US student wins stockholm water prize
Stockholm - Joyce Chai from the United States was awarded the prestigious 2008 Stockholm Junior Water Prize yesterday in a formal ceremony in the Stockholm International Fairs and Conference Center during the World Water Week in Stockholm.
The student from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates, California, received the Prize from the hands of H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria on behalf of the Stockholm Water Foundation. She also received a USD 5,000 scholarship and a crystal sculpture.
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is presented each year to high-school age students for outstanding water-related projects that focus on topics of environmental, scientific, social or technological importance.
The international honour is given to an individual or group who, like their 30 co-competitors, has been awarded the top prize among national competitions. The National Country winners travel to Stockholm from as far a field as Argentina, Ghana and Vietnam. The official motivation of the Nominating Committee for this year’s winner is:
“The project from the USA entitled ‘Modelling the Toxic Effects of Silver Nanoparticles under Varying Environmental Conditions’ is the winner of the 2008 Stockholm Junior Water Prize for discovering the potential toxicity of silver nanoparticles. This is a new, hardly investigated category of micropollutants, which are commonly used in industry for a variety of purposes.
These particles are then released into the environment, including water bodies, without proper knowledge of their fate and potential toxicity. The remarkable level of scientific research takes steps towards understanding and quantifying the potential environmental consequences and risks of their use. This study repudiates the assertion that silver nanoparticles are more reliable and less environmentally hazardous than silver ions. This initial research questions the reliability of their use in consumer products.
The scientific impact of this investigation is extremely profound, and we expect that it will open the door to serious questioning and further studies regarding the widespread use of silver nanoparticles.”
The projects “Restoration of Water Reservoirs Using Latent Phases of Aquatic Organisms, from Alexey Shinkarev, Russian Federation, and “Firewood Hearth Distillers for Safe Water for Vulnerable Rural Populations” from the Sri Lankan team of R.D. Dasun Thakshala Siriwardana, Sandun Gayath, Sameera Dissanayaka and A. Sujith Madushan Silva received honourable mention.
High-resolution photos for press are available after 22.00 Central European Time at www.worldwaterweek.org. Footage of the ceremony will be available to registered journalists at www.thenewsmarket.com/siwi. For more information, contact: Stephanie Blenckner, Acting Communications Director, SIWI, at +46 (0)8-522 139 86, stephanie.blenckner@siwi.org.
The World Water Week continues at the Stockholm International Fairs and Conference Centre until Saturday, August 23.
Small grants for water and sanitation projects
Call for applicants for the Japan Water Forum Fund 2008 ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
The Japan Water Forum is pleased to invite grass-roots organizations in developing countries to apply for the Japan Water Forum Fund 2008.
This Fund was created for awarding grants to grass-roots organizations in developing countries involved in water-related activities. We will provide up to 1,000US$ per activity or project. However, receiving a grant is limited to once a year for each selected organization.
“Grass-roots activities” are activities planned and faithfully implemented by grass-roots organizations to bring about an appreciable improvement upon the current water issues. These activities include various projects, awareness-raising campaigns, publicity activities to promote citizens participation and educational programs for capacity building on water-related issues: water supply; sanitation; water-related diseases; irrigation; drainage; dams; river and lake basins; wetlands; groundwater; poverty; and gender.
The application form and guidelines for the JWF Fund 2008 are available at:
Please submit a duly filled application form to the Japan Water Forum by e-mail by July 31, 2008. Please note that we will not accept any applications submitted after the due day.
Please note that the form must be filled in English. Other languages are not accepted.
For more information, please feel free to contact the Japan Water Forum at jwffund@waterforum.jp.
Media registration for World Water week now open
The 2008 World Water Week in Stockholm, August 17-23, is the leading annual global meeting place in water and development for professionals from all over the world.
Representatives of the media – press, photo, radio, television and film – will be accredited for coverage of the World Water Week in Stockholm events (this does NOT include any travel, accomodation, or personal costs).
To register, click here.
