Teenage Scientist Wows World With Her Prowess in Innovation

Eighteen-year-old Hannah Herbst is a student and social innovator. At age 14 she invented a small turbine that converts energy from ocean currents into electricity – a creation that she hopes can be employed in developing countries, and was originally inspired by her desire to help her 9-year-old pen pal in Ethiopia who wrote of having no lights or a steady flow of fresh water.

With a passion for learning, problem-solving, and helping others, Hannah is now dually enrolled at Florida Atlantic University (having the earned-credit equivalency of a college junior) while being a senior in high school. Pursuing her undergraduate degree in Management IT, she is also exploring the properties of shark skin for medical applications at the Florida Atlantic Biomechanics Lab. In addition, her work has included studying early identification methods for hazardous airborne chemicals in collaboration with the Institute for Sensing and Embedded Network Systems Engineering at Florida Atlantic University.

Asked by Porter Magazine about her heroes, Hannah said, “My dad and my mom [are my heroes] who both inspire me every day through their strength and compassion for others. I am so grateful to have them in my life.”

Accolades are no stranger to this rising young innovator. They include: being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2018; winning the title of America’s 2015 Top Young Scientist; exhibiting at the White House Science Fair; and speaking at the United Nations Science, Technology and Innovation Summit.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.hannahherbst.com/