Iyana Oliviel, Juno
“We’re addressing light pollution as it pertains to pregnant women and the prevention of light pollution related birth defects in children,” Juno team leader Iyana Oliviel told the 4thEst8. “Our primary investigator is Dr. (Carmel) Martin-Fairey.”
Oliviel says their primary research shows that exposure to light during pregnancy puts stress on the physical body of the pregnant woman and fetus, translating to problems with birth weight, circadian rhythm and birth defects. Their proposed solution is an app that tracks light pollution in the pregnant woman’s area so they can mitigate exposure.
The student team, consisting of biology and pre-med juniors and seniors at Harris-Stowe State University, came together over a pitch competition last year. The startup is in ideation and validation right now.
“We still have to conduct the experiment, but my team and I have specific areas that we’re looking at such as cortisol, melatonin and BDNF, which is brain derived neurotrohic factor, and the effect that it has on our test subjects,” Oliviel said.
The team was introduced to the greater innovation community Wednesday at 1 Million Cups, St. Louis.
Juno team at 1MC-STL
The Juno team consists of:
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Inaya Smith
- Allison Henry
- Camara Macon
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Iyana Oliviel
Links:
On the 4thEst8:
