A Black Virginia teen has recently been recognized as one of the smartest people in the nation, developing a soap that helps treat skin cancer.
A ninth grader, the teen’s scientific discovery has won him a five-figure cash prize and the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”
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 at the company’s global headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Oct. 9 and 10.
Bekele outshined nine other finalists over a four-month competition period. His submission, a groundbreaking compound-based Skin Cancer Treating Soap (SCTS), blew the judges away and secured him the grand prize. As a winner, he walked away with a champion’s title and $25,000.
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All of the young people were paired with 3M scientists before being charged to navigate a series of interactive challenges. Over that time, the nine students were rigorously evaluated based on their ingenuity, application of STEM principles, passion for research, presentation skills, and their ability to inspire others. He also started to delve deeply into the research about skin cancer and dendritic cells that informed his submission video.
In his submission video for the project, he highlighted three key ingredients: salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and tretinoin, which act as skin exfoliants that can help melanoma patients. He says patients should use the soap every two to three days with a prescription.
Bekele’s mentor is Deborah Isabelle from 3M’s Automotive Aftermarket Division, and she helped him bring his idea to reality.
His student’s melanoma-treating soap will be cost-effective. Each bar can be manufactured and sold for just $0.50. The young scientist wanted the innovative treatment to be an accessible and affordable alternative to conventional methods of skin cancer treatment, and that is only the start.
“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, leading him to speak about how people who lack money are victims.
“There are so many preventable deaths,” he said.
Looking ahead to the next five years, he intends to establish a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the medicinal cleansing compound readily available to those who require it the most at a low cost. In the next 15 years, he hopes to become an electrical engineer.
Outside of the competition, Bekele is a self-taught programmer who is also fluent in Python, Lua, JavaScript, and C.
While coding is an area in which he excels, he says he is “passionate about medicine, programming, and making an impact” and “eager for opportunities in research and internships in STEM & computer science.”
He also notes that in the future, he wants to have a community of great friends and family. But until then, he is pushing through the rest of his high school years and a focus on helping others.
