North County High School junior Jack Andraka has another honor to add to his impressive and growing list of accomplishments: The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes.
Andraka is one of 25 winners from across the nation. The Barron Prize, an award that “celebrates inspiring, public-spirited, highly diverse young people from all across America, annually honors outstanding young leaders ages 8 to 18, who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet,” according to the Barron Prize site.
The top ten to fifteen winners, including Andraka, each receive a $5,000 cash award to support their service work or higher education.
Andraka invented an inexpensive dipstick-like sensor for the early detection of pancreatic, ovarian, and lung cancers. His test is 168 times faster and 26,000 times less expensive than the one currently being used. Since winning the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in 2012, he has traveled the world discussing his discovery.