A University of Guelph graduate student has been named among the top “30 under 30” social entrepreneurs by Forbes magazine.
Gavin Armstrong, a PhD student in biomedical sciences, was recognized for his Lucky Iron Fish project in the magazine’s annual “30 under 30” issue released today.
The project is intended to combat life-threatening anemia in developing countries.
Placed into water being sterilized or boiled to prepare food, the “fish” – a palm-sized chunk of iron — can help provide about 75 per cent of daily iron requirements and increase the body’s stores of the element.
Armstrong is commercializing the technology, which was developed by former Guelph graduate student Christopher Charles.
In all, Forbes recognized 600 people in 20 categories, including education, entertainment, sports, music, manufacturing, science and consumer technology.
Selected from 15,000 nominees, the finalists were chosen based on impact, use of cutting-edge technology or creativity, scalability or adaptability, number of people reached, and dollars raised or generated.