"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future," President Franklin D. Roosevelt said at the University of Pennsylvania in 1940.
He would have been proud of the three forward-thinking middle schoolers competing for the chance to win $25,000 this week at the 15th annual Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge in Minnesota.
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The theme of the annual competition is finding a solution to everyday problems related to how we live, work or play. Participants had to first submit a video communicating the science behind their invention, which was then reviewed based on creativity, scientific knowledge and presentation. Hundreds of submissions streamed in earlier this year, and only 10 students in grades five through eight were selected as finalists.
The 10 finalists spent the summer in a mentorship program where they developed their projects and created prototypes. Students were mentored by scientists provided by 3M and Discovery Education, the digital content and academic arm of Discovery Communications.
Peyton Robertson, Brooke Martin and Edward Kim were selected from that pool of 10.
Robertson, 11, created a sandbag that better protects flood zones against damage from salt water. Martin, 13, invented a device called the iCPooch that allows video chatting with pets — even offering them treats while owners are away from home. Kim, also 13, built an eco-friendly fuel cell generating electricity from grass waste collected while mowing the lawn.
Robertson's project was inspired by the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. The fifth grader from Florida redesigned traditional sandbags using an expandable polymer and salt that absorbs significantly more water and works with a locking system to stay in place and avoid water flow. He built 10 prototype sandbags for the final event, and he says that if he wins, he'll save the funds for college.
Martin's iCPooch was inspired by her dog's loneliness.
"My dog Kayla suffered from separation anxiety," Martin said.  "I love video chatting with my friends, and thought it would be great to be able to chat with Kayla while I was away from home."
She has been preparing for the competition by testing materials with her local Humane Society chapter in Spokane, Wash. Her mentor, Dr. Delony Langer-Anderson, a new product development specialist at 3M, says her role is to help encourage youngsters like Martin and lead them in the right direction. If she wins, Martin says, she will use the money to help pay for her college education.
Kim's found inspiration from mowing his backyard, when he noticed a great deal of grass waste was created by using a gas-powered lawnmower. The energy crisis led him to the idea that he could turn the grass waste into energy.
Last year's winner, 14-year-old Deepika Kurup, won the grand prize for her low-cost water purification system device.
Each of the three finalists this year received $1,000 and a ticket to take a three-day trip to St. Paul, Minn., where they would present their finished products to a panel of judges. The winner, who will be announced on Tuesday, will take home a whopping $25,000 and the title of America's Top Young Scientist.
"Who wouldn't want to be named America's top young scientist?" Martin told Mashable. "I hope to be in a position to be a scientist-mentor myself someday, because every kid who loves science should get this opportunity."
Image: Andy King