Teens Win Big With Universe Theory and Medical Fix

Two Canadian teenagers just solved problems that have stumped scientists for decades, proving that breakthrough discoveries don't require a PhD.

Liam Desre, a Grade 9 student from Kingston, Ontario, won the top discovery award at the 2026 Canada-Wide Science Fair for proposing a new way to explain the universe's expansion without needing dark energy. His model challenges a fundamental assumption in cosmology that scientists have relied on for years.

Gurnoor Kaur from Waterloo, Ontario, tackled an even more urgent problem. The Grade 11 student won the top innovation award for fixing a 35-year-old flaw in pulse oximeters, the finger clips that measure blood oxygen levels in hospitals and clinics.

Her discovery matters because this flaw has contributed to higher mortality rates among Black patients for more than three decades. Kaur identified the demographic bias in these sensors and developed a solution from first principles.

The awards ceremony in Edmonton on May 28 recognized these two students alongside 390 finalists who competed for nearly $2 million in prizes. Over 250 judges evaluated 344 projects ranging from asteroid detection systems to new treatments for drug-resistant fungal infections.

"When a Grade 9 student proposes a credible alternative explanation for the expansion of the universe and a Grade 11 student identifies and corrects a flaw in medical technology that has contributed to preventable deaths, it demonstrates what young people are capable of when their curiosity is encouraged and supported," said Reni Barlow, executive director at Youth Science Canada.

Other standout projects included Willem Vuurmans' tool for evaluating potential brain disease treatments and Siddharth Rajesh's AI platform that designs diagnostic tests in days instead of months. Grade 7 student Siddharth Patel, who has personally discovered two asteroids, created an automated system to help volunteer astronomers identify genuine asteroids for planetary defense.

The Ripple Effect

These students aren't just winning science fair ribbons. They're addressing real-world problems that affect millions of people, from hospital patients receiving inaccurate oxygen readings to researchers searching for faster ways to develop diagnostic tests.

Their work shows how fresh perspectives can spot solutions that experts might overlook. Kaur saw a problem in medical devices that had existed since the 1990s and fixed it while still in high school.

The projects remain available for public viewing online, and the fair continues its mission of giving young scientists a platform to share discoveries that could change how we understand the universe and care for each other.

Young minds are rewriting the rules of what's possible in science, one breakthrough at a time.