Georgia
Georgia Tech innovator develops home cervical cancer screening device for women
Student wins award for new cervical cancer screening
A DeKalb County native studying at Georgia Tech has a bright idea that many women will have interest in. An early detection of cervical cancer has saved many lives, but many women will tell you getting tested is not fun. The student looks to help with that.
ATLANTA – A Georgia Tech student is hoping to change the way women experience cervical cancer screenings with a new device designed to be more comfortable and accessible than traditional Pap smears.
Rakeb Tesfatsellassie, a junior at Georgia Tech and native of DeKalb County, is developing a home screening test for cervical cancer that she says could encourage more women to get tested. The idea was born from a personal motivation and a desire to improve outdated medical tools.
Cervical cancer home screening test
What they’re saying:
“It’s really an uncomfortable situation to be in,” Tesfatsellassie said. “My partner and I are around the same age, and we both said the same thing — we don’t want to do this. Hopefully by the time we start doing Pap smears, we would want to see new innovation.”
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 4,000 women in the U.S. are expected to die from cervical cancer this year. Tesfatsellassie’s prototype aims to make early detection more appealing by creating a test women can use at home.
“You can insert it yourself,” she said. “It should be softer silicone, not harder. You would be able to grab it and it’s comfortable to insert it in and out.”
The design is described as simple and intuitive.
“It’s similar looking to a tampon,” Tesfatsellassie said.
Doctors typically do not recommend Pap smears until age 21, but Tesfatsellassie began working on the concept at 20. She said her passion for early detection came after losing a close family member to cancer.
“I know how important it is to have early detection,” she said.
Georgia Tech student Rakeb Tesfatsellassie’s accolades
What we know:
Tesfatsellassie’s idea won last year’s Community College Innovation Challenge while she was enrolled at Georgia State’s Perimeter College. After transferring to Georgia Tech, she joined the university’s Create-X program, which supports student startups and innovations. The project has already received a provisional patent, and Tesfatsellassie and her team have formed a limited liability company.
What’s next:
“It’s not where you start,” she said. “It’s where you want to go.”
The Source: FOX 5’s Kevyn Stewart spoke with Rakeb Tesfatsellassie, a junior at Georgia Tech and native of DeKalb County, about developing a home screening test for cervical cancer.
GEORGIA, Ga. (WALB) — A new bill introduced to the Georgia Senate could create a constitutional amendment to restrict voting to legal U.S. citizens.
The bill, Senate Resolution 4EX says, “No person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be entitled to vote at any election by the people.”
If passed, Georgians will vote on the constitutional amendment in the November election.
Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger said “I have been calling on the legislature for years to pass this amendment to the state constitution. I am glad to see the legislature finally act to ensure only American citizens are voting in our elections.”
According to Raffensperger, Georgia was the first state in the nation to conduct citizen verification of voter rolls. Since 2022, Raffensperger’s office conducted two citizenship audits of Georgia’s voter rolls.
SR 4EX Text
“Casting a vote is one of the most important elements of American citizenship. Any illegal vote dilutes the value of a citizen’s lawfully cast ballot. U.S. Citizens should decide Georgia elections. Period. I urge the legislature to pass this important legislation.”
The state uses information from the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) to identify people who are non-citizens. This data is based on documents provided to DDS, through its REAL ID drivers licenses or state identification cards.
That information is also ran through the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to verify an individual’s citizenship status.
Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.
To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook, Instagram and X. For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app and add WALB as a preferred source on Google.
Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.
The Oklahoma Sooners left no doubt in their 11-4 win over the Georgia Bulldogs to advance to the College World Series finals. It is OU’s second trip to the finals since 2022 but this one feels far more improbable.
A bubble team toward the end of the regular season and down 8-2 in an elimination game against Georgia Tech, Oklahoma has defied the odds and powered its way to the finals in Omaha. On Wednesday night, the Sooners hit five home runs against a Bulldogs team that led the nation in home runs per game this season.
Jason Walk got the home run party started, and Dasan Harris hit a pair of two-run bombs to help Oklahoma separate from one of the best teams in college baseball.
From the mound, freshman Nick Wesloski put together a strong performance for the Sooners, allowing just one earned run in 5.2 innings pitched. L.J. Mercurius worked 3.1 and allowed just one earned run against the vaunted Georgia offense.
Everything is clicking for Oklahoma heading into the finals, which begins on Saturday. They’ll face a good North Carolina Tar Heels for all the marbles. But before we get to the championship series, here’s a look at how social media reacted to the Sooners win over Georgia.
Playing for a Natty
Incredible Job by Skip Johnson
Definition of Team
Just Unreal
Got Hot at the Right Time
The Moment from the Dugout
Freshmen Phenoms
Nothing Easy, Everything Earned
Team of Destiny?
Exceeding All Expectations
Dasan Harris is that Dude
Incredible Story
Sooner Magic is alive and well
Playing for a trophy
Time to lay it all on the line
Just doing ridiculous things
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly known as Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
-
Florida6 minutes agoWeather Aware Day declared for Friday as heat and strong storms threaten Central Florida
-
Georgia9 minutes agoDHS appears to axe plan to construct immigration detention megacenter in small Georgia town
-
Hawaii14 minutes agoAmbassadors of aloha: Food events aim to boost tourism with unique Hawaii-made products
-
Idaho21 minutes agoIdaho State Police arrest Dillon Thorpe on rape, child enticement charges in Elmore County
-
Illinois24 minutes agoBeecher City farm suffers heavy damage following ‘wicked storm’
-
Indiana29 minutes agoBraun asks regulators to reconsider $71 million AES rate increase
-
Kansas34 minutes agoMixed results for Kansas City World Cup start as some businesses struggle
-
Iowa36 minutes agoIowa High School Baseball Stats: Leaders On The Diamond This Summer
