A student from Anant National University (AnantU) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat has been awarded the Global Student Prize 2021 by Chegg.org at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris for inventing a device that uses kinetic energy from traffic and pedestrians to generate clean power.
Jeremiah Thoronka, an Anant Fellow of Climate Action at the university, has bagged a prize money of $100,000 for the 2021 prize, the finalists for which have been selected from among more than 3,500 nominations and applications across 94 countries in the world.
Lila Thomas, head of Chegg.org, said, “In this age of COVID, students have shown great courage to keep studying and keep fighting for a better future despite huge obstacles. The Global Student Prize has been launched to shine a light on their stories and listen to their voices. After all, it is their dreams, their insights and their creativity that will help solve some of the greatest questions humanity has ever faced.”
A student from Sierra Leone, Thoronka has been awarded the prize in recognition of making a real impact on learning through clean energy invention. Thoronka is an advocate of renewable energy solutions and has been actively researching, developing and designing various innovations such as solar systems and cold chain logistics elements for efficient cooling systems.
He has authored numerous energy-related articles and has received numerous international accolades, including the Commonwealth Youth Award for Excellence in Development 2021 – Africa and the United Nations (UN) Academic Impact Millennium Fellow among others.
Anant Fellowship for Climate Action is a unique one-year global programme focusing on climate change solutions. It boasts an eclectic mix of climate solutionaries across geographical locations, professions and age groups.
The current cohort comprises 24 fellows from 13 countries across various domains, including microbiology research, biodiversity conservation, AI and data science, environmental activism, corporate sustainability, agriculture and marine ecosystems, and many more.
It is committed to strengthening the global climate action community by bringing together climate experts such as faculty members, mentors, alumni and partners on a common platform to engage in meaningful dialogue, learning and collaboration.
The Chegg.org Global Student Prize is a $100,000 award given to students making an exceptional impact on learning, the lives of their peers and on society beyond.