Alexis Lewis
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. (May 2022) |
 |
Alexis Lewis | |
|---|---|
 Lewis with her Emergency Mask Pod, surrounded by 3D-printed model rockets | |
| Born | Chase Lewis 1999 |
| Education | University of North Carolina |
| Occupation(s) | Futurist, inventor, public speaker, artist and writer |
| Website | www |
Life and education:
Alexis Lewis was born in 1999. She is an American inventor, repeat science fair winner and public speaker[1]. Her parents were also inventors whose mission were to help others, which is why she has always been motivated by humanitarian issues[2]. Her interest on inventing was born when she was 7 years old in a road trip with her mom. While out there, she spent a lot of time with her grandfather, who was a rocket scientist on the Apollo Program, including Apollo 13. She learned a lot about how he saw the world and a lot about the building blocks of science and scientific thought.
Lewis was homeschooled, so she had a lot of free time to explore and build everything she wanted. Alexis had access to videos and books on any subject, so she got to learn about the science of everything [2].She studied in University of North Carolina at Chapell Hill with a major on TBD and a minor on entrepreneurship [3].
Besides innovating, Lewis has spoken widely about inventing and the role that kids can play in inventing solutions to some of society’s biggest challenges. She has shared her passion for invention at SXSWedu, TEDxUNC, the Smithsonian, and even the White House. Lewis is currently a freshman at Claremont McKenna College in California, where she hopes to study pre-med and neuroscience[4].
Innovation
She created the “Rescue Travois”. She adapted a traditional Native American sled, called a travois, by adding wheels to create a simpler way to transport families and their belongings[4]. It was built with bamboo, a antique material that was both inexpensive and strong, with a simple triangular structure tied with rope and covered with a net. It was designed so it can be easily built by village carpenters or handymen in even the most remote areas of the world. Lewis received the services of a patent attorney and an all-expenses-paid patent application. In 2015, she received US Patent 8,979,095 for her “Wheeled Travois.”[4]
Pain Point she tried to address
She was trying to create a solution so children in future famines make it to the refugee centers safely. During the 2011 Somali famine, hundreds of children were left by the roadsides to die when their parents could no longer carry them on the weeks-long treks to refugee centers [5]. When Alexis read about the decisions these parents had to make, she wondered if there was anything he could do to help prevent this from happening again. His research revealed that what was needed was a simple wheeled device that could be towed behind a parent, while still keeping the parent's arms free to hold a child and the parent's back and chest free to hold a child wrapped to them.
Impact on society today
The Rescue Travois helped migrants trying to get to refugees to take all their family, without leaving children by the roadsides to die. The Rescue Tracois is still in use today. in arid. to help those need during COVID-19 pandemic. Alexis shared her "Rescue Travois" device ro transport the sick and vulnerable [2]
References
- ^ Anderson, T. R.; Slotkin, T. A. (August 15, 1975). "Maturation of the adrenal medulla--IV. Effects of morphine". Biochemical Pharmacology. 24 (16): 1469–1474. doi:10.1016/0006-2952(75)90020-9. ISSN 1873-2968. PMID 7.
- ^ a b c Chow, Y. W.; Pietranico, R.; Mukerji, A. (October 27, 1975). "Studies of oxygen binding energy to hemoglobin molecule". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 66 (4): 1424–1431. doi:10.1016/0006-291x(75)90518-5. ISSN 0006-291X. PMID 6.
- ^ Hendrickson, W. A.; Ward, K. B. (October 27, 1975). "Atomic models for the polypeptide backbones of myohemerythrin and hemerythrin". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 66 (4): 1349–1356. doi:10.1016/0006-291x(75)90508-2. ISSN 1090-2104. PMID 5.
- ^ a b c Wiesmann, U. N.; DiDonato, S.; Herschkowitz, N. N. (October 27, 1975). "Effect of chloroquine on cultured fibroblasts: release of lysosomal hydrolases and inhibition of their uptake". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 66 (4): 1338–1343. doi:10.1016/0006-291x(75)90506-9. ISSN 1090-2104. PMID 4.
- ^ Hendrickson, W. A.; Ward, K. B. (October 27, 1975). "Atomic models for the polypeptide backbones of myohemerythrin and hemerythrin". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 66 (4): 1349–1356. doi:10.1016/0006-291x(75)90508-2. ISSN 1090-2104. PMID 5.