My Journey Into the 3M Young Scientist Challenge

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Young Scientist Blog! My name is Shripriya Kalbhavi, and I am from San Jose, California. This year, I am one of the top ten finalists of the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, so I am excited to be able to document my growth and progress, along with the collaboration with my mentor, Dr. PJ Flanigan, throughout the course of this summer. But every story has to start somewhere, right? In my first blog post, I will be covering my journey to the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. 

I first found out about the 3M Young Scientist Challenge after watching the videos of past finalists on Youtube. I was really inspired by their innovations, and the problems that they were solving were really admirable. But for me, I think that the most amazing part was that all of the finalists were so young. They were breaking barriers when it comes to science, proving that you don't have to be an adult to make a change in the world. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to contribute back to my community, and I really enjoy science and research too, so I believe that the 3M Young Scientist Challenge is the perfect way for me to do both. Along with heaps of encouragement and support from my parents, my sister, and my friends, I decided to enter the Challenge this year.  

Entering the Challenge was an exciting process for me. Making my entry video was really fun because it gave me the opportunity to really think deeply about my project and how I wanted to communicate my idea to not only the judges but also everyone who will watch the video. Making my video relatable and easy to understand for everyone was something that I really had to think through carefully. I know that I rewatched the video several times to make sure it was exactly how I envisioned it!

And then, there was waiting to hear if I was a finalist. I was nervous while waiting because I know that there are many intelligent young scientists out there who are coming up with life-changing solutions, just like I am, so I decided to just wait and see. When my parents told me that there was a phone call for me, I was confused at first, but then, I heard that it was from the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. It was the best feeling in the world to hear that I was one of the finalists, but the most impactful part of all of this is that I will get to make a change in the world, just like how I always hoped that I would. My family and friends are really happy for me and excited to see how my project is going to help people all over the world. They have been very supportive throughout my journey to the 3M Young Scientist Challenge.

That is it for this time, so see you soon, right back here at the Young Scientist Blog. This is Shripriya, signing off. Have a great rest of your day.