For just $33 in parts, this Colleyville teen’s invention fixes a common AC problem
A 14-year-old Colleyville student is a finalist in the 2022 3M Young Scientist Challenge.
Daniel Thomas, along with nine other finalists from around the nation, will compete Oct. 17-18 at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, for $25,000 and the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist.”
“I still can’t believe it, because, well, there’s a lot of great topics,” said Thomas, who will be a freshman at Colleyville Heritage High School. “I was ... looking at the other finalists, and I’m like, ‘Wow, this is like really good.’ ”
Thomas’ entry is a dosing pump to prevent clogs and bacterial overgrowth in air conditioner condensate lines — an idea he got by watching his father and HVAC technicians repair the clogged line at his house.
The finalists participate in a summer mentorship program, and Thomas and his mentor, 3M scientist Jeffrey Emslander, are working together over Zoom to perfect Thomas’ invention.
“He gives me advice, saying ‘I like this idea, but maybe you should tweak it like this, or ... maybe you shouldn’t do it,’” Thomas said.
Emslander said it has been fun to see Thomas make progress.
“The excitement in the email I got from him that came through on Monday morning after he did a bunch of work ... that made my whole day,” Emslander said. “He was so excited.”
The 3M Young Scientist Challenge bills itself as “the ultimate middle school science competition.” Discovery Communications launched the program in 1999, and 3M, a manufacturing company, came on board in 2008, according to 3M’s Young Scientist Lab website.
Karina Chavez, 3M’s senior vice president and chief strategy officer, said the competition is important because it gets young people engaged with science.
“It’s extraordinary to see these young scientists creating and developing solutions that have the potential to impact communities across the world,” Chavez said in an email interview. “I am amazed by the projects we’ve seen thus far, and it gives me so much pride to see the excitement in these young scientists’ eyes as they bring their ideas to reality.”
Thomas’ interest in science goes back to the fifth grade, the year his teacher made DNA models in 3D and got the students involved in hands-on projects. Thomas said science appealed to him because it explains things we can’t understand.
Thomas’ first idea for an invention was the dosing pump. He entered it in a state science fair, but it didn’t win.
Instead of giving up, Thomas reached out to a friend’s mother, who is a high school chemistry teacher. She gave him ideas how to research and develop his project.
Thomas’ new, improved dosing pump uses a simple peristaltic pump, a timing mechanism and a water/chlorine solution that is added to the condensate line on a regular basis. The solution changes the pH balance of the water in the line and prevents clogs and the buildup of harmful mold and bacteria.
Thomas said the components of his pump cost only $33 in contrast to the hundreds of dollars condensate line repairs can cost.
Now he and his 3M mentor are perfecting the project and getting it ready for the October competition.
Chavez said the mentorship aspect of the program is what makes the Young Scientist Challenge special.
“The mentorship component of the program is the biggest differentiator between the 3M Young Scientist Challenge and other national science competitions,” Chavez said. “This component creates the perfect opportunity to connect these young minds with real-world insights from 3M scientists, engineers, innovators and thinkers. “
Thomas said he is grateful for the opportunity.
“It gets kids like actually learning science and how to have fun in science, to make them ... like science more,” Thomas said. “Because a lot of people don’t like science. But like hey, you can have a mentor that’s actually a scientist. That’s fun. Like people will like that I think. So that’s why I think it’s a great opportunity.”
Emslander said it would be wonderful for Thomas to win the competition in October, but taking away a love of science and skills that will help him in his future are just as important.
“If we can pull that off, then we’ve been very successful,” Emslander said.
This story was originally published July 20, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
