A vaccine can look normal even after freezing; four first-year students develop a $5 electricity-free vaccine tracker, winning $9,400 for an innovation that could help protect children

The Confident Child Masterclass: Public Speaking & Storytelling ExcellenceRegister Now TOI Young Leaders: Junior Journalist MasterclassRegister Now TOI Young Leaders: New Age Careers In the Era of AIRegister Now The Confident Child Masterclass: Public Speaking & Storytelling ExcellenceRegister Now TOI Young Leaders: Junior Journalist MasterclassRegister Now TOI Young Leaders: New Age Careers In the Era of AIRegister Now The Confident Child Masterclass: Public Speaking & Storytelling ExcellenceRegister Now NewsEducation NewsNewsA vaccine can look normal even after freezing; four first-year students develop a $5 electricity-free vaccine tracker, winning $9,400 for an innovation that could help protect children A vaccine can look normal even after freezing; four first-year students develop a $5 electricity-free vaccine tracker, winning $9,400 for an innovation that could help protect children Its electricity-free operation and low production cost could make it useful in settings where access to reliable power and sophisticated monitoring equipment is limited.Explaining the motivation behind the project, team member Yubo Gao told Imperial News that poor cold-chain infrastructure contributes to vaccine wastage around the world and can hinder immunisation efforts, particularly in resource-constrained regions.The team said its starting point was a practical question: how can a health worker establish whether a vaccine froze before reaching a clinic?

Its proposed device aims to provide an indication that is not possible through visual inspection alone.Four first-year students behind the innovation Kalyb comprises Flynn Li, Kaiqi Song and Yubo Gao from the Department of Life Sciences, along with Bella Zheng from the Department of Physics.

All four are first-year students.Their project was selected as the winner of Imperial's Make-A-Difference! programme, an annual initiative that supports undergraduate teams in developing early-stage ideas into working proofs of concept.

Organised by the university's Faculty of Natural Sciences, the programme provides students with a funded laboratory placement, access to resources, financial support and mentorship.The teams work on their ideas during an eight-week summer placement before presenting their projects to a panel of judges.

Entries are assessed on originality, potential societal impact and technical feasibility.Dr Thibault Bertrand, co-chair of the programme's committee and associate professor in statistical mechanics, said this year's finalists had demonstrated creativity and resilience.

He highlighted Kalyb's electricity-free vaccine freeze tracker for its potential global impact.Women's health device among other shortlisted projects Team Eviso, which developed a low-cost device fitted to a toilet to monitor urinary biomarkers and provide insights into hormonal and metabolic health, finished as runner-up.

The team includes Isla Binks, Eve Sharma, Buse Liv and Oyku Erciyes. Imperial News noted that Eviso was the programme's first all-female team.Other finalists presented projects addressing challenges in healthcare, sustainability and public safety.

These included biodegradable 3D-printing filament developed by EcoPrints, rapid urine tests for early kidney cancer screening by KidniCheck, and OneGarm, a wearable vest and app designed to support stroke survivors with rehabilitation and health monitoring.Primus presented a system intended to help firefighters locate people inside buildings during fires.Programme has supported student startups since 2014 Imperial's Make-A-Difference!

programme has been running since 2014 and has helped student teams develop ideas into potential businesses and technologies. Previous winners include Multus Biotechnology, a cultivated-meat startup that later raised £7.9 million, and Matoha, which developed a device to identify plastics and textiles.The previous edition was won by ARA Search, formerly known as D-View, for a device trained using artificial intelligence to detect human presence in earthquake rubble through sound.The next edition of the competition is scheduled to launch on November 11, 2026, with students able to register for the programme's launch event.

Get the latest Education News and Live updates. Download the TOI app. Sanjay Sharma is a seasoned journalist with over two decades of experience in the media industry. Currently serving as Assistant Editor - Education at TimesofIndia.com, he specializes in education-related content, including board results, job notifications, and studying abroad.

Since joining TOI in 2006, he has played a pivotal role in expanding the platform’s digital presence and spearheading major education events. Previously, Sanjay held leadership positions in sports journalism, covering high-profile events such as the Cricket World Cup and Olympics.

He holds a PG Diploma in Journalism from Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan and is proficient in various content management systems. He can be reached at - sanjay.sharma@timesinternet.in Things couples start copying from each other without noticing Lower back pain relief: 6 drug-free treatments that may help, and warning signs you should never ignore Things in your home that attract cockroaches without containing food