A 14-year old girl impressed U.S. President Barack Obama with her science project presented during the 2016 White House Science Fair.
Inspired by a friend in Ethiopia, Hannah Herbst from Florida made an ocean-energy probe prototype, BEACON, designed to help developing countries have a power source using ocean currents. Energy gathered from the currents will be stored in a generator and can be used for other purposes such as desalinization of water.
The ninth-grader from the Florida Atlantic University High School previously presented the ocean-energy probe prototype in the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge in 2015. Herbst won the challenge and was named America's Top Young Scientist.
Herbst has received numerous honors from different organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers, the Florida Science Teachers Association and the Office of Naval Research.
She was mentored by 3M scientist Jeffrey Emslander, a recognized expert in polymeric film materials.
On April 13, Obama toured the science fair and stopped by Herbst's exhibit where he pulled a string that illustrated how electricity was generated using seawater.
BEACON and @hannahherbst07 are ready for the White House Science Fair! #WHScienceFair @DiscoveryEd @3M @WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/BducCLcvKN
— Shawnee Cohn (@ShawneeCohn) April 12, 2016
In its website, the 2016 White House Science Fair said that this year's projects tackle pressing problems that demand immediate attention such as climate change, cancer therapy and space exploration.
The president acknowledges that many young people of today look up to athletes as their role models, but through the science fair, he wants to show these young individuals that science can be cool, as well.
He believes that these young scientists will continue to put the United States as a global frontrunner in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). During last year's fair, Obama announced pledges worth $240 million from private sectors to help fund students to pursue STEM.
"As a society, we have to celebrate outstanding work by young people in science at least as much as we do Super Bowl winners. Because superstar biologists and engineers and rocket scientists and robot-builders ... they're what's going to transform our society. They're the folks who are going to come up with cures for diseases and new sources of energy, and help us build healthier, more successful societies," Obama said.
Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture | Flickr
