• “The bad news is that time flies.
    The good news is that you’re the pilot!”

    Hi! I’m Meet Baani Kaur.

    I’m 17 years old, a young girl passionate about the environment, biology, music, and dogs. I am student at Welham Boys’ School (yes, boys’ school!) in Dehradun, India, with big dreams to make the world a better place!

    Scroll down to learn more about me.

    My passions

    I get a lot of energy from working with like-minded young people from around the world.

    I am a member of the World Science Scholars 2022 cohort, where I am getting the opportunity to work as one of 55 students selected from 13 countries, and learn about how others think about science, learning, development, and impact.

    Click here to read the news story on Pioneer, one of India’s national newspapers.

    I feel strongly about my generation’s obligation to help improve humankind’s footprint on the environment. Earlier this year, I launched an at-source waste segregation program called Easy Composty in Dehradun, India. I led a team of 4 volunteers to roll it out over seven months, and raised 20,000 rupees (250 USD) to buy and distribute compostable bags.

    Learn more about Easy Composty here: easycomposty.com

    I am also a certified volunteer with the National Parks in Singapore, having participated in bio-diversity patrols for the protection of turtles and horseshoe crabs on Singapore’s east coast.

    My other volunteer initiatives in Dehradun include a food distribution drive for poor people during the COVID lockdown, a tree plantation drive when I assembled a volunteer team from her neighborhood to replace trees cut for a new construction project with new saplings, and hair donation for cancer patients (photo alongside).

    On the back of my volunteer initiatives, I was awarded the Bronze Certificate at the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Awards for Young People (IAYP) in 2021.

    My work

    I completed a research internship at Lucense Diagnostics, a Singapore-based bio-technology firm from Dec 2021 to Feb 2022, where I helped to design processes for cancer detection that are being used by the company for new technology development.

    Click here for the certification letter from the Co-founder and Chief Technology Offer at Lucence Diagnostics.

    I worked at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum of Singapore, with their entomological and cryogenic collection teams to process more than 700 insect and plant samples for long-term storage in 2022.

    Click here for the certification letter from my supervisor and the Scientific Officer at the museum.

    I am the author of the chapter “Electronic Waste: classification, composition, generation environmental hazards, and judicial aspects” in a recently published book titled “Environment: Academicians’ Perspective and Contribution”.

    Click here to read the chapter.

    My achievements

    In 2022, I participated at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Science Summer Camp, along with 30 other students from 5 countries. We attended lectures on topics such as biotechnology, and did group projects in interactive science workshops.

    I was part of the student team that won a Silver Medal in the Science Quiz.

    I have achieved the following ranks at national-level science exams in India:

    • #4 all-India rank for NEST (Nationwide Education and Scholarship Test) in 2022.
    • #1 state rank among Grade 11 students, and #129 international rank for NSTSE (National-level Science Talent Search Examination) in 2022.
    • #3 state and #1 district rank in the VVM (Vidyarthi Vigyan Manthan) national science award in 2022.

    I have received the following recognitions at Welham Boys’ School in Dehradun:

    • Principal’s Commendation Awards for being the top student in Computer applications and Social sciences.
    • Scholar’s Badge, Scholar’s Gown, and the Distinction Certificate for 3 consecutive years from Grades 9 to 11.
    • #1 school rank in Grade 10 at the University of Waterloo Cayley Contest in 2020.
    • Certificate of Distinction at the Australian National Chemistry Quiz in 2019.
    • Qualified through the first round of the Pre-regional Mathematics Olympiad, and selected for the Regional level Mathematics Olympiad.

    I was the first girl in the history of Welham Boys’ School to win the Best Speaker Award at the Arthur Hughes Inter-house English Debate in 2020, and have spoken at a number of school events.

    I also served as student leader for the Military History Seminars at Welham Boys’ School in 2019 and 2020. I led the school team that interviewed Indian military veterans in 2019, and was the Master of Ceremony for the event in 2020.

    My other interests

    I am trained in Bhangra (Punjabi dance) and Gatka (Sikh martial art) and have performed at several occasions. I have also participated in multiple plays as part of the theatre group at my school.

    Bhangra and Gatka performance
    Theatre performance at Welham Boys

    I am fascinated by the scientific foundations of our understanding of the world, and have completed a number of online courses to try and strengthen my own understanding. Some of my favorite courses include:

    • Three online courses on Cancer Biology from the Johns Hopkins University
    • Online summer course on the Usefulness of Remote Sensing and GIS for Environmental Studies, conducted by a team from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO),
    • Online course on The Endless Universe by Professor Paul Steinhardt, delivered as part of the World Science Festival,
    • Online certification in Elementary Particle Physics from the Life Lab Education & Research Foundation in Switzerland.

    Get in touch

    If you would like to work together, learn more about what I have done, or share about existing projects that you’re working on, I would love to hear from you. You can reach me at meetbaanikaur @ gmail (dot) com.