Texas 16-year-old Jiang wins $25,000 scholarship for inventing Moondust Magnet
Meet Jiang, a 16-year-old from Texas who just won a $25,000 scholarship for inventing the Moondust Magnet, a device that uses electrodes to trap pesky lunar dust before it sneaks into astronauts' living spaces.
Her idea tackles a real problem for future moon missions, where dust can mess with air filters and equipment.
Jiang named MIT THINK finalist
Jiang tested her invention using lunar dust simulants and was one of five finalists selected by the 2025-26 MIT THINK program from 1,042 applications.
She taught herself concepts in electrostatics, experimental design, and data analysis while developing the system, all while balancing martial arts and community volunteering.
Next up: she's aiming for aerospace engineering and dreams of making space life cleaner on both the moon and Mars.