Discourse, with Direction.

A student-led org empowering students to shape the future of technology & society.

Youth Tech & Ethics Institute is a global, student-run nonprofit uniting students, mentors, and advisors to tackle the ethical challenges of emerging technologies. We create a space to collaborate, build meaningful projects, and grow as responsible innovators.

400+Members
30+Projects
Advisors @Stanford • Cornell • Google
Students collaborating on technology projects

Our Mission

To put it simply, our mission is to ensure that science and technology advance with responsibility, foresight, and ethics and to make sure that students have a seat at that table.

Our mission is built on two commitments. First, we believe in the importance of STEM ethics must move in line with innovation. As AI, biotechnology, and climate technologies reshape the world, we cannot afford to separate breakthroughs from their societal, institutional, and global consequences. Our work, whether it by through discussion or project gives participants the space to discuss both emerging technologies and the ethical challenges that come with them through an interdisciplinary lense.

Second, we believe that students must play a leading role in shaping this future. Everything we do is student-led (with guidance from mentors) and driven by youth initiative. Our project incubator, chapters, and peer-reviewed journal give students the chance to research, write, and build real projects while gaining legitimate leadership experience. These platforms make space for young people not just to join the conversation about technology’s impact, but to impact where it goes next.

Three flagship pillars—and a
fast-growing chapters initiative.

Hackathons & Events

Large-scale gatherings where students, researchers, and professionals collaborate to tackle and discuss pressing challenges. These events push participants to engage with STEM and society.

1000+Direct Participants
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Project Incubator

A structured student-led mentorship track that helps student teams turn ideas into real impact. Participants refine their projects through feedback and opportunities to showcase their work publicly.

16+Active Teams
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Youth Journal

A student-run, peer-reviewed publication that bridges science, technology, and society. The Journal provides students with an outlet to publish research, opinions, and analysis.

40+Original Articles Submitted
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Chapters

School-based communities that bring our mission local and push youth to engage with STEM ethics and emerging technologies. Chapters host their own workshops, study groups, and events.

9Local Chapters
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Featured Projects

Discover the innovative work that came out of our Project Incubator program to address today's most pressing tech ethics challenges.

Harsha Singla & Dhatri Medidhi
Led by Harsha Singla & Dhatri Medidhi|AI & Health|September 12, 2025
Team: Dhatri Medidhi, Harsha Singla, Harish Siva Subramaniya Sekar, Aneeshraj Gunupati, Bhargavi Nigam, Ishita Vari, Yassir Brahimi

AI Prevention and Prediction of Type 2 Diabetes Research Paper

A comprehensive research paper on applying AI—spanning logistic regression to deep neural networks—to predict and prevent type 2 diabetes using multimodal data (genetics, EHRs, wearables), with analysis of real-world deployments, comparative accuracy vs. traditional screening, and ethical considerations around bias and privacy.

AI Prevention and Prediction of Type 2 Diabetes Research Paper
Ka Lam Tam
Led by Ka Lam Tam|Biotech|May 3, 2025
Team: Ka Lam Tam, Jenny Hua, Aditya Verma, Alok Kumar Singh, Safwan Ahmad Saffi

Exploring Potential Solutions to Optimize Cancer Therapy with Cell Reprogramming using Gene Network Analysis

A bioinformatics pipeline that screens DEGs, constructs PPI networks, and pinpoints hub genes (GTPBP4, RPF2, GRWD1, RRS1) converging on ribosome biogenesis as reprogramming targets—offering a scalable, evidence-guided approach for optimizing cancer therapy and informing future wet-lab validation.

Exploring Potential Solutions to Optimize Cancer Therapy with Cell Reprogramming using Gene Network Analysis
Sarah Kim
Led by Sarah Kim|AI & Health|August 2025
Team: Anvi J., Bhargavi N., Sarah K.

Cognitive Violence: The Neurological and Elevated Cancer Consequences of Environmental Racism in Communities of Color and Its Implications in Artificial Intelligence

An interdisciplinary analysis of how environmental racism drives neurological decline and cancer risk through disproportionate exposures (lead, mercury, benzene, PM2.5), situating harms within zoning and monitoring gaps while assessing AI’s dual capacity to reveal disparities or entrench bias depending on data quality and deployment.

Cognitive Violence: The Neurological and Elevated Cancer Consequences of Environmental Racism in Communities of Color and Its Implications in Artificial Intelligence

Our Story & Impact

Youth Tech & Ethics Institute began as a small club at Khan Lab School, where students first came together to explore how technology and society intersect. The interest and momentum quickly outgrew the classroom, transforming into a global, student-led nonprofit with members and chapters across the world.

Technology touches every field, and now its more important than ever that innovators think about not only the "how" but the "why" of innovating. With this in mind, we serve as a platform that blends hands-on practice, publishing, and mentorship to push students to think critically about technology's role in society and its benefits.

