13-Year-old Raji Doshi named America's Top Young Scientist for inventing an algae-aragonite alkalinity system to reduce CO2-driven ocean acidification
Thirteen-year-old Raji Doshi of Connecticut won the 2026 3M Young Scientist Challenge for designing an algae-aragonite system to reduce ocean acidification and remove CO2 from seawater.
Raji Doshi, a 13-year-old eighth grader from Farmington, Connecticut, attending Stanford Online High School, was named America's Top Young Scientist after winning the 2026 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Her project introduced an algae-and-aragonite system designed to counteract ocean acidification by increasing seawater alkalinity and removing carbon dioxide. The competition, held at 3M's global headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota, on October 12 and 13, 2026, featured ten finalists aged 11 to 14 who developed innovative solutions to real-world problems.
Raji's winning project, titled 'Engineering a Novel Durable Algae-Aragonite Alkalinity System to Reduce CO2-Driven Ocean Acidification,' explored the pairing of macroalgae cultivation with natural calcium carbonate buffers to create a low-cost, durable system for reducing coastal acidification. Through carbonite chemistry analysis, she demonstrated that aragonite increased algae biomass, removed carbon dioxide, and lowered dissolved carbon dioxide levels. Raji also developed a Michaelis-Menten computational model to determine an optimal aragonite dose, aiming to make the solution practical for coastal communities.
The 3M Young Scientist Challenge pairs each finalist with a 3M scientist mentor who guides them over the summer to develop their ideas into prototypes. Raji was mentored by Deborah Isabelle, a 3M product engineering specialist. Isabelle noted Raji's passion for seashells and her motivation to address ocean acidification, which inspired the creation of her project, ALKACORE. The competition emphasizes creativity, scientific knowledge, communication, and the application of STEM principles to solve meaningful challenges.
The 2026 3M Young Scientist Challenge is the 19th edition of the program, which has inspired middle school students to apply STEM to real-world problems for nearly two decades. Former winners have gone on to give TED Talks, file patents, and launch nonprofits. The competition is part of the Young Scientist Lab, a program offering free digital resources for students, teachers, and families to explore innovation and science education.