Rachel Brouwer

Did You Know?

• Rachel Brouwer was a student at Bedford Academy when she invented her device.
• She is currently focusing on international human rights law and environmental law at the University of Toronto.

Invention and awards

At age eleven, Rachel Brouwer began working on a water purification system after reading about cholera in Malala Yousafzai’s biography and noticing “do not drink” signs on a trip. The next year, she showed her invention at the Halifax Science Expo. She later took it to the Canada-Wide Science Fair, where she earned a gold medal. Her device uses ABS pipe, plastic bottles, cotton, and charcoal. Sunlight heats the water, and ultraviolet radiation kills bacteria. Brouwer also made a temperature indicator from soybean wax so people can check when the water is safe. In 2015, the Halifax Mooseheads named her a community hero, and she started raising money to patent the system and produce the wax indicators. The following year, she was one of eight Canadian students at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona, finishing second in Earth and Environmental Sciences. She won $1,500 and had an asteroid, (33504) Rebrouwer, named after her by the International Astronomical Union. Plans emerged to test the purifier in Africa, and the Swat Relief Initiative—the foundation where Malala interned—invited Brouwer to Pakistan for testing. After high school, she studied political science at Dalhousie University. There, she met students from Kenya and Gambia. Their conversations about economic development often stressed the need for safe household water. Because of their input and involvement, pilot projects using Brouwer’s water purification device are now underway in Kenya and Gambia.