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Samantha Marquez has seven patents under her belt- and she’s just 17 years old. The Richmond, Virginia teen is the creator of a new technology that organizes cells in a new structure called the Celloidosome. The applications of her invention can range from tissue regeneration to the regeneration of whole organs like the liver or pancreas. The most recent potential application of her work is using the Celloidosome as an artificial organism that can track radioactive heavy metals- and help clean up nuclear disasters. Marquez’s journey began when she was eleven years old working on a project for her 7th grade science class and found ways to improve upon a Harvard published research paper. Since then, Marquez has won many awards for her work, including the top prize at the 2012 Intel Science and Engineering Fair, first place at the International Space Olympics in Russia, and the 2013 Neuroscience Research Prize at the National American Academy of Neurology Conference. The young scientist also spends her time advocating for more Hispanics and young women to go into STEM fields.
