Self-Taught Teen Wows MIT

In Sierra Leone, West Africa, the lights may come on once in a week, with the rest of the month, dark. So, Kelvin Doe made his own battery to power lights in people's houses from recycled parts he found in the trash. He also made his own FM radio transmitter and a generator to power it so that he can give voice to the youth in his country. David Sengeh discovered Kelvin at an innovation camp he runs in Sierra Leone and invited Kelvin to M.I.T., where David is a PhD student in the Media Lab. Just as Kelvin's world is expanded by working in the Media Lab, the researchers there had their world expanded by interacting with Kelvin.

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