15 American Twentysomethings Leaving a Global Impact

John Bissell took the idiom, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” pretty literally when he founded Micromidas. A fitting name with “Midas” in the title, which means to turn whatever you touch into gold, Micromidas turns trash into plastic. Bissell has invented a way to turn waste that’s high in cellulose, like sawdust or cardboard, and make it into paraxylene. Paraxylene, for those of us who haven’t sat through a science course in a few years, is the primary ingredient for polyester and plastic bottles. Chemical companies are now making paraxylene out of crude oil.

Most 21-year-olds can’t boast about saving 6,000 human lives. Eden Full can. Her low-cost solar panel tracks the sun as it moves through the sky with a system of dripping water bottles. At the same time, a filtration system cleans the water. Full sent early models of her system to Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, providing clean water and power to people who desperately need it.

While a lot of 20-somethings are obsessed with their cell phones and their amazing uses (namely Tinder), Holeman, Nesbit, and Mahmud have founded something that’s a little more worthwhile. After meeting a doctor who was serving 250,000 people, Nesbit, as a college sophomore doing research on pediatric AIDS in Malawi, alongside his co-founders, created Medic Mobile. Medic Mobile exists on the idea that mobile phone technology can help improve health services and it now helps patients in 23 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the U.S. Medic Mobile is essential in an ever-connected world. It not only registers every pregnancy, but it tracks outbreaks of diseases, and keeps stock of essential medicines.

Degenerative disease treatment and prevention seem to be at the forefront of medical research, and Merck scientist Paige Cramer may have just cemented her position atop the field. During her PhD study, Cramer discovered that the antineoplastic drug Bexarotene may target the protein many believe to be at the root of Alzheimer’s disease. The discovery could further the treatment of the disease for decades to come.

Over the last five years Coogler has penned four screenplays and directed five. The most recent was Fruitvale Station (2013), the story of a young, black, Bay-Area man celebrating New Years in 2008, and examining the race relations in America. It is one of 2013’s most important films. Coogler’s talent isn’t focused on his own success, but rather on how he can change the growing racial segregation in our own nation, and therefore, other nations. He uses his work to question what makes a person human, or less than that. Coogler proves himself a powerfully talented dramatic director, with years of talent yet untapped.

Far off places that are so far off the grid for most Americans to consider survive by producing power through diesel generators. The gas-guzzlers are the only way for many communities to get power. Jacob DeWitte’s UPower plans to end that by making a portable nuclear generator. UPower is currently developing a transportable, solid-state nuclear generator that can generate up to 1.75 megawatts of power. Which means 12 years of energy without refueling.

Watsi, founded by the 27-year-old Chase Adam, has raised more than $2 million within two years for patients in 16 countries. Watsi is the first crowdfunding site where donors give directly to people in need.

Social networking has exploded over the last decade by leaps and bounds. Corporate telecommunications work faster and more effectively than ever, but in the field of K-12 education, where communication is the most integral component for success, there has been very little development. That is, until now. Nic Borg is the co-founder of Edmodo, a pioneer in Educational Networking. If you remember using the Blackboard system in college, it’s similar to that, but with a far more casual and lively feel. Teachers can share Internet content, take assignment submissions, host discussion forums, and in general have more information readily available to their students in a format that is modern and accessible. In a world where standardized tests rule, Edmodo has set out to engage students into actually having an interest in what they are learning. Edmodo provides resources to help children learn beyond a test, and use their knowledge in more of a real-world approach.

The scope of healthcare is not solely limited to the treatment of injuries and infectious disease; its broader goal is to increase the quality of life for every human being. Julie Carney co-founded Gardens for Health to address the staggering cases of malnutrition in Rwanda. Patients in local health centers are equipped with the tools to fight hunger: seeds, livestock, and training in the best practices for gardening and cultivation. The approach is proactive, not reactive, as is regularly the case in personal healthcare, and has yielded positive results already. Over 70 percent of children in Rwanda that have participated with Gardens for Health have achieved healthy body weights, thanks in no small part to Carney’s efforts.

According to the National Science Board’s 2010 study, Science and Engineering Indicators, African Americans make up less than 10 percent of the science and engineering workers in the United States. That statistic didn’t sit well with Amanda Spann and Kat Calvin, the respective CMO and CEO of Blerdology. Racial equality in this country begins with a universality of opportunity, and Blerdology is committed to increasing African American representation in the tech field by sponsoring events and training programs to improve fluency in computer programing.

The perk to developing healthcare industries in the United States is the fact that there is a consumer base and an insurance network dedicated to ensuring access to proper medical care. But this list features those making a global impact, and Mark Arnoldy, Executive Director of Nyaya Health, left the comforts of the U.S. behind to focus on bringing quality, low-cost healthcare to rural Nepal. Working directly with the Nepali government, Arnoldy is not just building healthier lives, but he’s enriching the community through an influx of jobs and professional training. He doesn’t just go the extra mile for his patients—he went nearly 8,000 for them.

We used to think of engineers as people who built engines and erected bridges, but lately the field has expanded to include a new task: performing miracles. At least that’s the consensus feeling on Parker Hannifin’s Ryan Farris, whose work with Vanderbilt University engineer Michael Goldfarb and team has yielded a tremendous breakthrough in therapeutic care. Farris’ Indego exoskeleton, which has given those who have suffered severe spinal cord injuries an opportunity to walk again, is not only an example of his brilliance as an engineer, it demonstrates his compassion and empathy for his fellow man as well.