14 year old Sirish Subash won the illustrious 3M Young Scientist Challenge for creating something that the world could absolutely use. It’s called the Pestiscand and it is a handheld device that detects pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables. What’s even cooler, is it uses AI!

How does the device work? It is a handheld device that detects pesticide residue on produce employing spectrophotometry to measure how light of various wavelengths are reflected off the surface.

Sirish is not just a 9th grader at Gwinnet School of Math, Science and tech. Winning this prestigious award solidifies him as a future leader. Not only did he win $25,000, but he also won a mentorship with one of 3M’s scientists. Pretty cool right?

Previous winners of 3M’s Young Scientist Challenge go on to join the Forbes 30 under 30 list, give TED talks, file patents and more. 2024 marks the 17th year of the challenge, making Sirish the 17th named top young scientist.