Pushkin. This is solvable on Jacob Weisberg, I learned not to deal in limitation, not to deal in obstacles, but rather to deal in possibility. Out of nearly two thousand high school students, Desia Taylor was recently named one of the forty finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Scholar Program. She was awarded twenty five thousand dollars for her work with beet dyed suitures to detect surgical site infections. I decided to create my project around the developing countries because
they are disproportionately affected by surgical site infections. Specifically, according to the WHO, patients with surgical site infections are twice as likely to spend time in an intensive care unit, five times more likely to be readmitted after discharged, twice as likely to die. Desia Taylor is seventeen years old. She heard about those numbers and decided she could do
something about it. My name is Desia Taylor, and I go to Iowa City West High School, and I think the problem of surgical site infections and developing countries can be solved. Tell me about your project. How does it work? So our skin is naturally acidic, having a pH of around five, but when our wounds are infected, that pH
increases to eight or higher. For my project, I decided to create color changing sutures, and in order to make them change color, I had to find a natural indicator, which is something that changes color when the pH changes. So I put two of these principles of science together to create my color changing sutures, and the natural indicator I found, surprise is beats. Beats will show you if the pH level is indicating an infection after you've had stitches.
Then this is after surgery we're talking about, right, Yes, So I would die this suture material in this beat, die that I that I've configurated, and I would let them dry, and then in order to test, since I can't I can't test on humans, I use pH and solutions that basically represent the different stages of healthy and infected. So healthy was the pH of five and the pH
of nine is infected. So I would use the pH solutions to drop some liquid on the set of sutures that I created, and I would watch the color change happen. And I noticed that the color change would only happen with the pH of nine because beats only change color
at eight or higher. So when a person is finished with surgery and they're stitched up with my stitches, and this would only work for like superficial wounds, So things that happened at the top of the skin, that area would start to change color because it picks up on that pH tracing, and then that lets everyone know that the wound was affected. The infections after surgery or a problem everywhere. It's a big problem in the United States too.
What about this is geared towards other countries rather than the US. Well, I've decided to create my project around the developing countries because they are disproportionately affected by surgical site infections. Specifically, I read an article which was just like on a car ride back from my grandparents' house, where these scientists created color changing stitches that had all of this fancy technology and they did more than just
like change color and whatnot. People could use their mobile device to connect and electro mat like all this stuff, like the things that I can't even explain to you. And I said to myself, this is an equity issue because people in developing countries won't be able to get their hands on this technology because it's too expensive. I set out to solve that problem so that they can't get to developing countries, essentially the people that beat them.
I decided to create my project as where equity meets science perspective, and I put that together and that's how I created this invention for developing countries. Specific were there things you did as a kid that got you interested in performing surgery? And what would happen when you were suturing? My mom and I still tease about this story to this day, but I somehow wanted to become a surgeon out of nowhere. And I was like, I'm gonna stitch up my bear because like my bear had like blown
a couple of stites. Yeah, yeah, exactly, so you understand. And I took the sewing kit and I just started stitching it up. I note that as my as the beginning of my project, the beginning of this research and the evolution to today and being here with you all, and that there I still have that there too. He's doing all right? What is are there any next steps with this project? Or is this kind of this was for the prize and you're on to the next thing, or do you think there may be some ways to
try it or implement it somewhere. My next steps include patenting this project and then licensing so that I can get these suitors to the people that need it. Well. I'm sure it'll be the first of many patents. I recently saw that Thomas Edison had had over a thousand, so but I'm not sure. I think you may have an earlier start than he did. I mean, women are underrepresented in technology, African Americans that are underrepresented in medicine.
