Rebecca Ye of Bangor, Maine, is the U.S. winner of the 2010 Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP), the most prestigious international competition for water-related research, during a ceremony June 20 at the Sheraton City Center in St. Louis, Mo.
Her work, “Nanoparticle-amplified immunosensor enables excellent sensitivity in rapid detection of viable E. coli O157:H7,” combined the sciences of microbiology and nanotechnology to create a biosensor capable of rapid identification strains of pathogenic bacteria E. Coli. The proposed technique represents a major advance in providing rapid and specific identification of the bacteria so that corrective measures can be quickly and reliably implemented. The project was selected from more than 40 state SJWP winners at the national competition.
“The SJWP competition reinforces my belief that the future of America's water environment is in good hands,” said Mohamed F. Dahab, chair of the SJWP Review Committee. “The 2010 competition was intense, and the level of research and creativity presented by the young men and women that participated this year was simply exquisite.”
Ye received $3,000 and an all-expense paid trip to Stockholm, Sweden, where she will compete against national winners from more than 30 countries for the international honor during World Water Week, Sept. 5-11. Ye's school, Bangor High School, will receive a $1,000 grant toward enhancing water science education, and she will present her research to thousands of water-quality professionals at WEFTEC 2010, the Water Environment Federation's 83rd annual technical exhibition and conference in October in New Orleans.
Three U.S. finalists, Akshar Wunnava from Chantilly, Va., April Choi from Glen Rock, N.J., and Collin McAliley of Melbourne Beach, Fla., received awards og $1,000. WEF sponsors the U.S. SJWP with support from ITT Corporation (also the international sponsor), The Coca-Cola Company, and Delta Air Lines. The Missouri Water Environment Association hosted the 2010 national competition, and Ye received sponsorship from the New England Water Environment Association. For more information about the SJWP, visit www.wef.org.
