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Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to Stephane

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Speaker 1: Never told your protection if I heart radio, Yes, and

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Speaker 1: welcome to another episode of Activists around the World. Um,

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Speaker 1: and we are here to celebrate the brilliance of Kiara

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Speaker 1: organ and activists, a scientists, inventor, and speaker and so

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Speaker 1: many more other things that could be under a belt

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Speaker 1: at her age of twenty two. I think I'm like,

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Speaker 1: Okay Tree, and yeah, we are talking about this brilliant

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Speaker 1: all of those things I just said. Um, and apparently

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Speaker 1: she just recently graduated from college, so congratulations. Not listening

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Speaker 1: to our podcasts are in the airwaves nonetheless, wherever you are,

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Speaker 1: so yeah. Kia Law with a list of the accomplishments,

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Speaker 1: like we said, is a leader and innovator in the

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Speaker 1: STEM world, and something she has advocated for is for

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Speaker 1: more young women to be in this field, which yes,

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Speaker 1: we heart that. In a recent article she wrote for

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Speaker 1: The Economists and organ Rites about the issues of the

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Speaker 1: gender divide and STEM saying young women and girls around

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Speaker 1: the world are disproportionately discouraged from studying subjects like science, technology, engineering,

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Speaker 1: and mathematics STEM or pursuing careers in these fields. As adults.

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Speaker 1: The gender divide is stark in the workplace, and she

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Speaker 1: continues on closing this gender divide is key to a

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Speaker 1: better future. Solutions to some of our world's most pressing

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Speaker 1: problems could be out there in the minds of girls

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Speaker 1: around the world, but if they can't gain access to

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Speaker 1: quality education in these fields, the world is never going

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Speaker 1: to know about them. And yeah, she would know about

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Speaker 1: finding solutions as her own invention has made a vast

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Speaker 1: difference in the food shortage in her community. So at

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Speaker 1: the age of sixteen, and Urgan won the Google Science

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Speaker 1: Fair for her invention, which was a polymer technology that

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Speaker 1: can keep soil and crops hydrated for longer periods of

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Speaker 1: time during drought conditions. While being hospitalized due to a

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Speaker 1: serious illness, Norgan decided to put her time to use.

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Speaker 1: At the time, Johannesburg was suffering through one of the

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Speaker 1: worst droughts in decades, which had caused a food shortage,

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Speaker 1: and as climate change has become a leading cause in

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Speaker 1: hunger and food shortages, it wasn't just a problem in

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Speaker 1: South Africa, and Johannesburg was declared a disaster area due

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Speaker 1: to this. But Nrgan began her research and she realized

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Speaker 1: how she wanted to solve such a huge problem. Um quote.

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Speaker 1: I was young at the time, but I knew that

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Speaker 1: the solutions being put in place were not groundbreaking. So

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Speaker 1: I started looking at the problem and saw how I

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Speaker 1: could break it down into something that I could solve.

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Speaker 1: Oh yeah, and she did. After being released from the hospital,

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Speaker 1: she began her experiments. Um And though there were things

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Speaker 1: within the agricultural industry, the SAP or super absorbent polymers

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Speaker 1: are not actually affordable uh, nor are they environmentally friendly

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Speaker 1: as they are oftentimes non biodegradable. So Nurgan took her

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Speaker 1: ideas to change all of that using a mixed sure

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Speaker 1: of orange pills, which has high levels of pecton making

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Speaker 1: it super absorbent, and avocado pills, which contain natural oils

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Speaker 1: to help with the same process, allowing it to be

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Speaker 1: a natural SAP. Again. The super absorbent polymer, as she

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Speaker 1: explains her innovation quote, retains the same amount of water

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Speaker 1: as chemical SAPs, and it improves soil quality because it's biodegradable.

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Speaker 1: It also increases food security because in theory, farmers can

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Speaker 1: make it themselves, which you know we love that too,

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Speaker 1: and even better, She's able to get the supplies from

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Speaker 1: the waste of juice manufacturing, making it sustainable and low

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Speaker 1: cost UM And due to the newness of this invention,

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Speaker 1: Organ has been watching closely to see if any issues

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Speaker 1: about chemical products happen or the such, and so she's

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Speaker 1: constantly watching because it is a fairly new idea UM

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Speaker 1: and she has received well earned attention for her works

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Speaker 1: through this and has become a leader for other girls

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Speaker 1: to enter the STEM filled speaking at ted Dogs, with

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Speaker 1: the You and Women Organization and other platforms around the world,

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Speaker 1: Organ continues to use her voice to bring attention to

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Speaker 1: the needs for equal opportunities for women in these fields.

