Naya, a freshman at John F. Kennedy High School in New Orleans, was inspired to create the watch through a program called , where K-12 students learn and participate in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math projects. The organization offers an eight-month-long STEM fellowship to low-income high school students of color who show an interest in solving real-world problems and gives them training, career and networking opportunities.

She signed up for the fellowship because she wanted to keep herself busy. Little did she know the opportunities the program would allow her.

The organization also hosts STEM Saturday, a free weekend program where K-12 students can create inventions. When Naya attended her first STEM Saturday in October, she thought designing a watch that detects seizures would be a great idea. But the following weekend 鈥� the last weekend to complete her project 鈥� she changed her plan entirely and instead created a watch for stroke detection, since her grandmother had suffered a stroke. She named her invention WingItt, a fitting title for an idea that sprouted at the last second.

The watch works by detecting nerve impulses and heartbeats. Naya says that many stroke victims may develop noticeable signs such as a droopy face or strange taste in their mouth, but she wanted to create something that can detect internal symptoms. As she researched, she found that strokes were more common in people 55 and older than in younger people, so she wanted to cater to this demographic. As she works out the kinks in her prototype, she wants to ensure that it is detecting only strokes and not picking up on other issues, such as those involving the heart.

A huge priority for Naya is making sure her watch is affordable for older adults who may not have the money for expensive technology, like iPhones and Apple Watches, that have health-monitoring features.

鈥淚 want to do something I’m interested in, that will also change the world,鈥� she says.

Naya’s invention could well be on its way to doing just that, as she is one of 126 students out of over 2,500 nationwide to be selected as champions in the . The competition for grades 6 to 12, presented by the U.S. Department of Education and , will host its inaugural festival next month in Washington, D.C., where the champions will showcase their creations. The students are also receiving two months of and four months of master classes with STEM experts like astronauts and sports statisticians. 

鈥淚 never thought that I would win,鈥� Naya says. She says she looks forward to presenting her watch and seeing the other inventions at the festival. 

Naya thinks younger students who may have an interest in science should give STEM a try because it has given her experiences she never thought she would have. She says students in her area specifically should give STEM NOLA a chance because it has allowed her to go to new places and learn new things.

As a freshman, Naya still has plenty of time to do more in the world of STEM. Her other plans include playing softball and getting a college scholarship, and longer-term, becoming an obstetrician-gynecologist.

鈥淚 love the fact that you’re bringing new life into the world, that’s the coolest thing ever to me. I鈥檓 a woman helping women. It can鈥檛 get any better than that!鈥�
Disclosure: The Walton Family Foundation and Overdeck Family Foundation provide financial support to the and 蜜桃影视.

But do you remember what pi actually stands for? What the number represents? 

And have you ever heard of #DressforSTEM Day, which is also March 14? 

No? Here鈥檚 fourth-grader Ada with everything you need to know: 

Ada knows what Pi is, but how many adults do? 蜜桃影视’s Jim Fields asked the people of Philadelphia 鈥� and the results are hilarious:

STEM Superstars: In honor of Pi Day, here are five inspiring teens creating STEM breakthroughs: 

And in celebration of Women鈥檚 History Month, 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Trinity Alicia explores women鈥檚 ongoing impact in STEM and how a hashtag is driving the Pi Day conversation to representation of women in the field:

In honor of 3.14, we recently canvassed the country, searching out STEM students with noteworthy projects and inventions. You can see all our recent profiles on our STEM Superstars microsite; here are our most recent video profiles of four remarkable teenagers: 

Helping Amputees 鈥� Virginia鈥檚 Arav Bhargava

The 18-year-old senior at The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia has developed a universal fit, 3D-printed prosthetic for amputees missing their forearms. (Read the full story) 

Confronting Depression & Suicide 鈥� New York鈥檚 Natasha Kulviwat

The 17-year-old from Jericho researched a biomarker to help identify those at risk of suicide. (Read the full story) 

Easing Anxiety 鈥� Philadelphia鈥檚 Gavriela Beatrice Kalish-Schur

The 18-year-old senior at Pennsylvania鈥檚 Julia R. Masterman High School gave fruit flies anxiety to gain a deeper understanding for what makes us anxious 鈥� and to pave the path for better treatments. (Read the full story) 

Improving Rural Health Care 鈥� Maryland鈥檚 William Gao

The 18-year-old from Ellicott City鈥檚 Centennial High School created an AI-enabled diagnostic app that could help save rural cancer patients. (Read the full story) 

And in honor of March 14 and Women’s History Month, 蜜桃影视’s Trinity Alicia explores women’s ongoing impact in STEM and how a hashtag is driving the Pi Day conversation to representation of women in the field:

But there鈥檚 another annual observance this month dedicated specifically to celebrating women working in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers 鈥� while also acknowledging there鈥檚 still a long way to go. 

began as a grassroots movement in 2016, started by a group of female meteorologists to celebrate female STEM pioneers, those active in the field and the next generation of female scientists on March 14.

March 14 marks Pi Day, a celebration of the mathematical symbol pi. by physicist Larry Shaw, March 14 was selected because the numerical date represents the first three digits of pi (3.14) 鈥� and also happens to be Albert Einstein鈥檚 birthday.  

It wasn鈥檛 until 2009 that Pi Day became an official holiday when the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation. But almost 40 years after Pi Day was born, women in STEM and their allies are asking for more diversity in the field.

All it took was a who planned to wear the same purple dress on Pi Day in 2016 and 2017, garnering viral attention as well as the opportunity to drive the Pi Day conversation to the underrepresentation of women in STEM.

This Pi Day (3.14) the ladies at AccuWeather are wearing the same dress to promote more women in STEM: Science Technology Engineering & Math

鈥� Cam Tran WESH (@CamTranTV)

While MIT that the gender gap in STEM careers remains significant, with women accounting for only 28% of the field in 2023, Edutopia that female visibility in the field is increasing, with nearly 58% of young girls drawing a picture of a scientist who looks like them in 2016 鈥� when #DressForSTEM was launched 鈥� compared to 1% when the study was first conducted in the 1960s. 

Today, in 2024, #DressForSTEM still stands: Those who participate in the initiative wear purple and create social media posts with the hashtag #DressForSTEM on March 14.

We’ve chosen to go a step further and celebrate by presenting photographic proof of the ongoing contributions women have made to STEM.