ST. PAUL, Minn. and
SILVER SPRING, Md., June 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today,
3M (NYSE: MMM) and Discovery
Education announced the top 10 finalists, 30 State Merit Winners,
and four honorable mentions in the 2021 3M Young Scientist Challenge. As the nation's
premier middle school science competition, the 3M Young Scientist Challenge features
outstanding innovations from young scientists that utilize the
power of STEM to improve the world.
Empowering young minds to solve the world's challenges through STEM
is what the Young Scientist Challenge is all about.
The 3M Young Scientist
Challenge asks students in grades 5-8 to identify an
everyday problem in their community or the world and submit their
ideas for a solution in the form of a one- to two-minute video
explaining the science behind their solution. An esteemed and
diverse group of judges evaluates entries based on creativity,
scientific knowledge, and communication effectiveness. The
competition event will take place from October 18-19, 2021, at the 3M Innovation Center in Minneapolis.
"The 3M Young Scientist
Challenge demonstrates the transformative power of young minds
to address global challenges by combining their unique and diverse
perspectives on innovation, creativity, and a passion for a better
world," said Denise Rutherford, senior vice president and
chief corporate affairs officer, 3M.
"The 2021 finalists, honorable mention recipients, and state merit
winners prove the efficacy of STEM thinking. We are proud of this
year's competitors and remain committed to building greater
STEM-equity that unlocks the power of people, ideas and science and
imagines what's possible."
The top 10 2021 3M Young
Scientist Challenge finalists include students from public and
private schools across the U.S. Each finalist will receive
$1,000, along with a virtual
mentorship with a 3M scientist. All
10 finalists will be evaluated on a series of challenges, including
a presentation of their completed innovation. Each challenge will
be scored independently by a panel of judges. The grand prize
winner will receive $25,000, a unique
destination trip, and the title of America's Top Young
Scientist.
The top 10 2021 3M Young
Scientist Challenge finalists are as follows in alphabetical
order by last name:
- Abhinav Anne,
Naperville, Ill., Clifford Crone Middle School, Indian Prairie
Community Unit School District 204
- Samarth Mahapatra,
Marietta, Ga., Dodgen Middle School, Cobb County High School
Area 1
- Snigtha Mohanraj, West Haven,
Conn., Engineering and Science University Magnet School, New
Haven Public School District
- Veda Murthy, Herndon, Va., Rachel
Carson Middle School, Fairfax County Public School
District
- Viraj Pandey,
San Jose, Calif., Bret Harte Middle School, San Jose Unified
School District
- Sarah Park, Jacksonville, Fla., Bolles School-Bartram, Private
- Moitri Santra,
Oviedo, Fla., Jackson Heights
Middle School, Seminole County Public School District
- Danielle Steinbach,
San Jose, Calif., Harker Middle School, Private
- Aadrit Talukdar, San Jose,
Calif., Basis Independent Silicon Valley, Private
- Sydney Zhang,
San Diego, Calif., Mesa Verde
Middle School, Poway Unified School District
Additionally, there are 30 State Merit Winners, selected for
their passion, innovation, and superb communication skills. Each
State Merit Winner receives special recognition on the challenge
website, along with a technology prize pack.
