A number of innovations were highlighted at the Stockholm World Water Week event, some of them the result of corporate prizes. But I’ll talk about the prize closest to my heart - the Stockholm Junior Water Prize (full disclosure: the global sponsor is ITT).
Eighteen-year-old Ceren Burçak Dag,
of Nisantasi, Turkey, won the prize for one of the coolest projects I’ve seen (of course, I say that every year): Dag’s research may show us a way to harness rainwater to produce electricity. Seeing Dag on stage, along with the 50 other young nominees from 29 countries, was both moving and inspiring.Some of the other projects were as follows: Eileen Jang, of North Carolina and the U.S. winner, figured out how mercury builds in our water,
which promises to help us better understand how it enters the human body. Mzwakhe Sifundo Xulu and Njabubulo Sihle Mbata, of South Africa, developed an inexpensive Auto Mechanical Tap that captures water from community faucets that would normally be wasted due to spillage. This promises to be a valuable tool for rural, arid communities, including their native South Africa.One of the memories I will take away from this year’s Junior Prize is standing in front of one young nominee’s project and telling him it was very good. “Do you mean brilliant?” he said. I could only smile in response, so let me answer him now - yes, I meant brilliant.
Moments like these with aspiring young researchers remind me of why it’s so important to encourage innovation and creativity in water science. Brilliance is what we need to address today’s water quality challenges, and we saw it in Stockholm last week.
Thank you, Bjorn, for sharing your thoughts on the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. I remember when I first met you at my first US SJWP competition in 2004 and again in 2005, and your enthusiasm for the students and their research was inspiring. I recall how you took the time to discuss the potentials of my project, and I remember how rewarding it felt to be able to speak to someone who truly appreciated my work and effort. I must thank you and all the others for your continuous involvement and support of the competition, and I am so glad to be able to give back to the very competition that has opened so many doors for me. I feel that it’s important to share with the younger generation how important water is to our future, and competitions such as the SJWP provide a stimulating outlet for these individuals to learn and acquire a greater understanding for water, while having fun and interacting with other students at the same time. It is my hope that more and more young students will find a passion and interest in water, and I can hardly wait to see what new research endeavors and innovations the younger generations continue to put forth!
ReplyDeleteBjorn's contribution to the success of the U.S. SJWP competition cannot be underestimated. Along with sheparding ITT's sponsorship, Bjorn has personally worked with the WEF staff and the SJWP committee (now in its 4th year as a stand alone committee) to create more meaningful results. To Bjorn, this always comes back to reaching more students and teachers to fuel their passions about caring for the world's water. I have learned a lot from him and had fun along the way. Bjorn - thanks for the thoughtful report on the international competition. And congratulations to all of the national winners who competed in Stockholm!
ReplyDeleteThe Coast Guard is taking comments on new regulations that will govern ballast water for the next 20 years. As glaciers melt the following web site indicates the problem with waterborne pathogens. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1676296
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