This 12-Year-Old Just Secured $11.5M for Her Air Filter Invention

Most of us spent Year 6 learning long division and navigating friendship drama. Eniola Shokunbi? She was out here inventing a game-changing air filter that wipes out over 99% of airborne viruses – and bagging $11.5 million in funding to roll it out across Connecticut schools. No big deal.

It all started when her fifth-grade class at Commodore MacDonough STEM Academy in Middletown, Connecticut, was asked to dream up ways to tackle future pandemics, according to Shoppe Black. While most kids were probably doodling masks with cool patterns, Eniola went straight for the science. Inspired by the stuffy classrooms of the COVID-19 era, she built a DIY air filter from a box fan, furnace filters, duct tape and cardboard. The whole setup cost just $60 to make – a serious bargain compared to pricey commercial air purifiers.

12-year-old Nigerian student, Eniola Shokunbi. Image @profile.africa
via IG

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“The air goes through all the sides, and it comes out of the top, so it filters in and out,” Eniola explained to reporters, making it sound refreshingly simple.

But this wasn’t just a classroom science fair project. Scientists at the University of Connecticut (UConn) stepped in to help fine-tune and test her invention. After rigorous trials, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed that the device could remove more than 99% of airborne viruses. Yes, you read that right – 99%. Suddenly, Eniola’s cardboard-and-duct-tape creation became a serious contender in the fight for safer school air.

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The Connecticut State Bond Commission clearly agreed. They just approved $11.5 million to help install these filters in classrooms statewide. The funding is part of UConn’s SAFE-CT (Supplemental Air Filtration for Education) program, which aims to make sure every public school classroom has access to affordable, effective air purification tech.

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Eniola, now a 6th grader, has already earned praise from state officials and health experts. But she’s not stopping at Connecticut – she wants to see her invention in schools across the US. As she put it: “A lot of people don’t realise that the only thing standing between them and getting sick is science.” Wise words from someone who probably still has spelling homework.

Her next goal? Encouraging more kids (and adults) to back science-led solutions to protect children’s health. Honestly, we’d vote for her as the next tech CEO – or President.