Javier Fernandez-Han

A tinkerer and inventor since age 7, Javier is currently a sophomore in high school. In 2008, Javier founded the non-profit organization Inventors without Borders to encourage and enable teens to use their talents to solve real-world problems. In 2009, Javier won the first place award in the Ashoka-Lemelson “Invent Your World” competition with his VERSATILE design, an algae and bacteria-powered system for providing food, fuel, fertilizer, and sanitation for developing communities. In 2010, he won the first place award for renewable energy in the Conrad Foundation “Spirit of Innovation” competition with his ACWa (Affordable Clean Water) design, a patent-pending solar, wind and geothermal-powered system for producing clean water from humid air at extremely low cost. The Conrad Foundation subsequently selected ACWa for commercialization support through their Portal program. In 2010, Javier co-developed “Invent and Innovate”, learning program to inspire and enable youth to use their creativity to invent products and services to serve their local communities. This program is being implemented in several Houston-area schools and is being adapted for implementation in India and Taiwan. During the summer of 2010, Javier worked for Martek Biosciences in Columbia, MD in the area of yeast-derived bio-fuels. A few months ago, Javier launched Innovation Foundry – MIE to collaborate with My India Empowered, a NGO in Mumbai, India to rebuild a monsoon-damaged one-room school in the National Forest near Mumbai. Javier is interested in studying industrial design in college and continuing to invent solutions for the developing world.

Invention, poverty alleviation, creativity, photography, art, design, collaboration