15-year-old Designs Low-Cost Device to Monitor Airborne Bacteria in the Environment; Wins $25,000 Top Award at the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge

Bailey Quinn Frank, 15, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, won the $25,000 top prize at the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge for designing a low-cost environmental DNA sampler to monitor airborne bacteria. The competition awarded over $100,000 to 30 finalists from nearly 2,000 applicants across 47 states and five territories, recognizing innovations in dementia research, wildfire prevention, and sustainable agriculture.