NewRoFoundation

The potential impacts of Kieran Freed’s research could changes lives with nanotechnology.

Since his freshman year, Kieran has been exploring nanotechnology with a focus on medical applications. Recently, he developed software that can quickly and easily perform data-analysis calculations on and visualizations of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The results could help medical professionals use nanosensors for early detection of certain diseases.

Unable to work in a lab setting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Freed developed his software entirely from home. He partnered with The Daniel Heller Lab, part of the Sloan Kettering Institute at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, beginning in July 2020. This provided him online access to data that could assist in the development and testing of his own software. The Daniel Heller Lab is a bioengineering laboratory that develops new nanotechnologies to treat advanced cancers and detect diseases in their early stages.

“I learned a lot more about the field of nanomedicine, and the importance of trial and error in science. There were a lot of setbacks,” he said. “I’m most proud of seeing that the hard work, time and energy I devoted to the development of this software has paid off, and that its potential impacts could help save lives.”

Freed plans to present his new technology and related research at science fairs, and hopes to continue his research this summer through the New Rochelle Science Research Program. He is considering pursuing a college degree based on his interest in nanotechnology.