GOOD

High School Girls Invent A Straw That Detects Date-Rape Drugs

It detects date rape drugs

 Tod Perry
05.26.17

One way to lower the obscenely high percentage of women who are sexually assaulted on college campuses is by eliminating the use of date rape drugs. A 2015 study by The Washington Post found that 9 percent of women who have been sexually assaulted believe they were administered a drug beforehand. Now, three high school girls have created a special straw that can discover these drugs in a drink, preventing an assault.

Victoria Roca, Susana Cappello, and Carolina Baigorri are all students at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami, Florida. For the Business Plan Challenge High School Track competition, the three created a special straw that detects the most widely used date-rape drugs, including: Rohypnol, gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), and ketamine (Special K). Straw users can nondescriptly drop one in their drink, and if there is a drug present, the tip turns blue.

“Being young women, I feel like this is a problem that we hear about a lot, especially when we came to high school,” Baigorri told Inside Edition. “We know it’s not a solution because it can’t end rape, but we were hoping to lower the amount of rape and dangerous situations you might be in through drugs,” Baigorri continued. “Our impact is just to help people feel safe in their surroundings and be aware of what’s going on, and just to make sure that where they are and what they are drinking is safe,” Cappello added.

The competition judges loved the simple straw concept because they can easily be distributed by college health clinics and transported in purses. The straws are patent pending, and the girls are currently consulting with a test-kit maker about manufacturing their product.

women
Education

A new form of sound-based AI is being deployed to protect endangered African elephants

Between Alexa, Siri, and Google, artificial intelligence is quickly changing us and the way we live. We no longer have to get up to turn on the lights or set the thermostat, we can find the fastest route to work with a click, and, most importantly, tag our friends in pictures. But interacting with the world isn't the only thing AI is making easier – now we can use it save the world, too.

Keep Reading Show less
environment politics
Good News

Anonymous official claims Trump imitated Hispanics in a thick accent, calling them 'useless'

An anonymous White House official claims President Trump cruelly limited Hispanic immigrants in their new book, "A Warning."

The book, to be released on November 19, gives an alleged insider account of the Trump White House and paints a picture of the president as a chaotic man who lacks the mental and moral acumen required for the job.

The anonymous staffer says that Trump once feigned a Hispanic accent and made fun of women attempting to immigrate to the U.S.

Keep Reading Show less
donald trump racism immigration
Politics

Video of an Oakland train employee saving a man's life is so insane, it looks like CGI

via KTVU / YouTube

The 63-year-old Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, currently branded the RingCentral Coliseum, is one of the most decrepit sports venues in America.

The home to the the NFL's Oakland Raiders (until they move to Las Vegas next season) and MLB's A's, is notoriously known as the Black Hole and has made headlines for its frequent flooding and sewage issues.

One of the stadium's few positive aspects is its connection to public transportation.

Keep Reading Show less
bart bay area rapid transit man falls on platform heroic deeds oakland raiders oakland coliseum oakland a's CNN Fox News NFL
Hero Video

A 92-year-old woman was reunited with the Jewish family she helped hide during the Holocaust

Yad Vashem

Since 1992, the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous has been holding reunion ceremonies between Holocaust survivors and rescuers once a year. But the tradition is coming to an end, as many have died or are too frail to travel. What might be the last reunion of its kind took place when a 92-year-old woman met up with the two surviving family members that she helped hide during the Holocaust, and their descendants.

Sarah Yanai and Yossi Mor introduced Melpomeni Dina (nee Gianopoulou) to their almost 40 family members, all decedents of the Mordechai family, the family of seven that Dina and her two sisters hid during WWII. "There are no words to describe this feeling," Dina told the Jeruselum Post. "It is very emotional for us to be together again."

Keep Reading Show less
holocaust israel world war ii
Culture

Anti-Vaxxers outraged over this dark, but hilarious 'Anti-Vax Mom' Halloween costume

via Facebook / Autumn Dayss

Facebook user and cosplayer Autumn Dayss has stirred up a bit of Halloween controversy with her last-minute costume, an anti-Vaxx mother.

An image she posted to the social network shows a smiling Dayss wearing a baby carrier featuring a small skeleton. "Going to a costume party tonight as Karen and her non-vaccinated child," the caption over the image reads.

Keep Reading Show less
anti-vaxxers halloween costumes
Health