Discovery Education and 3M have named 14-year-old Indian-American student Sahil Doshi from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the winner of the 2014 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge for his 'innovative, eco-friendly' battery design.
Inspired by the 1.2 billion people worldwide who lack access to electricity and the rising levels of toxic air pollution, Doshi was determined to create an energy storage device that could help lower harmful greenhouse gases while generating electricity for those in need. His prototype – the PolluCell – converts carbon dioxide into electricity, ingeniously helping to reduce our carbon footprint while offering power for household uses and developing nations.
Doshi, a ninth grader from Upper St Clair School District’s Upper St Clair High School, competed alongside nine other finalists on Saturday during a live competition at the 3M Innovation Center in St Paul, Minn., and was awarded the title of "America’s Top Young Scientist," $25,000 and a student adventure trip to a destination such as Costa Rica.
To download hi-res images and b-roll footage of the science competition, go to www.youngscientistchallengemedia.com.
Over the past three months, Doshi and the other finalists had the opportunity to work directly with a 3M Scientist as they created their personal innovations as part of a summer mentorship program. Students met virtually with their 3M Scientist Mentors, who provided guidance to the finalists as they developed their ideas from a theoretical concept into an actual prototype that would help solve a problem in everyday life.
During the final competition on Saturday, the finalists shared their completed innovations with a panel of distinguished judges. In addition to presenting their prototypes, the ten finalists competed in two additional challenges where they were asked to: 1) combine multiple 3M technologies to yield new solutions; and 2) build a simple machine using science and engineering principles. Kari Byron, host of Discovery Channel’s MythBusters, served as a guest judge, as well as a special guest at the awards banquet.
The remaining nine finalists also received a variety of prizes from Discovery Education and 3M. The second, third and fourth place winners each received a $1,000 prize and a student adventure trip to a destination such as Costa Rica.
Katherine Wu from North Potomac, Md., a ninth grader at Montgomery County Public School’s Montgomery Blair High School, received second place for her innovation that proactively prevents dangerous drowsy driving.
Jai Kumar from South Riding, Va., a seventh grader at Loudoun County Public School's J. Michael Lunsford Middle School, received third place for his innovative, window-mounted air purification system that prevents harmful pollutants from entering the home.
Christopher Isozaki from Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., a ninth grader at Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District’s Palos Verdes High School, received fourth place for his innovative computer cooling system.
The fifth through tenth place winners each received a $1,000 prize and a $500 gift card from Discovery Experiences, which offers first-hand, memorable adventures they see and learn about on Discovery's networks. These finalists include:
Mythri Ambatipudi, a ninth grader at Saint Francis High School
David Cohen, a ninth grader at SR Academy of Dallas
Ana Humphrey from, an eighth grader at Alexandria City Public School’s George Washington Middle School
Tony Kim from Rancho Palos Verdes, a seventh grader at Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District’s Ridgecrest Intermediate School
Andrew Masek from North Attleborough, an eighth grader at North Attleborough Public School’s North Attleborough Middle School
Nikita Rafikov from Evans, a seventh grader at Columbia County School’s Riverside Middle School.
0 Comments