Heman Bekele has been named TIME’s Kid of the Year for 2024. The 15-year-old has come up with an idea for a soap that could help treat skin cancer, and he is already working with scientists to test his idea.
Heman’s family came to the US from Ethiopia when he was four. Heman remembers seeing people there working outside in the sun without protecting their skin. From his parents, he learned about the dangers of cancer, and how important it is for people to protect their skin from the sun. Skin cancer can often be cured, but the treatment is extremely expensive.
Heman was always curious, and experimented as a youngster by mixing different liquids together. When he was 7, he got a chemistry set, and nearly started a fire. As Heman got older, he began to wonder if his curiosity could actually help make a difference.
(Source: TIME.)
He read about a medicine called “imiquimod” that can help fight skin cancer. Heman knew it would be helpful to get imiquimod to people in the early stages of skin cancer, when it was easier to fight. He thought a good way to deliver the medicine might be through a simple bar of soap.
But Heman knew that simply mixing imiquimod with soap wouldn’t work. The medicine would just wash away. Instead, he thought about creating a soap that contained the medicine inside super tiny “nanoparticles”. These could stick to the skin and deliver the imiquimod after the soap had washed off.
Last year, when he was 14, Heman created a video explaining his idea, and used it to enter the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. He wound up winning the contest, which came with a $25,000 prize.
(Source: 3M.)
Perhaps more importantly, the 3M Young Scientist Challenge pairs students with older, more experienced “mentor” scientists who can guide them. Heman says his mentor, Deborah Isabelle, has been extremely helpful.
Heman is also working with Vito Rebecca, a scientist at Johns Hopkins University. The project is still at an early stage, but Heman has already made some soap. He and Dr. Rebecca are running tests to see if the soap helps mice with skin cancer.
Heman is a very busy 10th grade student, splitting his time between the lab and school. He plays the flute and the trombone in his school’s marching band. Outside of school, he enjoys playing basketball, reading, and playing chess.
(Source: 3M.)
But Heman says he’s “passionate” about skin cancer research. “It’s absolutely incredible to think that one day my bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody else’s life,” he told TIME. “That’s the reason I started this all in the first place.”
Heman knows that it will take a long time and a lot of effort to develop his soap. He will need to test it completely and get it approved. But he’s excited about the work.
He encourages other young people to think of ways they can contribute. “Just keep inventing,” Heman says. “Keep thinking of new ways to improve our world and keep making it a better place.”
Did You Know…?
Heman was one of six young people that TIME magazine considered for the award. If you’d like to learn about the other five and how they are working to change the world, you can read about them here: TIME Kid of the Year