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Transcript/Script((INTRO))
[[A 14-year-old Ethiopian-born American in the U.S. state of Virginia has won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, an annual science competition for U.S. students in grades five through eight. VOA’s Eden Geremew recently spoke with the winner in Fairfax County, Virginia, in this report narrated by Salem Solomon.]]
((Picture - Mandatory Courtesy: Donnie Biggs/Fairfax County Public Schools))
((NARRATION))
Heman Bekele says that he has always been passionate about problem-solving. That curiosity has earned the Ethiopian-born American teen the grand prize, and $25,000 in cash, in this year’s 3M Young Scientist Challenge, a competition for U.S. students enrolled in fifth through eighth grade.
Heman entered a bar soap that could fight a type of skin cancer known as melanoma.
((Heman Bekele, Ethiopian American Inventor)) ((Male, in English))
“I’ve always been really passionate about just finding solutions that aren’t just really great from a science perspective but are also accessible to as many people as possible and for a disease like skin cancer and for a disease like skin cancer where cures already exist in the field the only issue is that those cures are not accessible to everyone.”
((Picture - Mandatory Courtesy: Donnie Biggs/Fairfax County Public Schools))
((NARRATION))
Heman's soap is still being tested for its effectiveness, but it works by activating special cells, called dendritic cells, that help the body fight skin cancer.
((Heman Bekele, Ethiopian American Inventor)) ((Male, in English))
“I tried to come up with a solution that was not only great from a science perspective that could work but then at the same time was also affordable and accessible.”
((Picture - Mandatory Courtesy: Donnie Biggs/Fairfax County Public Schools))
((NARRATION))
Heman's parents say that they didn’t realize how important his project was until their son was shortlisted among the top ten competitors. His father, Wondwossen Bekele, says they couldn’t contain their excitement.
((Wondwossen Bekele, Heman’s Father)) ((Male, in English)) ((Mandatory courtesy: Zoom))
“When he became a top ten, I was really, I mean, we were so satisfied, and then when he became the first, it was like we were so, so overwhelmed with his accomplishments. So, we’re still so happy for him.”
((NARRATION))
His mother, Muluemebet Getachew, says he has always been curious as a child.
[[Radio track: She says Heman likes to create. He used to like to research things since he was a child, she says, and that he preferred playing with things he created instead of toys. Heman liked to read but he also listens, she added.]]
((Muluemebet Getachew, Heman’s Mother)) ((Female, in Amharic)) ((Mandatory courtesy: Zoom)) ((Mandatory Courtesy: Muluemebet Getachew))
“Heman likes to create. Since he was a child, he used to like to research things. He used to prefer playing with things he created instead of toys. He was social. He liked to talk and play with other people. He likes to read, but he also listens. He is a good listener.”
((NARRATION))
Heman says his skin cancer treating soap must still get an approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. When that happens, he hopes it can be made accessible to people in underserved and low-income communities.
((Heman Bekele, Ethiopian American Inventor)) ((Male, in English))
“Of course, there’s a lot of work still left to get to that goal, but I hope that, like I was saying, by 2028 it’ll turn into a nonprofit. We’ll have to see from there where it ends up.”
((Picture - Mandatory Courtesy: Donnie Biggs/Fairfax County Public Schools))
((NARRATION))
The World Health Organization's cancer agency estimates that nearly 325-thousand new cases of melanoma were diagnosed worldwide in 2020. Heman says all he wants to do is make people's lives a bit easier.
((For Eden Geremew in Fairfax County, Virginia, Salem Solomon, VOA News.))
NewsML Media TopicsHealth
Topic TagsAfrica Central, africacentral, AC, Africa, Africa Division, africadivision, AD, VOA Africa
Season Number2023
NetworkVOA
English TitleEthiopian American Cancer Soap Inventor
