Students at North Carolina State University are using science to combat sexual assault. Four male students have developed a nail polish, named Undercover Colors, which can detect date rape drugs by changing color when it comes in contact with depressants like Rohypnol and GHB.

“While date rape drugs are often used to facilitate sexual assault, very little science exists for their detection,” the Undercover Colors team posted on its Facebook page. “Our goal is to invent technologies that empower women to protect themselves from this heinous and quietly pervasive crime.”


North Carolina State University is supporting the project through funding and providing the team with lab space to test the types of drugs Undercover Colors is targeting. The team won an $11,000 prize from a contest on campus, where they met with a potential investor, according to the TODAY Show.

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While the nail polish has yet to go on sale, one of its founders, Ankesh Madan, said it is their goal to put the product on the market. Before then, however, the team still has to continue its fundraising and research to ensure that the product will be effective in its aim.

“One of our main priorities is to ensure that we develop a product that tests for a comprehensive set of drugs before we release it,” co-founder and CEO Tyler Confrey-Maloney posted on Undercover Colors' Facebook page.


Sina Kramer, a professor of women’s studies at Loyola Marymount University, said that her main concern with Undercover Colors would be the accuracy of the product. However, she also said that the product contributes to a culture that gives women the primary responsibility of preventing rape.

“Women should be able to use, and have access to whatever protects them, but we need to call into question the culture that makes women responsible for preventing crimes against them,” Kramer said.

Furthermore, Kramer said that the feminine nature of nail polish makes the product favor not just women, but a specific type of woman.

“Nail polish is fem[inine], but butch women don’t necessarily wear nail polish and butch women get raped – and men get raped, too,” she said.

Students were unsure about whether the nail polish, if released, would make waves on USC's campus. Alexandria Lewis, a junior majoring in theater, also said she felt that there should be more emphasis on preventing sexual violence all together, rather than just teaching victims how to protect themselves from attacks.

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“I don’t think we should have to teach people how to prevent themselves from being raped, or how to not get raped, but instead teach people to not rape at all,” Lewis said.

Other students like Caroline Nantz, a junior majoring in communication, questioned the logistics of using the product.
        

“People might think it was weird if I just stick my finger in my drink,” Nantz said.

Despite any criticism of the product, Undercover Colors is being developed at a time when college students around the nation are advocating for an increased awareness of sexual violence. At Columbia University, 21-year-old senior Emma Sulkowicz is carrying a dorm room mattress with her on campus until her rapist is expelled or leaves campus. Sulkowicz’s actions come after she reported the assault, and the case was dismissed. Similarly, a student at Harvard detailed in an op-ed in the campus newspaper last semester her fight to have her reported attacker moved out of her dorm, where students generally stay for three years. "Dear Harvard: You Win," the title read. 

Just three weeks ago, USC announced new provisions for sexual assault prevention. The new initiatives are designed to educate the students about sexual misconduct, encourage bystander intervention, promote the awareness of available resources and remove the social stigma of reporting traumas.

In light of the changes taking place on college campuses, Kramer said it is important to focus on long-term solutions, like that of USC's policy adaptations. 

“We like quick fixes, and Undercover Colors is certainly one of them,” she said. “Sometimes they work, but it's not going to change the underlying condition of how we can encourage men and boys to not rape.”  

Reach Staff Reporter Emily Goldberg here.