Oregon Student to Represent U.S. in International SJWP Competition
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) announced Anirudh Jain of Portland, Ore., as the U.S. winner of the 2013 Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP)—the most prestigious international competition for water-related research—during a ceremony this past weekend in Portland.
Jain’s project, “Sulfidation as a Novel Method to Reduce Toxicity of Silver Nanoparticle Pollution’” was top among 48 state SJWP winners at the national competition held in Portland, June 14 to 16. With increasing use of silver nanoparticles for their antimicrobial properties, greater amounts of nanoparticles are being released into the environment with potentially adverse impacts on benign microorganisms, and Jain’s project examined use of sulfidation as a viable approach to reduce the toxicity of silver nanoparticle pollution during wastewater treatment.
“Anirudh’s paper and the SJWP competition in general continue to reinforce my belief that the future of America’s water is in good hands,” said Mohamed F. Dahab, chair of the SJWP Review Committee. “The level of research and creativity presented by the young men and women who participated was simply outstanding.
Jain received $10,000 and an all-expense paid trip to Stockholm, Sweden, where he will compete against national winners from more than 30 countries for the international honor during World Water Week, Sept. 1 to 7, 2013. HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden will present the international award—$5,000 and crystal sculpture—during a royal ceremony held in conjunction with the Stockholm Water Symposium. He will have the opportunity to present his research to thousands of water quality professionals at WEFTEC 2013—the Water Environment Federation's 86th annual technical exhibition and conference—Oct. 5 to 9 in Chicago, Ill.
Two U.S. runners up, Leah Huling of Ada, Okla., and Deepika Kurup of Nashua, N.H., received a $1,000 award.
In addition to the SJWP winners, Isabella Cafaro and Sarah Organ of Milwaukee, Wisc., received the Bjorn von Euler Innovation in Water Scholarship for their project, “Reducing Escherichia coli and Fecal Coliform Contamination at South Shore Beach.” The award recognizes projects that demonstrate a unique passion for education and awareness of sustainable water management, and the prestigious $1,000 scholarship honors the valuable work and contributions of former WEF Board member and retired Xylem Inc. communications director Bjorn von Euler.
WEF sponsors the U.S. SJWP with support from Xylem Inc. The Pacific Northwest Clean Water Assn. hosted the 2013 national competition and also sponsored Jain.
Source: WEF
