Karina Popovich (born approx. 2000), a Ukrainian American undergraduate student at Cornell University, is the founder of Inertia, a company that combines

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

and art, primarily in underfunded schools; Alpha, a 3D printed clothing company; and Makers for COVID-19/Makers for Change. As a 19-year-old, she led a global-initiative to 3D-print and distribute tens of thousands of personal protective gear. She was selected as one of 125 women for the Smithsonian's IF/THEN collection of scientists.

Career

At age 19, Popovich founded "Makers for COVID-19", a global coalition of hobbyists and

3D printer 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the Manufacturing, construction of a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design, CAD model or a digital 3D modeling, 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is ...

owners which printed

face shield A face shield, an item of personal protective equipment (PPE), aims to protect the wearer's entire face (or part of it) from hazards such as flying objects and road debris, chemical splashes (in laboratories or in industry), or potentially ...

s, face masks, and other protective gear during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has turned into Makers for Change as the pandemic winds down, focusing students on making a change in their community. Alpha, Popovich's 3D-printed clothing brand, had a Maker line featuring diverse women in science and technology. Inertia creates popup marketing campaigns combining STEM and art aimed at making STEM for accessible to girls and other marginalized groups. Popovich is one of 125 women in

who were 3D scanned for the IF/THEN Collection at the Smithsonian.

Education and early life

Popovich's parents immigrated from Ukraine shortly before she was born. Popovich is majoring in Applied Economics and Management at the Dyson School of Business at Cornell University.

Awards and honors

AAAS AAAS may refer to: * American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a learned society and center for policy research; the publisher of the journal ''Dædalus'' * American Association for the Advancement of Science, an organization that supports scientifi ...

IF/THEN Ambassador, 2019 * #IfThenSheCan Statue, 2022 * Clinton Global Initiative University COVID-19 Response Award * Robinson-Appel Humanitarian Award, Cornell University

References

External links

Intertia

Makers for COVID-19
{{DEFAULTSORT:Popovich, Karina Living people Ukrainian emigrants to the United States American women in business Cornell University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)