Arya Devanath
From "I'd like help coming up with a project" to presenting at Stanford and winning 3rd place at science fair — in 6 months
Where Arya Started
Her Background
- • 10th grader passionate about neuroscience
- • Trained Bharathanatyam dancer (classical Indian dance)
- • Brain Bee club president at her school
- • Host of "Memory Matters" podcast interviewing neurologists
- • No prior research experience
Her Goals
- • "Win ISEF, get my research in the global aspect!"
- • Work on AI + neurodegenerative diseases
- • Become a neurosurgeon (join the 2% of Indian women in field)
- • "I'd like help coming up with a project idea"
In Her Own Words
"Most students write essays. I've written a novel. Most students study neuroscience. I started a podcast to speak it. My ambition isn't just about striving for achievement — it's about connection and building bridges between science, technology, and community."
— Arya's YRI application, July 2025
The Research
Working with YRI mentors, Arya discovered something unexpected: her two passions — neuroscience and Bharathanatyam dance — could merge into groundbreaking research. She built AI systems that analyze physiological stress responses during rhythmic movement, creating a foundation for virtual dance therapy in addiction treatment.
Virtual Dance Therapy: AI-Driven Environments for Stress and Addiction Management
Addiction treatment lacks culturally-grounded, AI-adaptive interventions
PhysioNet Wearable Stress Dataset (electrodermal activity from 36 participants)
Logistic Regression, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, PyTorch RNN
Random Forest achieved near-perfect accuracy (F1 = 0.857) in predicting stress reduction
Connecting Culture & Science
Arya's research uniquely incorporates Bharathanatyam, a classical Indian dance form, as a therapeutic modality. The structured geometric movements, facial expressions (abhinaya), and rhythmic patterns activate motor planning regions and limbic structures in the brain — creating a culturally-grounded approach to addiction therapy.
"This research exemplifies the benefits of incorporating cultural grounding within therapeutic design... creating a unique and critical way for managing stress and addiction."
— From Arya's paper
Technical Implementation
ML Models Built
Random Forest Accuracy
RNN Implementation
The Outcome
Abstract Accepted to Present at Stanford University
Neuroethics 2026 (Stanford, Lucca, or Stellenbosch)
Large-format poster presentation
AI, Neuroethics, Virtual Therapy
High school sophomore (Class of 2028)
I came to YRI with passion but no direction. I said I wanted help coming up with a project idea — and my mentors helped me discover that my two worlds, neuroscience and Bharathanatyam, could become one research project. Now I'm presenting at Stanford and won 3rd place at my science fair as a sophomore. This isn't just research — it's proof that ambition, when guided properly, can lead anywhere.
"I'd like help coming up with a project idea" — No research experience
Presenting at Stanford University and 3rd place science fair winner as a high school sophomore
The Bigger Picture
"In the world, there are 72,967 neurosurgeons, with 2% being Indian women. I'm working to change that number to 72,968 — and that 2% to 2.1%."
— Arya's YRI application
Years old when accepted to present at Stanford
From "no project idea" to Stanford conference acceptance
Foundation for adaptive virtual dance therapy platforms
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