What are yours as someone just starting out graduating from high school? Do you have insight into what the obstacles are and you know, maybe some ideas like your future idea about how to deal with that, how to solve that problem. It's not the problem we're talking about solving today, But you seem to be good at solving problems. I consider myself to be good at solving problems. I know that there are definitely so many obstacles for women, women
of color everywhere. Being seventeen, in the community that I live in, I'm a I'm a black woman who quite often finds herself in white spaces, white male dominant spaces, and I learned not to deal in limitation, not to deal in obstacles, but rather to deal in possibility. So here I am with my project, with my equity social justice, racial equity background. I'm really I'm not looking for obstacles
looking at obstacles. I'm really looking for the places where I can make a difference in best serves as a public servant. Essentially, it's great to see this kind of leadership at your age. It's it's amazing Gaija and I wonder what's what's next for you? What are your what are your plans for college next year? Well, for college next year, I am still awaiting. Um. I am in that group of students that you know where our decision dates got pushed back. So I'm hoping to get some
decisions in the next few weeks. Don't don't want to give it away yet, I understand, But you're going to go straight through. It sounds like you're going to go to You're expecting to go to college in the fall and then probably medical school after college. Um, we'll see how that goes. As of right now, my tentative plan is too major in political science and eventually go to grad school for law. But my ultimate goal just whatever I decide to major in whatever I decide to do
in grad school. My goal is to make sure that these suitors get to the people that need them. That's going to happen no matter what. Dejah. I'm always amazed when I see a science competition like this, and you know, the young people who come up with this amazing ideas. And as someone who was never good at coming up with that kind of idea, I'd love your advice. We always had the show by asking for some advice for listeners. How do you think creatively about this kind of innovation?
My best piece of advice is to be curious. Now, I know that sounds really general, but I promise you that is the only way that I got where I am today. I was curious about conducting research. I was curious about beats, I was curious about science fair competitions. And I took this entire like I want to change the world idea to my mentor, Carolyn Walling, and she said, I think this is a great idea. You have to figure out where you're going to start. And now I'm like,
I'm everywhere changing the world, and that's been amazing. So like, being curious has afforded me so many opportunities, and there's just no way that I would be here if I were if I were just you know, kind of just going through the motions of life and not really seeking out new knowledge. So seeking out new knowledge, being curious is definitely the way to go. You you mentioned that you have a mentor. Can you tell me what that
relationships like? Of course, Oh, my goodness, my mentor is amazing. So today we kind of just talked about my phase one of research. But since then, I've added like two new mentors to the team. My first one in OG that is Carolyn Walling. She was my honors teacher. I have had the honor and pleasure of welcoming Michelle Wickner to the team. She's also a chemistry teacher ap KIM so she's really smart. She's an ape him teacher at
West High. And then I've also had the pleasure of welcoming Teresa Ho from the University Iola, a microbiologist to the team as well. Her expertise is, oh, my gosh, phenomenal because I'm working with two chemistry teachers. Um, so those are my three mentors. And then like my OGOG has been my mom because I love her and she's so amazing. But those are all of the people. Well, I love it, you've got you've got a whole team of people. But any tips for connecting with mentors if
you don't even have one? Oh yes, I often think that, Like people have mentors, but they don't like they just don't call it that. Like someone you go to for advice, I consider a mentor. It's all relative to UM, to your personal perception of what a mentor is. But my number one piece of advice for students, especially because I'm still a student, UM, is to like listen to your teachers, like like followed back and like listen to your teachers.
Talk to them. I mean, if if you want to, and um, really see what they have to say, like kind of about life, about school in general. Like you have no idea how far like being connected with a teacher can take you. I have so many teacher mentors, oh my goodness, Like almost everyone in this building is a mentor of mine, and I absolutely love it. They have provided so much wisdom to my life, things that I would not have learned until probably like senior year
of college. And that has been so amazing. So I offer that to my students out there Desia. Will you have a brilliant career ahead of you and it is such a pleasure talking to you. Thank you for joining us. Thank you so much. Jacob Desiah Taylor is a senior at Iowa City West High School. To learn more about her work with beat Dyed Suitures and surgical side infections and health equity, check out the links in our show notes. Solvable Senior producer is Jocelyn Frank, Research and booking by
Lisa Dunn. Catherine Girardo is managing producer, and our executive producer is Mia Loebell. Solvable is a production of Pushkin Industries. If you like the show, please remember to share, rate, and review it. It really helps us get the word out. You can find Pushkin podcasts wherever you listen, including on the iHeartRadio app and Apple podcast. I'm Jacob Weisberg.