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Friendship inspires 15-year-old Top Young Scientist winner

(YouTube/The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge)

“I can’t even imagine a day without electricity.”

A 15-year-old girl from Florida has won the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist” and a $25,000 prize.

Her winning “Ocean Energy Probe” was designed to generate power and fresh water by harvesting it from ocean currents.

Hannah Herbst was inspired by the plight of her 9-year-old pen pal in Ethiopia, who has unreliable access to electricity and clean water.

“I can’t even imagine a day without electricity,” Herbst told Business Insider.

The ninth grader from Boca Raton was awarded the top prize in the 2015 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, where she collaborated with 3M corporate scientist Jeffrey Emslander.

The probe itself cost about $12 in materials. She tested it in the Boca Raton Intercoastal Waterway, generating enough power for some LED lightbulbs.

Herbst is confident that as the design scales up in size, the more capacity it will have to generate power.