Meet "America's Top Young Scientist," who invented a bar of soap that can cure skin cancer
· Oct 25, 2023 · NottheBee.com

I feel pretty well accomplished after I put in a long day at work, come home, cook dinner and maybe vacuum or do a load of laundry.

This young man's standards, on the other hand, are somewhat different.

"America's Top Young Scientist" is a 14-year-old who invented a soap that treats skin cancer.

Heman Bekele, a ninth grader from Annandale, Virginia, won the prestigious award from 3M and Discovery Education, considered one of the country's top middle school science competitions.

"I believe that young minds can make a positive impact on the world," Heman said in his submission for the award.

Of course he believes that. He himself is a "young mind that made a positive impact on the world!"

The soap designed by the young man is meant to treat melanoma, a skin cancer that's relatively uncommon but which causes a large percentage of skin cancer deaths overall.

The soap reportedly costs about $0.50 to make. Bekele has said the soap contains "multiple ingredients in it that are low-cost and very affordable, making it accessible and equitable to as many people as possible."

The young Ethiopian-born scientist was awarded $25,000 for the prize. He plans to use it to "help fund product development and his future education."


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