Just came across this, and I said let me use it to motivate Nigerian young men, maybe they will stop posting things like - am the best handsome guy on Nairaland , or this one - am I ugly? .

Those of you who will later get motivated by this, you can thank me later. ENJOY!

My name is Justin Beckerman, and I enjoy a hands on approach to engineering and art. Ever since I was little, I have been constructing machines and mechanisms. As a young boy I would create things with balloons and string. Now, as a high school student, I use more complex materials to build upon my prevailing talent.

Justin’s first submarine was a small, remote-controlled prototype he operated from dry land. His next goal, accomplished last year, was to make a sub that could actually dive. But that version, essentially corrugated plastic boxes duct-taped together, wasn’t quite ready for the Navy.

“I ended up building one that could go 2 feet and that worked,” he explained, but the seal broke and the vessel flooded. Undeterred, he continued on his path to complete, in his words, “a full-scale, practical submarine.”

It wasn’t until January of this year that Justin drafted the plans that would culminate in the “Nautilus.” The submarine consists of four main parts: a section of drain pipe for the body, a small motor at its stern, two ballast tanks on either side that allow it to dive and surface, and a life support raft that pumps air in and out of the vessel’s Plexiglas cockpit via two hoses.

The “Nautilus” also sports a PA system that allows Justin to communicate to his parents, who said they supervise every excursion from their dock. Together they devised a rescue plan in case of emergency. So far there haven’t been any close calls.

“Justin has always been safe. He’s proved to us that he can handle it,” said Jess, Justin’s mother. “Even his grandfather, who is a bright engineer, would question Justin and then, after awhile, he said, ‘I can’t question Justin anymore.’“

“And that was when [Justin] was 8!” his father added.

Since unveiling the “Nautilus,” Justin has received a steady onslaught of interview requests from media organizations all over the world. A television documentary about him and his other inventions is in the works, said his father. But Justin is thinking about college, not fame.

“I really want to make a difference in the future through engineering and innovating,” Justin wrote in an email when asked what he wants to accomplish next. “I think that I want to go to a great engineering school where I can roll up my sleeves and take what I have learned to the next level.”

http://www.justinbeckerman.com/Site/Home.html