Hey friends! Welcome to my February newsletter - sending this out a bit late (I do apologize - I was quite busy and could not prioritize my newsletter at the normal time like usual). However, I'll go over a few new developments that have come my way.
February has been a pivotal month for me, and I hope you see this and gain some value!
Next on the Longevity Project
If you're new here, I'm working on extending the human healthspan. The reduction of the time we remain healthy is the precursor behind many of our biological problems. Instead of looking at a small scale, with longevity, we go large scale:
How do we target the baseline problems to prevent onsets of neurodegenerative disorders, cancers, endometriosis, and arthritis all at once?
I focused specifically on Alzheimer's disease for my application (or modeling) project - via simulating a common protein associated with healthspan extension (SIRT1), replicating and deep-diving into the various pathways it makes involvement with and going into Alzheimer's pathology. It was a pretty fun ride! 🚘
Here are the results (including article + two videos!):
Project Gaea - WE WON!!!
So um - my friends (Jessica, Anastasija, Sarah, and Dickson) won the fricking Q-munity vision challenge - we got 200 USD each in prize money + got invited to the League of Innovator's startup incubator! I am utterly grateful for this opportunity and thank my members so much for being the absolute best. Time for the next chapter 😎
If you want to check out our content - click this Notion page:
BCIs x AI: Monitoring Sleep 💤
We had a focus hackathon, and it was legit! My friends Neha, Sualeha, and Fatimah teamed up and created a pitch for a device called iDREAM, which monitors sleep via EEG waves. Go check out our pitch - we didn't win this one, but it was definitely helpful (especially for reading research papers on a ⌛ crunch!).
For the first time ever, I was the one pitching on a big project. Sure - I’d done it before, but I was terrified this time! Even though we didn’t win - I would say this is a decent pitch for the time crunch I was in!
Orna's Outputs: Pregnancy Tests, COVID-19 Testing, and Lateral Flow Assays
We are using the same technology that pregnancy tests use for fast, affordable COVID-19 testing throughout general populations and low-access areas in the global South. When I first found out about this, I couldn't help but take a deep dive + write an article on this!
The (UNIC)ORNA Podcast - Episodes Out on a Whim?
So um - I did a thing. I was a little bored (it snowed in Louisiana, so our Mardi Gras/mid-Winter break got postponed by a day). On February 17th at approximately 10:41 PM - I thought it was a good idea to record a few podcasts.
These are authentic with barely any editing, and I do hope you enjoy them!
Now, Here's Some Content that I Consumed That I Thought Might Be of Value ~
- this thread of good books!
- by @izzygrandic (s/o to her for having such good insights!)
(s/o to my friend Aliya for having an amazing voice and amazing research!).
Next Up - The UN Global Challenge
This has probably been one of the biggest highlights of my year so far - I work on a project that, if it makes it, can allow me to CONSULT. FOR. THE. FREAKING. UNITED. NATIONS.
This is legit 🔥 if you want to know more, check this out!
P.S. if you’re interested in such opps, I’d highly advise you to apply to TKS. You’ve heard of startup accelerators? This is a human accelerator. I was skeptical at first (especially with some negative reviews floating around + high cost) and I found myself not gaining the most value in the first two months of TKS (September + October). Some people found the better value of it in developing projects (and I’d advise you to go ahead and do so as well)!
In November, I worked on a dedicated team for a long-term project there for the first time (our PathCheck challenge, mentioned in my Dec. Newsletter), and it’s like my mindset completely changed. I was on the ball, learning new things and not getting bored, feeding my curiosity more - it’s like I somehow grew so much! I definitely wouldn’t have had this mindset shift if it weren’t for the community + the work that I had been doing.
It is not your typical RSI/SSP - you get to choose your own focuses, at your own pace, and you get to choose your mentors. You have 24-hr advice. You have everything at your fingertips.
Almost all of the work I’ve done - was because I joined this program and got to meet people that wanted to do such legit stuff. I’ve sometimes felt impostor syndrome - but I’m growing, I’m learning, I’ve gotten over so many fears (like reaching out to people and talking in calls) and I’ve made such valuable relationships with my friends and directors (who all worked in big tech companies + VC-backed unicorn startups before working with us).
I wouldn’t be writing articles or posting videos with high standards had it not been for this program. There were so many new ideas I got exposed to via this program - that I would totally recc this to anyone interested in growing and learning (not for the college apps! if you are, please ignore this message).
PS - yes, joining costs money, but they have a non-profit, fundraising branch specifically going towards offering gratuitous financial aid - not anything else. People from all over the world with different currency conversion rates are coming in, and people of various backgrounds are coming in - not everyone can afford it. Don’t be worried about the money when you apply.
The application ends on April 5th - if you’re between the ages of 13-17, apply here:
You’re in for a blast-off 🚀