Houston student Aiden Jo, 14, and his origami-inspired answer reached a national science final

Innovative Minds: Aiden Jo Bulky, single-use food and drink containers continue to take up large amounts of space in rubbish bins and landfills long after they are thrown away. Fourteen-year-old Houston student Aiden Jo saw this as an engineering challenge and came up with an origami-inspired collapsible container. His invention has earned him a place among the ten national finalists in the 2026 3M Young Scientist Challenge.The eighth-grade student at The Village School in the Houston Independent School District created "Squeeze-gami," a foldable container design that can flatten completely to reduce waste volume and improve sustainable packaging.3M and Discovery Education announced the ten finalists on 6 July 2026, selecting middle school students aged 11 to 14 from across the United States. Now in its 19th year, the competition invites students in grades five through eight to submit one- to two-minute video pitches showing how they use science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to solve everyday problems.Summer mentorship and a top prize in St. PaulEach finalist receives a summer mentorship with a professional 3M scientist to help improve their project. The national...