Sarasota Student Invents Computer Tool to Diagnose Leukemia

A Sarasota high school senior has been honored by the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for a computer tool she has developed to help doctors diagnose leukemia.

Brittany Wenger's cloud-based diagnostic tool not only won a $3,000 award in the computer-science category, it also is gaining notice from the medical community, according to an article in Mashable.

Brittany, 18, is a student at The Out-of-Door Academy in Sarasota, and plans to enter Duke University in the fall. Her goal is to become a pediatric oncologist.

Brittany, who was interviewed by Vignesh Ramachandran at Mashable, said:

"The most amazing part about science is you can answer questions and really revolutionize the world and our knowledge base."

Previously, Brittany developed a similar tool for detecting breast cancer. See her Cloud4Cancer Service here. That work was recognized this year at Intel's 2013 Science Talent Search.

Brittany told Mashable that her interest in developing computer tools to aid in medicine initially were driven by concern for a relative who had developed breast cancer.

Read Vignesh Ramachandran's complete article, "Teen Develops Algorithm for Diagnosing Leukemia, by clicking here.

Read more about Brittany's accomplishments on the site, TEDx Women.

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