National Science Competition Searches for America's 2012 Top Young Scientist

SILVER SPRING, MD and ST. PAUL, MN--(Marketwire - Mar 22, 2012) - Discovery Education and 3M are seeking students in grades 5 through 8 with a passion for science to compete in the 2012 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, the nation's premier science competition for middle school students. There are four weeks left for students to complete their entry for this year's challenge.

Recent research has found that students' interest in science starts to wane during the middle school years, and Discovery Education and 3M are committed to reversing this trend by fostering the next generation of great scientists and innovators through the competition.

Ten finalists will be selected to work exclusively with a 3M scientist in a virtual one-on-one summer mentorship program, during which they will be challenged to create a new innovation that solves an everyday problem.

The finalists will also receive an all-expense paid trip to the final challenge in October at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minn., where they will present their innovations and compete to receive $25,000 and the title of "America's Top Young Scientist." Past winners have gone on to speak in front of members of Congress, attend President Obama's White House Science Fair and work with the nation's top scientists.

Click here to see what last year's finalists and mentors had to say about the competition and how it inspires innovation.

Competition Details:

1. U.S. students in 5^th to 8^th grade are challenged to create a 1-2 minute video communicating the science behind a possible solution for an everyday problem related to one of the following categories:

• The Way We Move
• The Way We Keep Ourselves Healthy
• The Way We Make a Difference

For additional information on the video topics, click here.

2. All video entries must be submitted by April 19, 2012 at www.youngscientistchallenge.com.

3. A panel of judges will review and evaluate the videos based on creativity, scientific knowledge, persuasiveness and overall presentation. Students can get tips from previous competition winners and finalists on how to make a great video through a free webinar on Thursday, April 5: "Young Scientist Challenge Info Session" or on the Challenge website: "Entry Video Tips"

4. The official submission rules can be found online.

For more information on the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, including submission guidelines and examples of entry videos, go to www.youngscientistchallenge.com.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA) (NASDAQ: DISCB) (NASDAQ: DISCK) revolutionized television with Discovery Channel and is now transforming classrooms through Discovery Education. Powered by the number one nonfiction media company in the world, Discovery Education combines scientifically proven, standards-based digital media and a dynamic user community in order to empower teachers to improve student achievement. Already, more than half of all U.S. schools access Discovery Education digital services. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

About 3M
3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Our culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With $30 billion in sales, 3M employs about 84,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 65 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com or follow @3MNews on Twitter.