GREENWICH-- It's much more than extra credit for a Greenwich High School junior.
Olivia Hallisey took top honors at the Google Science Fair with her project called the "Ebola Assay Card." The test that Hallisey submitted to the prestigious science contest claims to detect the Ebola virus quickly and without the need for refrigeration.
"It's basically a pregnancy test for Ebola," Hallisey said while sitting in a second floor science lab at Greenwich High.
Hallisey won the Google science fair, beating out thousands of student entries worldwide. The top 20 contestants were invited to Google headquarters in California for final announcement, which came on Monday.
Hallisey's Ebola Assay Card is made from photo paper and, when tested, it can detect the antigens for the virus.
"It works in about 30 minutes and costs around $25," said Andy Bramante, the director of science research at Greenwich High. "It's just amazing to see that this has happened."
For her efforts, Hallisey took home the top award -- a $50,000 scholarship from Google.
"The hope is to see this project to the end and see it being used to help people," she said.