The annual 3M Young Scientist Challenge that recognizes and rewards innovative minds in the United States is back with 10 finalists including 6 Indian Americans. Kids of Indian origin have time and again shined in the competition for their novel ideas and scientific innovations. From 2012 until 2020, America’s Top Young Scientist title has gone to 6 Indian-origin kids including Deepika Kurup (2012), Sahil Doshi (2014), Maanasa Mendu (2016), Gitanjali Rao (2017), Rishab Jain (2018), and Anika Chebrolu (2020).
Unfortunately, the Indian immigrant community did not have good luck with the ‘America’s Top Young Scientist’ title in the past two years. Hence, all eyes are on the below six Indian-origin kids in the grand finale of Discovery 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2023. We hope, like the Scripps National Spelling Bee 2023 trophy, this coveted title will go to the Indian Diaspora in USA this year. The winner of 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2023 will be announced at the culminating event scheduled in October.
3M Young Scientist Ishaan Iyer, Los Angeles
The inventor of the Tactile Electronic Braille Display Device 2.0, Ishaan Iyer is the youngest of all ten finalists of Discovery 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2023. He designed a cost-effective device to simplify the labor-intensive method of Braille writing with a slate and stylus. His model encodes the English alphabet into Braille language and aids the visually impaired in reading the Braille Alphabet easily. Ishan Iyer, who mentions a reusable rocket as his favorite invention of the last 100 years, hopes to be a rocket scientist working on building economical and eco-friendly spacecraft.
3M Young Scientist Adhip Maitra, Florida
Have you ever heard of ptosis? It’s a condition that causes eyelids to droop abnormally, sometimes even blocking the vision. Ptosis can be a result of aging, but most people do not even realize that they have this condition until it turns worse. This, along with the fact that it can be a symptom of 48 diseases and disorders, inspired Adhip Maitra to develop a computer program for early detection of ptosis. According to him, it helps with the timely detection of any serious underlying conditions that generally go undetected until the final stage. The 8th grader from Jackson Heights Middle School in Oviedo, Florida employed deep learning and other technologies to develop this computer program.
3M Young Scientist Shruti Sivaraman, Texas
One of the six Indian Americans named in the top 10 finalists of the 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2023 is Shruti Sivaraman from Austin, Texas. The young app developer created an application to diagnose Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), a vision-threatening complication plaguing the diabetic population. Her smart app detects Diabetic Retinopathy by examining the retinal images unlike the conventional dilated eye exam that involves the use of dilation drops. Shruti is a seventh grader studying at Canyon Vista Middle School and she aims to become a computer engineer.
3M Young Scientist Anish Kosaraju, California
The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2021 lists cybersecurity failure among the highest possible risks of this decade. San Jose-based Anish Kosaraju’s invention that secured him a place in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge 2023 finalists is centered on developing a new method powered by machine learning for enhanced cybersecurity. He developed a model to find the legitimacy of login attempts and prevent the cyber takeovers of accounts that aren’t protected by multi factor authentication. Anish Kosaraju wishes to see himself as a cybersecurity expert in future.
3M Young Scientist Shripriya Kalbhavi, California
A grade-8 student at Joaquin Miller Middle School, Shripriya Kalbhavi from San Jose introduced EasyBZ microneedle patches as an affordable solution for painless medication. An active form of drug delivery, her microneedle patches, Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction-automated, enable the administration of customized doses of medication into the body. Passionate about scientific inventions, especially in the field of medication, Shripriya aspires to become a neurosurgeon. She is also a mathlete and an active participant in math competitions such as Math Kangaroo and AMC8.
3M Young Scientist Anisha Dhoot, Portland
One of the talented Indian American teens competing for ‘America’s Top Young Scientist 2023‘ title is Anisha Dhoot, whose environment-focused project for building a sustainable planet promotes utilization of kelp seaweed to improve soil nutrition and also fight climate change. Anisha Dhoot aspires to become a STEM professional and work on improving the life of people on Earth. “Girls are underrepresented in the STEM field in both high school/college level and later in professional careers and I want to reverse that trend,” says the 14-year-old budding scientist from Portland.
Discovery Education’s 3M Young Scientist Challenge is a prestigious STEM competition that provides a stage for America’s middle school students in 5 to 8 grades to demonstrate their ideas and solutions to tackle real-world issues. The ‘America’s Top Young Scientist’ title winner will earn a $25K grand prize while all the 10 finalists get $1000 each along with an opportunity to participate in an exclusive summer mentorship program with a 3M scientist.
