MacArthur Fellow and MIT instructor Amy Smith proves that cutting-edge innovation isn't necessarily synonymous with high-tech invention. She has developed forward-thinking design solutions to problems in developing communities in Haiti, Ghana, Brazil, India, China, and other areas of the world. Her remake of a simple flour mill, for example, doesn't require a screen (an expensive and rare commodity in impoverished regions) to sift grains for food staples like bread. Smith's screenless mill -- the first of its kind -- works by separating different-size particles according to their varied aerodynamic properties. With an endless imagination applied to limited means, Smith dedicates her engineering know-how to humanitarian relief
