Sarah Syed

Climate Activist, Innovator, Poet

Sarah is a poet and science researcher whose environmental journey began in fourth grade. Sarah has made it her mission to solve various aspects of the climate crisis, specifically water remediation. From bioplastic research made from food scraps to her most recent project that spanned over two years, a biodegradable sorbent made from polymers, biomass, and polysaccharide aerogels that has the efficiency of removing 98% of oils, organic compounds, and heavy metal compounds. Sarah is currently working on leveraging nanomaterials to design a rotating and semi-transparent solar cell and an IoT water sensor to reduce water wastage in agriculture.

Her efforts have been recognized by distinguishable honors such as MP Dan Albas, NDP Critic for Environment and Climate Change Laurel Collins, and The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell during the Ontario Junior Citizen award ceremony. She has also been named a Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalist in Canada, the University of Toronto Dept. of Earth Sciences Matthew Shawn McConville Memorial Award Recipient, Ontario Junior Citizen, 1 of 3 young women making a mark on climate change by the Weather Network, National Nature Inspirational Youth, and Top 20 Youth globally. She is also a 2x gold medal regional science fair winner and won a silver medal at CWSF and second place amongst 1500 students at the International Genius olympiad.