Jamaica Plain’s Kaia Minn won a state title for creating a biodegradable seed pouch designed to reforest areas devastated by wildfire or deforestation.
The 12-year-old’s invention earned her the honor of being the Massachusetts State Merit Winner in the 2025 3M Young Scientist Challenge—a national competition presented by 3M and Discovery Education.
The rising seventh grader, engineered a biodegradable seed pouch made from lemon peel bioplastic — a flexible, earth-friendly material created using food waste, chemistry, and engineering, according to a press release. Her invention is designed to be air-dropped over deforested or fire-ravaged areas, her seed pouches protect young seeds until rainfall triggers the bioplastic to dissolve and release them safely into the soil.
3M provided context of why Minn’s invention is so important:
- Our planet has lost over 40 million acres of forest in recent years due to wild fires, deforestation and climate change.
- Minn’s pouches are made from food waste, using lemon peel extract (pectin) to create a strong yet dissolvable bioplastic.
- They are air‑dropable, weather‑
resistant, and naturally antimicrobial (thanks to compounds like limonene), offering superior seed protection compared to paper or clay alternatives.
