Katherine Jin has always been an innovator. As a young girl, she was charged with feeding her baby sister. Finding the job of holding the bottle for sissy to be boring, she modified an articulating lamp to hold a baby bottle at just the right angle.
In college, Katherine and some friends learned of problems faced by health care workers tackling the Ebola crisis in Liberia. Knowing that ineffective decontamination was the main vector for spreading the deadly virus from patient to clinician, she set out to develop a method for visualizing the disinfection process with a unique color that would highlight surfaces that have been contacted with disinfectant and then slowly fade. Five years later, with her college friends by her side, she is the co-founder of a startup and is filling orders for New York’s largest health care providers including the city’s fire department.
Inspired by Katherine Jin, a young innovator who solved problems big and small, we're going to explore how creative thinking can make a difference in health and safety. What problems do you see around you?
- Observe: Pay attention to your daily life. Are there things that are inconvenient, inefficient, or even unsafe? Think about your home, school, or community.
- Brainstorm: Come up with at least three different problems you could solve. Choose one that you find most interesting
- DesignSketch out a design for your invention. Think about:
- What problem does it solve?
- How does it work?
- What materials would you need?
- Who would benefit from your invention?
Create (Optional): If possible, try to build a prototype of your invention using recycled materials, craft supplies, or anything else you can find. Even a simple model can help you visualize your idea.