A Virginia high school freshman created a soap to treat skin cancer. Heman Bekele was awarded $25,000 after winning this year’s 3M Young Scientist Challenge — Fox News Digital spoke to his mom.
A Virginia high school freshman was looking for a fun science experiment — and ended up making a soap with the aim of treating skin cancer. Heman Bekele, who attends W.T. Woodson High School in the Fairfax County Public Schools system, was crowned 'America’s Top Young Scientist' and awarded $25,000 after winning this year’s 3M Young Scientist Challenge.
Skin cancer is mostly found on people who live within developing countries,' Bekele said in a press release from FCPS. 'But the average price for an operation is $40,000.' 'I was devastated by the idea of people having to choose between treatment and putting food on the table for their families,' he continued. 'There are so many preventable deaths.
One of the biggest challenges, Bekele said, was to keep the soap from flaking into pieces. He ended up using a mixture of moisturizer, coconut oil and organic shea butter to accomplish that. The process taught the teen the value of persistence, Bekele said; one major challenge was finding the right combination of ingredients to ensure the soap held together without flaking into pieces. Using 3M Cavilon , coconut oil and organic shea butter, he was able to make that happen. Eric D. Whitman, M.D.
In the future, he hopes to launch a nonprofit organization to distribute his soap in low-income communities. 'We are excited to see Heman’s dedication and resilience paying off,' the teen’s parents said. 'It is also a confirmation for kids like him that it is possible.' They added, 'We are extremely proud of his accomplishment and looking forward to his next steps to making a difference in the world.
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