Science-Secondary Education at GCPS, expressed her pride in their achievement. “Having two students advance to this level of national recognition and competition is certainly a testament to their outstanding talents and vision,” she said. “These students were inspired to solve a problem facing our community with the support and inspiration of their teachers and the greater Gwinnett STEM community through the science fair process.”

The app prototype developed by Nyambura and Keshvee uses an algorithm that analyzes over 8,000 photos and health scan images related to each cancer type along with audio clips for lung cancer detection. It also incorporates family history, medical history, and other relevant health data. In simulations conducted by the students, "IdentiCan" demonstrated a 94.3% accuracy rate in identifying cancer cases. Their goal is to work alongside medical professionals for further development and testing.

Thermo Fisher awarded Nyambura and Keshvee $500 each along with an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C., where they defended their project before other finalists as well as leading scientists and engineers from across the country during 'Finals Week' at the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (Thermo Fisher JIC). During this event, 30 finalists engaged in team STEM challenges designed to test critical thinking skills as well as collaboration abilities through project-based learning exercises. They competed for more than $100,000 worth of awards including scholarships such as the $25,000 Thermo Fisher Scientific ASCEND Award aimed at aspiring scientists cultivating new discoveries.

Keshvee received special recognition with a $10,000 Broadcom Coding with Commitment™ Award which honors individuals who combine coding expertise with STEM knowledge toward creating solutions beneficial for communities while aligning them within United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals framework.

Mrs. Holden highlighted how these accomplishments underscore both high-quality education provided by GCPS alongside opportunities available within its system stating: “The accomplishment of these students reflects the high quality of STEM education & opportunities Gwinnett County Public Schools provides showing that GCPS students are well equipped take on global challenges having ideas elevated highest level."