Herman Bekele, known as “America’s Top Young Scientist,” has a soap that comes with health benefits.
Bekele, a ninth-grader from Virginia, created a compound-based bar of soap that is designed to treat skin cancer. According to the National Institute of Health, skin cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed groups of cancer worldwide. With proceeds from his invention, he plans to create a non-profit organization to give the soap to communities in need over the next five years.
“I was looking into the issue of skin cancer and the fact that, especially in third world countries, people living under the poverty line just can’t afford the treatment necessary for skin cancer led me to try to come up with a solution, and that solution ended up being a skin cancer treating soap,” Bekele said to AfroTech.
The student won the award of being America’s Top Young Scientist from 3M and Discovery Education, which is considered one of the country’s top middle school science competitions. He spent the last four months competing against nine other students to win the award.
“I believe that young minds can make a positive impact on the world,” Heman said. “I have always been interested in biology and technology, and this challenge gave me the perfect platform to showcase my ideas.”
