
Heman Bekele was born in Africa. He remembers seeing people in Africa working in the hot sun without protection for their skin. That made them vulnerable to skin cancer, a disease caused by too much exposure (暴露) to the sun. Treating cancer usually costs a lot. Heman wondered if there was a cheaper way for people to begin to treat the disease. He thought of adding a skin-cancer medicine to a bar of soap. “What is one thing that everyone can use?” Heman thought. “Everyone uses soap and water for cleaning. So soap would probably be the best choice.”
Heman needed help to bring his idea to life. In 2023, he came across the 3M challenge. He sent a video explaining what he had in mind. Soon, he received an invitation to the company’s headquarters (总部). He spoke in front of the judges. That day, he was named the winner. His prize: $25,000. His achievement: inventing a soap that could one day treat and prevent some forms of skin cancer.
Since then, Heman has been working on developing his idea. Adult experts are guiding him. One is Deborah Isabelle. “I got really lucky,” she says. “Last year I worked with Heman. He’s an incredible, passionate, very inspiring young man.”
It could take years before the soap is available for purchase (购买). But the 10th grader is determined. Over the summer, he spent every weekday in the lab. “It’s absolutely wonderful to think that one day, my bar of soap will be able to have a direct influence on somebody else’s life.”
原创编写 版权所有 侵权必究! 每日更新 个性化阅读 英语飙升!