She's not even in high school yet, but Trisha Haldar of Windsor is already impressing scientists with her innovative visual drug interaction checker.
Haldar won a Platinum Award for Innovation at the 2025 Canada-Wide Science Fair in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
The checker is for patients who take multiple medications daily.
"Patients taking five or more medications face a significant risk of adverse drug events," said a synopsis of Haldar's project. "The complexity of drug interactions can pose a major challenge to patient safety, yet no user-friendly tools exist to visually represent these drug interactions."
Her project addresses the problem by providing information about drug interactions and probable causes if there is an adverse event.
Haldar was one of 219 finalists from across Canada who were awarded a total of $1.3-million in scholarships and awards.
Other winning projects included new treatments for schizophrenia, a novel way to prevent wildfires and drought, and using cyanobacteria to treat root rot fungus.
"This week, we've witnessed the power of youth curiosity in action," said Executive Director at Youth Science Canada Reni Barlow. "Every student who undertakes a STEM project deserves to be celebrated for their dedication and creativity."
The 64th annual science fair featured projects from contestants in grades 7 and up. More than 5,000 people attended the event. Another 30,000 watched online.