A college student in Providence, Rhode Island, is proving that all it takes is an idea to change the future.
Providence College sophomore Neve Palmeri's plan to prevent the next person's drink from getting spiked is close to becoming a reality, and she tells NBC10 Boston that it took a heavy situation to create the lightest of solutions.
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WATCH HEREPalmeri says her cousin had a terrifying vacation experience in Aruba and could not remember what happened when she woke up.
"She wasn’t looking at her drink for a second and then the next second she was passed out in the bathroom for hours,” Palmeri explained. "When she woke up, she literally had no clue what had happened.”
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SIGN UP That nightmare turned into a wake-up call that turned into an award-winning idea for a "safety straw" at her school's pitch competition that can detect the presence of a date rape drug in your drink.
“If a drug is placed in your drink, the straw will change a different color. So it’ll be fluorescent and then if there's a drug dropped in your drink, it’ll turn clear. ”
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Her proposal was so strong, Palmeri beat out ten other budding entrepreneurs at the Big East Startup Competition for her innovative reusable straw which she has dubbed "SmartSip."
“The response has been amazing," she said. "People are like, 'yeah, we need this.' They’re aware of the danger out there. They’re just not aware of a solution that can seamlessly integrate within social settings for them.”
Common date rape drugs are rohypnol, GHB and ketamine. They're typically odorless, tasteless and clear. SmartSip would detect Ketamine.
“The next steps include feasibility tests of the chemistry we’ve come up with and finding manufacturers," Palmeri said.
While in the early stages of development, Palmeri says studying marketing and management at Providence College is helping her leverage the necessary skills to fulfill her ultimate dreams of helping others.