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Speaker 1: In her article with You and Women on equality, she says, quote,

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Speaker 1: I spoke up about this issue because the idea of

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Speaker 1: young girls not being able to pursue what interests them

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Speaker 1: as their male counterparts can do is absurd yet extremely rife.

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Speaker 1: Having more young girls in STEM it would bring growth

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Speaker 1: to innovation related industries and benefit many communities. And on

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Speaker 1: top of all of this, she wrote a book UM

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Speaker 1: which we will add to our book club lists, titled

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Speaker 1: Youth Revolution, which talks about tackling gender inequality in STEM.

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Speaker 1: Published in twenty nineteen, and for a bit more insight

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Speaker 1: about the book, Quote Youth Revolution not only covers her

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Speaker 1: journey from the hospital bed to the stage as the

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Speaker 1: winner of the Science Award, but also looks at issues

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Speaker 1: surrounding stagnant youth innovation while considering the dangers of lacking

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Speaker 1: diversity and stem science, technology, engineering, and mass. It also

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Speaker 1: includes contributions from prominent women in science and education, among

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Speaker 1: them Malata Usify, VP of Education and University Program for

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Speaker 1: Google and the recipient of the Loreal Unesco Award for

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Speaker 1: Women in Science. Youth Revolution is a deeply human and

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Speaker 1: truly inspirational, real life story that will enter all teenagers

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Speaker 1: and adults alike. Improves that even ordinary teenagers can do

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Speaker 1: extraordinary things. Right. Um, and we don't talk much about this,

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Speaker 1: but yeah, one of her push in advocating is to

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Speaker 1: have young people being a part of this making sure

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Speaker 1: we recognize obviously as she as a testimony to that,

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Speaker 1: oftentimes younger generations know how to bring about solutions. They

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Speaker 1: have innovative ideas and we should be listening and uh

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Speaker 1: really taking an advantage. I say that loosely to those

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Speaker 1: young minds and how they can make change. We love

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Speaker 1: to see it so very unaccomplished around these years, but

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Speaker 1: love seeing how they can grow and can do such

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Speaker 1: amazing work and how life changing this type of process

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Speaker 1: and innovation can be, especially when it comes to the

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Speaker 1: food shortage which has only been highlighted by the pandemic

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Speaker 1: um And of course, this amazing leader, speaker, writer, innovator,

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Speaker 1: scientists has plenty of accolades under her name, including the

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Speaker 1: Green Tech Festival, Youngster's Innovation Award, UH, Glamor Magazine's College

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Speaker 1: Woman of the Year, Malala Fund, Guest Author and Youth Contributor,

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Speaker 1: United Nations Speaker of the United Nations Headquarters on International

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Speaker 1: Women's Day. She's got a great little article. Uh. She

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Speaker 1: is the Forbes Generation Disruptor. I love that title because

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Speaker 1: Cosmopolitans nineteen under nineteen. Uh. She's Top Women in Tech

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Speaker 1: for the Inspiring Fifty, the South African of the Year

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Speaker 1: in twenty eighteen for the Youth category, Young Champion of

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Speaker 1: the Earth nominee, and the United Nations in eighteen Women's

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Speaker 1: Summit honoree by Forbes Women in twenty seventeen. Time Magazine's

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Speaker 1: Top thirty Most Influential in twenty seventeen, as well as

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Speaker 1: she was on the Young Power List UH in twenty

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Speaker 1: seventeen for The Guardian. So yeah, she has made a

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Speaker 1: name for herself. I'm sad that it takes so much

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Speaker 1: research to find her, even though she is well known.

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Speaker 1: Of course, she does have amazing bits out there with

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Speaker 1: different podcasts. She has been on Ted Talks uh and

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Speaker 1: many other things. I'm sure you will continue to see her.

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Speaker 1: She just recently graduated from Stanford I believe. Congratulations um,

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Speaker 1: and I'm sure we're gonna hear many more things from her. Yes. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it's an amazing story, such a needed invention, and I'm

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Speaker 1: excited to hear more about what she does. And I'm

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Speaker 1: excited to read this book that sounds fantastic. In the meantime, listeners,

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Speaker 1: if you have someone we should highlight in this mini series,

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Speaker 1: please let us know. You can emails at stephaniea mom

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Speaker 1: Stuff at I hurt mea dot com. You can find

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Speaker 1: us on Twitter at mom Stuff podcast or on Instagram

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Speaker 1: at stuff I've Never Told You. Thanks as always to

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Speaker 1: our super producer, Christina. Thank you Christina, and thanks to

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Speaker 1: you for listening. Stuff Ie Never Told The Restection by

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Speaker 1: Heart Radio from more podcast I Heart Radio. You can

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