In September 2015 Deepika travelled to Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California to compete against 19 other finalists in the global Google Science Fair. She won the National Geographic Explorer Award for her project titled “Novel Photocatalytic Pervious Composites for Removing Multiple Classes of Toxins from Water“. The award includes a 10-day National Geographic Expedition to the Galápagos Archipelago, where she will have the opportunity to explore wildlife with a diverse team of National Geographic experts.