The 2021 3M Young Scientist
Challenge State Merit Winners are listed below in alphabetical
order by state:
[Alabama] Sophia Al-Halaseh, Fort
Payne Middle School, Fort Payne
City School District
[Arizona] Prisha Shroff, Accelerated
Middle School, Chandler Unified School District
[California] Connor Chin, Ocean Grove
Charter School, Private
[Connecticut] Xander Shavers, Beecher
Road School, Woodbridge School
District
[Florida] Noah Richardson, Oakstead
Elementary School, Pasco County
School District
[Georgia] Christina Jordan, Centennial
Academy, Atlanta Public School District
[Iowa] Kalyani
Bhat, Prairie Ridge Middle School, Ankeny Community School District
[Illinois] Aarushi Tiwari, Aptakisic Junior
High School, Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102
[Indiana] Rohan Bhosale, Carmel Middle School, Carmel Clay School
District
[Kentucky] Karthika
Hariprasad, Jessie M Clark Middle School, Fayette County
Public School District
[Louisiana] Maya
Trutschl, Caddo Middle Magnet School, Caddo Parish Public
School District
[Massachusetts] Amy
Sun, Raymond J Grey Jr High School, Acton-Boxborough
Regional School District
[Maryland] Annika
Balaji, Takoma Park Middle School, Montgomery County School District
[Michigan] Shreyas Ikare, Novi Meadows
Elementary School, Novi Community
School District
[Minnesota] Nithila Meganathan,
Prairie View Elementary School, Eden Prairie Independent School
District 272
[North Carolina] Prithu Kolar, Davis Drive
Middle School, Wake County Public School Northwestern District
[Nebraska] Anuj
Singh, Peter Kiewit Middle
School, Millard Public School District
[New
Hampshire] Nikhil
Shokeen, Elm Street Middle School, Nashua School District
[New
Jersey] Raunak Singh, Memorial Middle School,
Fair Lawn School District
[Nevada] Vera van
der Linden, Sage Ridge
School, Private
[New
York] Matthew James,
Clear Stream Avenue Elem School, Valley Stream 30 Union Free School
District
[Ohio] Kaavya Tatavarty, Seven Hills
School, Private
[Oregon] Vihaan Paliwal, Carden Cascade
Academy, Private
[Pennsylvania] Alexander Wang, Germantown Academy, Private
[South Dakota] Malya Chakravarty,
George S Mickelson Middle School, Brookings School District 5-1
[Tennessee] Nipun
Rajan, Houston Middle School,
Germantown Municipal School District
[Texas] Arya Catna, Coppell Middle School
West, Coppell Independent School District
[Virginia] Kriesh Tivare, Cooper Middle School, Fairfax County Public
School District
[Washington] Alexander Lui, Odle
Middle School, Bellevue
School District 405
[West
Virginia] Dhruvika Soltani, Suncrest Middle School,
Private
For the first time in competition history, the 3M Young Scientist Challenge will also
recognize entrants with an honorable mention award. These projects
were selected for their unique and innovative concepts and
effective communication skills. The four 2021 3M Young Scientist Challenge honorable
mention recipients are as follows in alphabetical order by last
name:
- Srinija Chukkapali, Tampa,
Fla., Richard F Pride Elementary School, Hillsborough County School District - Area
8
- Varini Kadakia,
San Jose, Calif., Chaboya Middle
School, Evergreen School District
- Anika Pallapothu,
San Jose, Calif., Harker Middle School, Private
- Ella Reeves, Petersham, Mass., Petersham Center School,
Petersham Center School District
"Empowering young minds to solve the world's challenges through
STEM is what the Young Scientist Challenge is all about,"
said Lori McFarling, president of
corporate partnerships and social impact at Discovery Education.
"We celebrate each of the finalists and honorable mention
recipients and look forward to the final event at 3M's global
headquarters October
19th."
In its fourteenth year, the 3M
Young Scientist Challenge continues to inspire and challenge
middle school students to think creatively and apply the power of
STEM to discovering real-world solutions. America's Top Young
Scientists have gone on to give TED Talks, file patents, found
nonprofits, make the Forbes 30
Under 30 list, ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange, and
exhibit at the White House Science Fair. These young
innovators have also been named Time Magazine's first Kid of the
Year, featured in The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, Business Insider, and on national
television programs such as Good Morning America, CNN's Cuomo Prime
Time, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and more.
The award-winning 3M Young
Scientist Challenge supplements the 3M and Discovery Education program – Young
Scientist Lab – which provides no-cost dynamic digital
resources for students, teachers, and families to explore,
transform, and innovate the world around them. Additional digital
resources, content, and professional resources are available
through 3M's Science at Home series, an array of videos showcasing
3M scientists and guests performing
simple, at home experiments for kids aged 6-12. All the resources
are available within Discovery Education's K-12 learning platform
and at YoungScientistLab.com.
To learn more about the 3M
Young Scientist Challenge and meet this year's finalists, visit
YoungScientistLab.com.
About 3M
At 3M, we apply science in
collaborative ways to improve lives daily as our employees connect
with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M's creative
solutions to global challenges at www.3M.com or on Twitter @3M or
@3MNews.
About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned
digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional
learning for K-12 classrooms. Through its award-winning digital
textbooks, multimedia resources, immersive STEM experiences and the
largest professional learning network of its kind, Discovery
Education is transforming teaching and learning and improving
academic achievement around the globe. Discovery Education's
services are available in approximately half of U.S. classrooms and
primary schools in the U.K. and reach over 5 million educators and
51 million students in more than 90 countries. Inspired by the
global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners
with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to empower
teachers with customized solutions that support the success of all
learners. Explore the future of education at
DiscoveryEducation.com.
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SOURCE 3M