# 14y/o wins 'America's Top Young Scientist' for inventing pesticide detector

> Sirish Subash, a ninth-grader from Snellville, Georgia, won first place in the 3M and Discovery Education competition, a leading national middle school science contest, held in St. Paul, Minnesota. In his presentation,…

Published: 2024-10-30 · Desk: Latest · Source: USA Today

Sirish Subash, a ninth-grader from Snellville, Georgia, won first place in the 3M and Discovery Education competition, a leading national middle school science contest, held in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In his presentation, Subash highlighted data from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicating that 70.6% of produce contains pesticide residues. He explained that these residues can lead to serious health issues, such as brain cancer, leukemia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s Disease.

“My project, PestiSCAND, is a device that lets people check for pesticide residues on produce at home,” Subash told USA TODAY. “Pesticide residues are a common contaminant on produce items."

To test PestiSCAND's effectiveness, Subash used the AI-driven handheld detector to scan spinach and tomatoes for pesticide residues. With an accuracy rate above 85%, the device successfully met the project’s objectives for both effectiveness and speed, according to 3M.

Original reporting: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/10/16/sirish-subash-americas-top-young-scientist-2024/75696722007/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGOlaNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHUqnp15tDKtOjIxK0TGniyhnQONKarsRlz7X0KakN-nLnbrN_jM2worrPA_aem_bjzZBTGgBocRkbBAbHoGeg
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