In 2012, Deepika received the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist” for winning the grand prize in the The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge (DE3M YSC).  The DE3M YSC is  a “one-of-a-kind video competition [that] has sparked the imaginations of hundreds of thousands of students and enhanced science exploration, innovation and communication across the United States” For the competition, Deepika competed against 9 other finalists from across the country at the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, MN. As the grand prize winner, she also received $25,000 and a STEM trip to Costa Rica.