October’s Young Planet Leader - Jacqueline Prawira

Written By Heal The Planet

Jacqueline Prawira is a 19-year-old researcher and inventor from Mountain House, California. An avid bookworm since she was young, Jacqueline first explored the world beyond her horizons through reading. But she realized that as beautiful as the planet was on paper, the problems of environmental pollution and degradation she read about were not confined to the pages of a book. Inspired by the environmental issues directly impacting her community.

Jacqueline began re-evaluating her daily lifestyle to find ways to address the issues she saw at their source. Jacqueline’s research targets existing wastes and undervalued materials to upcycle into new solutions to environmental problems. This promotes a circular materials economy, helping mitigate pollution and reducing demand for natural resources. Her ultimate goal is for sustainability to be integral to daily life.

For her work, Jacqueline has been awarded at the national and international level. She was named a 2022 Rise Global Winner, is a three-time winner at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), and is a 2021 National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) winner. Jacqueline has also earned titles as the 2021 Project of the Year at the California Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF) and 2019 Outstanding Young Scientist by the California Association of Professional Scientists (CAPS).

Jacqueline has also been a guest speaker for various events from the local to the international level, including the Youth STEM Matters Conference, the Indonesian Scientific Society (ISS), Global Community Bio Summit, and the San Joaquin and Alameda County Offices of Education, presenting about the importance of STEM research and environmental action.

Jacqueline is currently a junior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, pursuing her degree in Material Science and Engineering. As an undergrad student, she has continued research on sustainable materials by joining MIT’s Center for Electrification and Decarbonization of Industry (CEDI), collaborating with other researchers to achieve new breakthroughs, and jointly filing a patent for her contributions.

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September’s Young Planet Leader - Gitanjali Rao