In May, I attended the International Science & Engineering Fair in Columbus to present RetinAI, my wearable AI system for early eye tumor screening, at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. Sharing RetinAI with judges, researchers, clinicians, and students from around the world was both energizing and humbling. Throughout the week, I met finalists working on problems in biomedical engineering, climate science, computer science, and many other areas, and every conversation reminded me how powerful youth-driven innovation can be.
During the awards ceremony, I was honored to receive the ISEF Top Award and the ISEF First Place Grand Award in Biomedical Engineering for RetinAI. Standing on that stage reinforced why I began this work in the first place: to help make earlier and more accessible retinal tumor screening possible for families who often lack access to specialty care.
This year’s experience also felt like an important milestone in a longer journey. In 2024, I attended ISEF for the first time with ALLocate, my low-cost automated leukemia detection microscope. That year, ALLocate received the ISEF Third Award and the AAAI Special Award Honorable Mention. Those early recognitions motivated me to keep improving the system and eventually develop the next-generation version that I later presented at NeurIPS.
Returning to ISEF in 2025 with RetinAI felt like both a continuation and an expansion of the work I started years ago. Meeting so many judges, engineers, physicians, and fellow finalists encouraged me to keep refining these tools and strengthened my commitment to making real-world diagnostics faster, more affordable, and more accessible.
