3M and Discovery Education have announced the winner of the 2024 3M Young Scientist Challenge, Sirish Subash, a 9th grader from Georgia. Sirish impressed the judges with his AI handheld pesticide detector, winning a $25,000 cash prize and the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”
Sirish competed against nine other finalists over four months before securing his win at the final Challenge events at 3M global headquarters in Minnesota. His project, Pestiscand, is a handheld device that detects pesticide residues on produce using spectrophotometry. The device achieved an accuracy rate of over 85% in identifying pesticide residues on spinach and tomatoes.
The second and third place winners, Minula Weerasekera and William Tan, received $2,000 prizes for their innovative projects. The fourth through tenth place winners each received a $1,000 prize and a $500 gift card.
Discovery Education, a leader in edtech, supports student innovation through the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. The competition aims to inspire middle school students to think creatively and apply STEM principles to real-world problems. Winners of the challenge have gone on to achieve great success in their respective fields.
The 3M Young Scientist Challenge is part of the Young Scientist Lab program, which provides digital resources for students, teachers, and families to explore STEM concepts. The resources are available on Discovery Education Experience, the company’s K-12 learning platform.
To learn more about the 3M Young Scientist Challenge and meet this year’s winners and finalists, visit youngscientistlab.com.
About 3M
3M believes in using science to create a brighter world for everyone. The company works to address the opportunities and challenges facing customers, communities, and the planet.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is a global edtech leader, supporting learning through its digital platform. The company helps educators deliver engaging learning experiences to students worldwide.
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