Isha performed her first experiment in the fourth grade, testing candy to figure out why some is chewy and some is hard. Since then, her accomplishments have only gotten sweeter: At 16 she won $100,000 for her research on bone growth in zebrafish, she co-authored six published scientific papers, and she helped direct Harvard’s National Symposium for the Advancement of Women in Science. “If only a small percentage of women are involved in science, we’re slowing the rate at which we’ll make new discoveries,” she says.

Raina became the youngest high-school student in the world to win an award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in 2008, just days after her 14th birthday. The Intel ISEF is the crown jewel of science competitions around the world. Raina’s study of how glass implants can help bones regenerate their cells earned her a fourth-place award in the Biosciences and Engineering category.