Hoffman teen one of the country's top young scientists

Being able to answer the age-old question "Why is the sky blue?" has landed a Hoffman Estates teen a spot among the nation's top young scientists.

Avni Bavishi, a 14-year-old freshman at Hoffman Estates High School, has been named one of 10 finalists in this year's Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge.

The finalists will vie for a $50,000 savings bond and the title of "America's Top Young Scientist" by demonstrating their understanding of this year's theme, "The Science of Space."

Avni was thrilled to learn she was selected to travel to Washington D.C. for next month's finals.

"I was really surprised at first, but now I am really excited," she said.

Each teen had to create a two-minute video showing their ability to understand and effectively communicate the meaning of their chosen concept, which included the Doppler effect, a parabola, orbital paths, magnetic fields, the Bernoulli principle, the Venturi effect and why the sky is blue.

"These finalists are the future scientists of America, and it is imperative that we encourage their interest in science and technology in an effort to keep the United States competitive in these fields," Discovery Communications President and CEO David Zaslav said in a prepared statement.

Avni, who completed the project as an eighth-grader last year at Mead Junior High in Elk Grove Village, chose to explain why the sky was blue, since it was a question she didn't already know.

"That one seemed like a simple answer, but I didn't know what it was," she said. "So I thought it would be a fun one."

This was only her second science competition, but she said science has always been one of her favorite subjects in school.

"I find it really fascinating how everything can be explained and how new things are always being discovered," Avni said.

NASA is hosting the competition finals at Goddard Space Flight Center, where students will demonstrate their science skills in a series of team-based, interactive challenges focused on this year's theme.

This is the 10th year Discovery and 3M have hosted the young scientist competition. For more information, visit youngscientist.discoveryeducation.com.