Finalists, Mentors and Judges

The 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge Finalists and State Merit Winners have been announced! Use the tabs below to check out their big ideas and explore all finalists, winners, and 3M Scientist mentors!

Today’s Innovators

Get to know the diverse personalities of students, 3M Mentors, and others who have contributed their unique talents to the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Use the tabs below to explore exciting ideas and inspirations from previous years’ challenges.

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WinnersFinalistsState Merit WinnersHonorable MentionImproving LivesMentorsJudges
2025 Honorable Mention

Aaisha Asif

Hydrolizer

2025 New York State Merit Winner

Aaradhya Vijay

Physical agents coordinating to automate warehouse operations

2025 Delaware State Merit Winner

Aarav Garimalla

Augmented Reality Safety Belt for Inclusive Travel

2025 Connecticut State Merit Winner

Aaron Shamshtein

Solenclar

2025 New Jersey State Merit Winner

Aashritha Pasam

WILDAS - WILdfire Detection Alert System

2025 Arizona State Merit Winner

Akshay Lakshminarasimhan

Exploring the Interplay Between Earth's Magnetic Field, Solar Activity, and Climate Variability on Human Settlements

2025 Honorable Mention

Albert Liu

Hy-Shield: The Affordable Nano-Coating Solution That Protects Steel Pipelines from Hydrogen Embrittlement—Saving Time, Money, and Powering a Greener, More Sustainable Tomorrow

2025 Finalist

Amaira Srivastava

FlavoPeel Cups: A Novel Approach to Food Waste, Malnutrition, and Plastic Pollution

Meet Amaira. created biodegradable cups infused with fruit peels to fight plastic waste, reduce food loss, and deliver natural nutrients through flavonoid-rich water.

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2025 North Carolina State Merit Winner

Andromeda Dennis

Using Solar Energy to Make the Recycling of Styrofoam more Economically Feasable

2025 Virginia State Merit Winner

Aneruddha Das

Digital Detox: Monitoring and Managing Digital Addiction in Children and Adolescents

2025 Finalist

Aniket Sarkar

Moisture Capture: Atmospheric Solution to Agriculture

Meet Aniket. Aniket designed a low-cost atmospheric moisture capturing system that pulls water from dry air to help farmers grow crops in increasingly arid regions of the American Midwest and West.

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2025 Finalist

Anirudh Rao

An Alternative To Electrochemical Batteries Using 4-Layer Graphene Oxide and Fiberglass Substrate

Meet Anirudh. Anirudh developed a moisture-powered nano-generator that provides clean, affordable electricity for health and environmental sensors in areas without reliable access to power.

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2025 Minnesota State Merit Winner

Arika Kundu

CRISP

2025 Pennsylvania State Merit Winner

Aryash Shyam

GreenBeam - Autonomous Laser Weed Control

2025 New Mexico State Merit Winner

Ashvita Prasankumar

Innovative Fire Safety: Utilizing Common Household Items as Fire Retardants

2025 Alabama State Merit Winner

Brahama Mubarak Budhwani

Bonding with the Enemy : NaDES as Nature's Solution to the Microplastic Crisis

2025 Oklahoma State Merit Winner

Clayton Rohla

Using Bats As An Alternative Pest Control Method

2025 Kentucky State Merit Winner

Deepak Praveen Kumar

PathoShield: A solution designed to prevent the succession of pathogens, through effective applications

2025 Finalist

Divyam Desai

Foundation Tilt Prevention System

Meet Divyam. Divyam built a smart irrigation system that monitors soil moisture around building foundations and waters each zone only as needed, helping prevent structural tilt while conserving water in clay-rich regions.

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2025 Hawaii State Merit Winner

Elliott Mannis-Young

A low-cost fire-retardant foam generator for household use

2025 Honorable Mention

Gagan Girish

Micro Impurities Cleaning Robot

2025 Florida State Merit Winner

Hannah Lee

Harvesting Microalgae Using Ferrofluid and Biopolymer for Bioenergy Production

2025 Nevada State Merit Winner

Henry Tran

The Effectiveness of Urine and Eggshell Together as Fertilizer.

2025 Finalist

Isha Marla

AlginaFAB - A Novel and Sustainable Alternative to Conventional Fiber Textiles using Alginate-Based Biofabrics

Meet Isha. Isha created AlginaFAB, a fabric made from seaweed and natural ingredients that mimics the strength and flexibility of traditional textiles while breaking down easily in the environment—offering an alternate future for fashion.

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