Mia Heller is an award-winning innovator from Warrenton, Virginia. Motivated by local microplastic pollution and the high upkeep of traditional filters, she set out as a high school student to create an affordable, membrane-free solution. Working out of her kitchen and garage, Heller built a compact, three-module prototype roughly the size of a flour bag. Her invention earned top honors at the Virginia Piedmont Regional Science Fair. She also won a special award from the Patent and Trademark Office Society at the 2025 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. Driven to address environmental health issues, Heller aims to have her results independently verified and eventually bring her low-cost design to market for home use.