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Florida teen's science project catches Obama's eye

BOCA RATON, Fla. — A 14-year-old Florida girl's science project caught the eye of President Obama during the White House Science Fair.

Hannah Herbst created an ocean-energy probe prototype.

Obama stopped by her exhibit last week and pulled a string that showed electrical generation by a device using sea water. The design was inspired by Herbst’s pen pal in Ethiopia as a way of helping developing countries find a stable power source by using untapped energy from ocean currents.

The ninth-grader's project first started after she entered a science challenge from 3M.

Herbst was named America's 2015 Top Young Scientist and was also mentored by Jeffrey Emslander, a 3M scientist whose inventions have helped reduce emissions to the environment and use less energy in the making of products.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.