14-Year-Old Heman Bekele is "America's Top Young Scientist"

Laura Wencel
Thu, 02 Nov 2023 13:21:28 -0700

With about 100,000 new cases diagnosed annually, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the US. It is also expensive to treat. The CDC estimates that over $8 billion is spent annually to fight the disease. Now, scientists may have some help from 14-year-old Heman Bekele. The ninth-grader from Annandale, Virginia, has created a cheap bar of soap that could potentially help fight skin cancer. His invention won him the title of "America's Top Young Scientist" at the 3M Young Scientist Challenge on October 10, 2023.