Meet the eighth-grader who built a low-cost air sampler to study rural health surveillance

Bailey Quinn FrankPhoto credit: Society for science When Bailey Quinn Frank learned that scientists can identify species from genetic material left behind in the environment, she saw an opportunity to apply the same idea to public health. The eighth-grader from Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale designed a simple air sampler using small fans and filter paper to collect airborne bacterial DNA. Her goal was to explore whether an inexpensive device could support health surveillance in rural communities, where access to advanced diagnostic tools and disease-monitoring systems is often limited. Her project earned her a place among 30 national finalists in the 2026 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, according to the Society for Science.A question rooted in access to careBailey’s interest in health surveillance grew from learning about environmental DNA, or eDNA, a technique that captures genetic traces from soil, water, or air to determine which organisms are present in a given area. She connected that concept to the challenge of tracking diseases as they spread, especially in places where laboratories and medical infrastructure are scarce. Rural communities often fa...