Young scientists continue to show that the scientific method works to produce solutions to major problems. This issue looks at three who have looked for answers to big challenges: detecting lead in drinking water, capturing and removing CO2 from industrial emissions, and helping farmers cope with drought—the extreme water shortages that can accompany climate change.

The first (and only long) article discusses how 11-year-old Gitanjali Rao followed the scientific method to find a cheaper, more reliable way to detect lead in drinking water. The Newsela article is available at several different reading levels. (I’ve linked to the 12th-grade level, but it’s easy to choose a lower level at the beginning of the article.)

Ethan Novek, 18, is developing a new process that is much less expensive than the current ways to remove CO2 from factory exhaust—and even use it to produce useful chemicals.

Finally, Kiara Nirghin, a South African student, has found a way to help the drought-stricken farmers of her country keep water in the soil. She used agricultural and waste products—orange peels and avocados—to develop an inexpensive polymer that can absorb and retain water.

All three students are working to make their solutions available commercially as soon as possible.