Science can be a passion for children who are to young to drive! Recently “America’s Best Young Scientist” was chosen by the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist in their annual challenge. The winner of the $25,000 prize this year, was an 11 year old child from Colorado called Gitanjali Rao.
Tethys, as Gitanjali’s project was called, is a sensor based gadget that tests water for lead faster than any device currently on the market. Gitanjali hopes to help deal with the water contamination crisis by using the device to decrease health effects caused by lead exposure.
As per their website students from the grades 5 to 8 in the United States, are invited to create a 1-2 minute video describing a new, innovating solution that could solve an everyday problem. Ten finalists are chosen each year for their passion for science, spirit of innovation and ingenuity, and effective communication skills.
Judging of the videos sent in is based on.
- Creativity (ingenuity and innovative thinking) (30%)
- Scientific knowledge (30%)
- Persuasiveness and effective communication (20%)
- Overall presentation (20%)
Those chosen are then guided to bring their solution to a prototype. These young individuals then work with 3M mentors to refine and improve their final project. The ten finalists are judged in a competition final which is held a few months after their initial selection.
At the finals they present the result of their summer mentor-ship as well as participate in a series of challenges based on their science knowledge. The judges come from a variety of fields and include teacher, scientists, researchers and school district representatives.
They are looking for science based ideas that are sustainable and practical. Ideas that help clear out pollution and environmental contamination issues are particularly welcome. Also gadgets and devices with moving parts which have a helpful purpose in daily life are appreciated.
The young children need to send in individual entries as teams are not allowed to participate in the challenge. Parental approval is also required for participation. To get a better idea of what kind of ideas are selected, past entries into the annual challenge can be referenced on the challenge website.