<p>Your science projects reminded me of two Princeton students. These two students have researched how to improve the health and lives of people living in developing countries. </p>
<p>In high school Shivani Sud '12 took the top prize of $100,000 in the Intel Science Talent Search for her genetics research in predicting colon cancer recurrence and identifying drugs that could treat the disease. Shivani, a Hindi speaking molecular biology major, wanted to develop using vinegar a low cost screening technique for cervical cancer for women who live in the developing world. Funding through the Princeton Adel Mahmoud Global Health Scholars Program allowed her to develop using a digital camera and NIH software a technique that can be used by clinic workers with modest training to identify women that should receive further care. Shivani received the Princeton Martin Dale Fellowship which will fund her teaching physicians and medical students how to detect cervical cancer. In 2013 researchers reported at a cancer conference that vinegar screening in India slashed cervical cancer death rates by one-third. The vinegar screening test could prevent 22,000 deaths in India and 72,600 worldwide each year, researchers estimate. </p>
<p>Engineering student Eden Full '15, a Ashoka-Lemelson fellow is developing a tracking system to orient solar panels to face the sun thus maximizing their energy production. Her company Roseicollis Technologies has developed the first low cost low maintenance solar panel tracking system. She presented her solar tracking system, SunSaluter at The Ashoka-Lemelson Tech4Society Celebration in Hyderabad, India. At a cost of only $10 her system captures 40 percent more energy than conventional solar panel systems by tracking the sun across the sky during the day. The SunSaluter won the Mashable/UN Foundation Startups for Social Good Challenge. Eden received $100,000 from the Thiel Fellowship to bring her invention to the marketplace. To receive the money, she had to leave the University for two years and will return as a student in the fall of 2013. Eden said that I really love Princeton, and I am glad I am going to be back.</p>
<p>Both students represent how creative science/engineering students can further their goals by using Princeton’s resources. Shivani received funding for her undergraduate research. Here is information on the Adel Mahmoud Global Health Scholars Program to fund undergraduate research. [The</a> Adel Mahmoud Global Health Scholars Program<em>-</em>Center for Health & Wellbeing](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/chw/education/ugrad-research-funding/scholars-program/]The”>http://www.princeton.edu/chw/education/ugrad-research-funding/scholars-program/) Here is information on the Princeton Martin Dale Fellowship to fund a project after graduation. [Martin</a> A. Dale ?53 Fellowship - Home](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/dale/]Martin”>Martin A. Dale '53 Fellowship | Office of the Dean of the College) </p>
<p>Eden Full took a course in Social Entrepreneurship which helps students in the design/development of innovative social ventures. [Princeton</a> University - Creating opportunity: Engineering course empowers Princeton’s social entrepreneurs](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S25/83/83K33/index.xml]Princeton”>Creating opportunity: Engineering course empowers Princeton's social entrepreneurs) Note: one of the sponsored projects lead by Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Wole Soboyejo is water filtration in developing countries. Here is Eden’s story: [Princeton</a> Alumni Weekly: Tune in. Drop out. Start up.](<a href=“Issues | Princeton Alumni Weekly”>Tune in. Drop out. Start up. | Princeton Alumni Weekly) In this video she explains her solar tracking system which was first deployed in Kenya under the guidance of Professor Soboyejo. [Eden</a> Full at TEDxBerkeley - YouTube](<a href=“Eden Full at TEDxBerkeley - YouTube”>Eden Full at TEDxBerkeley - YouTube) Her work in Kenya was sponsored by the Princeton Health Challenge initiative. The Health Challenge seeks solutions to the pressing problems of global health and infectious disease. Princeton offers entrepreneur contests and funding to support students that want to start their own companies. To help students launch a new company TigerLaunch is a student competition to explain a new company idea. [TigerLaunch</a> 2012 rewards top student entrepreneurs - Princeton Alumni Weekly | The Weekly Blog](<a href=“TigerLaunch 2012 rewards top student entrepreneurs | Princeton Alumni Weekly”>TigerLaunch 2012 rewards top student entrepreneurs | Princeton Alumni Weekly) The 2013 contest had $60,000 in prize money to help fund a new company. The course Engineering Projects In Community Service enroll students to solve real world community projects. The 2012 Princeton team won a $90,000 grant from the U.S. EPA to further develop and implement their project, Power-in-a-Box. A system will be demonstrated in Kenya to show how it would work in Africa. Elab is a summer funded program to help students launch a new business: [eLAB[/url</a>] </p>
<p>Princeton offers many support system to help students to develop medical/public health improvements in developing countries. Princeton has entrepreneurship classes, an entrepreneurship club, seed money from entrepreneurship contests, research funding that enables students to work on their projects during the summer, and the opportunity to conduct independent research under the guidance of senior faculty. </p>
<p>In addition to considering majoring in biology you should consider majoring in engineering. Improving water quality is more of an engineering project than a biology project. The professors, courses, and resources of the engineering school could help you to develop and commercialize your arsenic poisoning remediation method. The Complex Fluids Group in the Mechanical and Engineering Department has researched methods for removing heavy metals like arsenic from water. MAE Professor Soboyejo started a ceramic water filter (CWF) factory in Nigeria. The Civil and Environmental Engineering Department is developing rainwater filtration systems. [url=<a href=“Princeton researchers develop disaster relief technologies for Haiti”>Princeton researchers develop disaster relief technologies for Haiti]Princeton</a> University - Princeton researchers develop disaster relief technologies for Haiti](<a href=“http://kellercenter.princeton.edu/elab/]eLAB[/url”>eLab | Keller Center at Princeton University) The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering would allow you to study biochemical and biomedical engineering. ChemEB students can take courses in molecular biology, entrepreneurship, nanotechnology, and bioengineering. [Bioengineering*-*Chemical</a> and Biological Engineering](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/cbe/research/bio/]Bioengineering*-*Chemical”>Cellular and Tissue Engineering | Chemical and Biological Engineering) Thirty percent of all engineering research is in the area of life sciences. You can be a premed student as an engineering major. You can start with the integrated science curriculum and decide your major after you have taken some courses. Applicants are admitted to Princeton University–not to the engineering school or the liberal arts school. It is easy for an engineering student to transfer to biology or a biology major to transfer to engineering if they choose their freshman courses wisely. All five engineering departments at Princeton are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET); Harvard is accredited by ABET in only one field, engineering science.</p>