When Presentation High School senior Nishi Dharia was 13, she entered her middle school’s science fair with an idea inspired by her already emerging interest in medicine. She made a portable incubator for premature babies and set out to discover which warming source would maintain the proper temperature the longest.

Her experiment didn’t wow the judges, apparently, and she didn’t win. The story could have ended there, but a few years later, Nishi’s cousin was born prematurely in India. While her baby cousin’s family had the resources to ensure a healthy outcome, Nishi knew from the two years her family lived in Bangalore that wasn’t the case for everyone.

“I would witness the poverty and saw that many people didn’t have access to such things,” said Nishi, who lives in Milpitas. “Everyone deserves to have equal health care.”

So she spent the pandemic year re-designing her idea and launching a nonprofit, Impact Incubators Inc., to manufacture and distribute them free of charge to community clinics in India.

The infant incubator created by Presentation High School student Nishi Dharia is about the size of a carry-on suitcase and includes pouches for paraffin wax that keeps the baby warm. (Photo courtesy Maureen Keller/Presentation High School) 

The collapsible incubators fold out to about the size of a carry-on suitcase. Inside is essentially a tiny sleeping bag with pouches containing heated paraffin wax — that was what Nishi learned in her science fair project — that are placed over the baby’s stomach and back. The wax holds the right temperature, between 32 and 35 degrees Celsius, for about four hours. After that, the pouch can be reheated in a few minutes in boiling water, a convenience for communities that lack electricity. There’s also mosquito netting to cover the top.

Engineers and doctors tested the design of the first 25 sets that were created in Bangalore. “It was very positive feedback, and it was very useful,” she said. “One doctor said it actually saved the life of an infant.”

Each incubator costs about $50 to manufacture, and Nishi has had 150 made and distributed 125 of them. She raised money through a virtual concert and also designed a clothing line that she sells on Etsy.  You can find out a lot more about the project and her fundraising efforts on her website, www.impactincubators.com.

Of course, she’s doing all this while wrapping up her senior year at Presentation and working to get into college, with her eyes still on a career in medicine. “Medical school is a lot of work, and I’ve always questioned if I could do it,” she said. “But I really want to help people.”

She’s already got quite a head start on that front.

HEROIC EFFORTS: Keeping in line with public health guidelines, the Valley Medical Center Foundation downsized its “Tribute to Heroes” gala, held outdoors at Hayes Mansion in San Jose on Saturday night. But that didn’t diminish the fundraising effort at all.

The VMC Foundation honored Carl Guardino for his service in support of Santa Clara County healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guardino raised more than $7 million in his last few months as CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group to help the VMC Foundation buy ventilators, testing equipment and protective gear for frontline workers. And when he joined Bloom Energy as an executive vice president, he raised money to purchase Santa Clara County’s “Vax Mobile” and launched the Stars and Strides Run to benefit the foundation in August.

He didn’t stop there either, using Saturday night’s event to announce a $125,000 gift from a collection of businesses, healthcare providers and academic institutions to support VMC’s forthcoming vaccination program for kids. High-tech exec Godfrey Sullivan managed to one-up Guardino, though, with a matching gift in the same amount.

The most touching moment, though, may have been a video message from longtime VMC Foundation Executive Director Chris Wilder, who suffered a major stroke in March. He wore a tuxedo T-shirt in the video and asked the audience, “What do you guys think of my tux?” It’s good to hear Wilder hasn’t lost his sense of humor — or style.

MUSIC OF THE NIGHT: A sold-out crowd of 160 people showed their support for Los Gatos Music and Arts’ education programs on Sunday night at the nonprofit’s gala at La Estancia, the gorgeous Los Gatos home of Larry Arzie and David Stonesifer. Vocalist Kim Nalley blew the crowd away with a set that channeled the legendary Billie Holliday, and she was backed up by an equally great band that included violinist Mads Tolling.

Los Gatos Music and Arts’ Teri Hope, Jonathan Knowles and Michael Jacobi thanked the crowd and sponsors — led by Linda L. Lester — for their generosity and for helping make sure that the Jazz on the Plazz free concert series makes a return next summer. You can watch for updates at www.jazzontheplazz.com.