To the very top: sixth-former speaks at summit hosted by world’s number-one university
Year 13’s Paarth Aggarwal presented his AI-powered app designed to help elderly and visually impaired people to an education summit at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Paarth’s invitation came after his smartphone scanner app, SafeEat, won an ‘honourable mention’ earlier this year in the Global Appathon – an online event that encourages entrants to build mobile apps for a worthwhile cause. Today’s report on his success comes on the UN’s World Food Day 2026, which is on the theme of Innovate today, nourish tomorrow.
The invitation to showcase his app at the MIT App Inventor Global Education Summit 2026 was a rare privilege: of the 2,176 entries in the Global Appathon, only the winners and the seven people receiving honourable mentions were asked to present.
QE’s Head of Technology, Bilaal Khan, said: “Our congratulations go to Paarth on this outstanding achievement and on representing QE on the international technology stage.”
The Global Appathon is a free, online event run jointly by MIT App Inventor and appinventor.org. MIT App Inventor is an app development tool for global education, while appinventor.org is a non-profit organisation with a mission to empower people to solve problems and make a positive impact in their lives and communities. Both were founded in 2007 by educators and researchers at MIT and Google.
The summit took place at MIT’s iconic Stata Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which was designed by architect Frank Gehry.
The three-day event brought together innovators, educators and technology experts from around the world. Speakers and representatives from organisations including MIT, the App Inventor Foundation, Raspberry Pi Foundation and Harvard University explored topics ranging from responsible AI in education to accessibility and inclusive learning.
On day two, Paarth took to the stage to explain how SafeEat can help elderly and visually impaired people make safer and more informed food choices. By scanning ingredient labels, the app identifies potential allergens, intolerances and dietary restrictions, transforming complex ingredient lists into clear, accessible information.
He received feedback from educators, researchers, and innovators from around the world, while also making the most of the opportunity to forge connections with others.
Reflecting afterwards, Paarth said the summit had given him “plenty of new ideas”. He added: “It was inspiring to hear diverse perspectives and see how collaboration across disciplines can drive meaningful impact. As someone passionate about applying AI to improve educational accessibility, I found these conversations particularly valuable.”