Heman Bekele competed against nine other finalists at 3M’s headquarters in St. Paul, Minn. (Photos: Fairfax County Public Schools)
Heman Bekele, a 14-year-old student at W.T. Woodson High School in Annandale, Virginia, has been named the winner of the prestigious 2023 3M Young Scientist Challenge, presented by 3M and Discovery Education.
The inquisitive and enterprising ninth-grader created a compound-based bar of soap that is designed to treat skin cancer and he’s using the proceeds from his venture to create a non-profit organization to give the soap to communities in need over the next five years.
“I was looking into the issue of skin cancer and the fact that, especially in third world countries, people living under the poverty line just can’t afford the treatment necessary for skin cancer led me to try to come up with a solution, and that solution ended up being a skin cancer treating soap,” Bekele said to AfroTech.
The student won the award of being America’s Top Young Scientist from 3M and Discovery Education, which is considered one of the country’s top middle school science competitions. He spent the last four months competing against nine other students to win the award.
“Skin cancer is the most common in people living in developing countries. However, the average price of an operation is $40,000,” Bekele told Fairfax County Public Schools, according to WION News.
“There are so many preventable deaths,” he added.
About Post Author