Our model is simple: build, reflect, and publish. Teams prototype tools or design studies, examine real-world impacts, and then share what they learned through our Journal, events, and chapter showcases. The result is a public, credible portfolio students can take to college, internships, and beyond.

20+
Countries
50+
Completed Projects
30+
Journal Articles
1000+
Event Participants

What Students Say

Hear from students who are part of our mission.

Sashti Kandaswamy
Sashti Kandaswamy
Junior, Mountain House High School
"The Youth Tech and Ethics Institution introduced me to STEM ethics and showed me how I can explore different fields based on my chosen areas of interests. It helped me explore my passion while understanding the real-world impact of technology responsibly!"
Ishita Varia
Ishita Varia
Senior, Biotechnology High School
"Working as a part of Youth and Tech Ethics has really helped me collaborate with like-minded peers while developing a variety of projects. It has truly been a rewarding experience and can’t wait for what’s yet to come!"
Charis Tsang
Charis Tsang
Junior, Pierre Elliott Trudeau High School
"Over the past 2 months, YETI has quickly become my favorite organization! It’s given me so many chances to dive into research and even lead projects I’m passionate about. Working with such like-minded, driven people has been both inspiring and empowering."
Jemina Fong
Jemina Fong
Sophomore, Southend High School for Girls
"My experience at Youth Tech and Ethics Institution has been really good! As a content writer since August, I’ve received thoughtful guidance from the editors, and the whole team has been welcoming and collaborative. It’s been a great space to grow my skills while contributing to meaningful projects."

Latest from the Journal

Peer-reviewed articles and insights from our community.

Artificial Intelligence & Data Science

More Than Chatbots: AI’s Growing Role in Mental Health Care

Artificial intelligence is rapidly expanding its role in mental health, from conversational chatbots like Woebot and Wysa to diagnostic tools that analyze language, voice, and behavior...

By Heet Jani and Sashti KandaswamyJuly 2025
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Artificial Intelligence & Data Science

Agentic AI Across the Scientific Workflow and Its Ethical Implications

Agentic AI systems, autonomous or semi-autonomous agents that can execute key components of the scientific workflow, are reshaping how research is conducted. This paper examines the integration of such systems across five major stages of the scientific process: literature review, experimental design...

By Yuvraj SinghJuly 2025
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Climate Tech

What Are the Most Effective Strategies for Building Climate Change Infrastructure?

Resilient infrastructure demands adaptive, integrated planning that links land use, energy, water, and mobility—while centering equity. Evidence supports hybrid green–gray solutions, lifecycle costing, and governance that aligns mitigation with adaptation.

By Aribah AmerAugust 2025
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Meet Our Leadership Team

Student leaders combining STEM research, design thinking, and community organizing.

Chloe Melody Soerjanto

Chloe Melody Soerjanto

Chloe is a high school student from Springfield School, passionate about technology, policy, and ethics. She is the founder of Writerz Room, a platform that empowers students to access scholarships and essay competitions, and serves as Director of Operations at Orivyn, a student-led research organization. Over the past summer, she interned at Crackd, an edtech platform for SAT/ACT preparation, and was mentored by a Harvard undergraduate, completing a meta-analysis of Indonesia's education policy that is currently under review with the Harvard International Review. Chloe has been recognized in international essay competitions, including as a Winner of the Orwell Youth Prize and a Finalist in the International Economics Olympiad Essay Challenge and John Locke Essay Competition.

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh, 17, is a student researcher, builder, and founder of the Youth Tech & Ethics Institute (YTEI). Living in Silicon Valley, he founded YTEI because he believes students should be exposed to STEM ethics early on—after seeing how often people celebrated innovation without questioning its consequences. He has led research internships at Yale School of Medicine and Stanford AIMI, worked on AI-driven biomedical projects, and built tools that merge biotechnology, data science, and ethics. At school, he co-taught a biochemistry course for high schoolers, created a STEM Ethics Club (the first iteration of YTEI), and help lead his school's GIDAS branch. Outside of research, he enjoys exploring philosophy, teaching, and doing things that challenge him.

Sarah Kim

Sarah Kim

Inspired by her own recovery from a childhood neurological disorder, Sarah developed a lasting passion for neuroscience and medicine. Her experience with seizures and the care she received from her neurologist, Dr. Dolce, sparked her interest in how the brain works and how doctors can change lives. She now volunteers at UT Southwestern Hospital and Parkland Hospital in Texas, supports children with autism through her church, and coaches disabled athletes in Taekwondo, with plans to take them to the Paralympics. As a Taekwondo national team member and referee for 2024–2026, she balances athletics with service and science. She recently launched Neuromotion, a passion project designed to raise awareness about neuroscience for younger students, and is working to establish a school club called NeuroSphere to expand these efforts.

Join Our Community

Connect with 400+ passionate students, researchers, and industry mentors who are shaping the future of technology and society. Your voice matters in building a more ethical digital world.