NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / February 17, 2025 / Originally published on 3M News Center
Sirish Subash, the winner of the 2024 3M Young Scientist Challenge, was recently celebrated at the Georgia State Capitol. Sirish, his family and his 3M mentor, Aditya Banerji, sat in the House Gallery while he was honored with a proclamation from House Minority Whip Sam Park.
The proclamation recognized his Challenge victory, and his innovative device called PestiSCAND, which can detect pesticide residue on produce. Following the ceremony, Sirish was presented with a framed copy of the proclamation and spoke with Rep. Park about his education and future plans.
"It's an honor to be recognized by my state," said Sirish. "It was a really cool experience. We got to go through the Capitol, and there was a recognition by my representative and my district senator."
On the Senate side, Sirish was invited to the chamber floor by Senator Sheikh Rahman. Rahman delivered a statement about Sirish's accomplishments, his recognition as "America's Top Young Scientist" and his bright future. After the announcement, multiple senators introduced themselves to Sirish and asked about his work.
"It is incredible to see Sirish recognized in different forums and the level of interest his work on PestiSCAND has generated globally," said Aditya Banerji, Sirish's 3M mentor and senior research engineer in its corporate research process laboratory. "He is an exceptionally bright mind who is already looking ahead to how to solve the next societal issue while forging ahead with his studies."
Those who met Sirish at the Capitol were eager to learn what Sirish is planning next. "I'll be doing more work on PestiSCAND in the next few years, but for now I'm thinking on new projects, like a detector for microplastics in water-that's what I'm currently working on," said Sirish.
While 3M and its partners at Discovery Education will continue to celebrate Sirish's achievement, they recently announced that the 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge is now open to entries. As the nation's premier middle school science competition, the annual Challenge invites students in grades 5-8 to compete for an exclusive mentorship with a 3M scientist, a $25,000 grand prize, and the chance to earn the title of "America's Top Young Scientist." The Challenge is kicking off its 18th season and entries will be accepted until May 1 at YoungScientistLab.com.
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