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A ninth grader from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was on Oct. 15 named ‘America’s Top Young Scientist’ for his eco-friendly battery design. Sahil Doshi, 14, of the Upper St. Clair School District’s Upper St. Clair High School, competed alongside nine other finalists during a live competition at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he won first place, $25,000 and a student adventure trip, Discovery Education said in a press release. Jai Kumar from South Riding, Virginia, a seventh grader at Loudoun County Public School’s J. Michael Lunsford Middle School, received third place for his window-mounted air filter that prevents harmful pollutants from entering the home.
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.
“My innovation is a battery that uses carbon dioxide and recycled materials such as aluminum and silver to generate electricity,” Doshi told NBC News.
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.
“The Young Scientist Challenge at its core celebrates the wonder of science and students who embrace innovation and creativity,” said Bill Goodwyn, president and CEO, Discovery Education.
“We are honored to stand alongside 3M in congratulating Sahil and the rest of this year’s finalists for their dedication and innovative thinking. I am certain that they will make a meaningful impact on society in the years to come.”
“The way I came up with my idea was that I was thinking about global problems that affect people every day and the problems that immediately came into my head were pollution and a lack of electricity worldwide,” Doshi, who entered the competition as an eighth grader, told NBC. ‘So I decided to tackle these two problems together in one innovation.”
Doshi said his passion for science prompted him to enter the competition.
“Science is everywhere around us,” he said. “I’m really curious about things that happen around us so science, I find naturally curious, that’s why I like science so much – there are so many puzzles that are yet to be solved.”
Third place winner Kumar saw the competition as an opportunity to challenge him in identifying and solving a major issue in the world, the website said in his description. Kumar enjoys exploring how to use technology to solve everyday problems. He’s even created a gaming system for the senior center where he volunteers and an automatic light dimmer that sense sound levels in a school cafeteria.
Mythri Ambatipudi, who came in at fifth place is an eighth grader at the Stratford Middle School in San Jose, California. According to the Discovery Education website, Ambatipudi’s invention seeks to address the root cause of many life-threatening diseases, like cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Her passion for science, research, and computational biochemistry fueled her desire to enter the Young Scientist Challenge. She loves reading books, both fiction and nonfiction, on her Kindle.
