Maanasa Mendu, a 13-year-old 9th grade student from Mason, Ohio, has won the 2016 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge Oct. 18 in St. Paul, Minn., bagging the title of ‘America’s Top Young Scientist’ and a prize money of $25,000.
Mendu, a student at William Mason High School in the Mason City School District, won the top honor from a slate of 10 finalists from across the country Oct. 18 at the competition at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul. The students competed in the scientist challenge, under which each of them was paired with 3M scientists to develop practical inventions.
Mendu, according to a Journal.com report, created Harvest, a bio-inspired energy device that uses solar and wind power to create energy. The innovation, she said, was inspired by a visit to India where she discovered many people lacking necessities like clean water and lighting.
Mendu hopes that her invention will provide a globally applicable, cost-effective energy source.
The competition’s goal was to apply science to everyday life, creating a solution that may improve lives and strengthen communities around the globe, and Mendu’s approach reflected the goal. Reports said over the past three months, Mendu and the nine other finalists had the opportunity to work with a 3M scientist to develop their personal inventions as part of a summer mentorship program.
During the final competition hosted by Discovery Education vice president Lance Rougeux, the finalists presented their inventions to a panel of scientists and leaders from both Discovery Education and 3M, including honorary guest judge Trace Dominguez, who is the producer, writer and host of Discovery’s DNews program.
In a press statement Bill Goodwyn, president and CEO of Discovery Education, noted that the young scientist challenge “reminds us of the inspiring ingenuity that results when we empower our youngest generation to apply science, critical thinking and creativity to solve real world problems.”
The remaining nine finalists also received prizes, including second through fourth place winners each of whom received $1,000 and a trip to a taping of a show on Discovery’s family of networks.
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