As water professionals, our passion for water began somewhere. In our busy careers we may forget that we are all in the water industry for the same reason: our passion for water; and someone, somewhere—whether we remember it or not— instilled in us this passion.

In the K-12 school system, riddled with pressures of standardized tests and now safety concerns, students in the Denver Metro Region get to take a break and just enjoy science for one day. On February 16, 2018, upwards of 280 middle and high school students came together to showcase their science experiments at the annual Denver Metro Regional Science and Engineering Fair. More importantly, over 200 professionals volunteered at the Fair to encourage student’s passion for water. Water professionals served as judges to grant special awards to students ranging from scholarships, cash, and all-expense paid trips to national competitions. 

This year at the Fair, students received over 10 water-related special awards. Top prizes and recognitions were awarded to students with innovative solutions to some of the nation’s toughest water issues. Examples of 2018 water-related award winners listed below demonstrates the complexity of projects showcased at the Fair.

Award Winners:

• Rocky Mountain Water Environment Association Award: Emma Schmit, 9^th Grade, SkyView Academy: The Effects of Magnetism and Algae on Energy Output
• Rocky Mountain Section of the American Water Works Association Award: Gitanjali Rao, 7^th Grade, STEM School Highlands Ranch: Detection of Chemical Contaminants in Water using Carbon Nanotube Sensors
• Stormwater Permittees for Local Awareness of Stream Health Award: Ester Mohamed, 8^th Grade, Crescent View Academy: What do Humans do to Produce Algae?
• Cherry Creek Basin Water Authority: Shreyas Sriram, 8^th Grade, Challenge School: Using Artificial Intelligence And Raspberry Pi To Monitor And Conserve Household Water Usage
• Stockholm Junior Water Prize Winners:

  --Zach Chapman, 10^th Grade, Cherry Creek High School: Cost Effectiveness of Using Sn3O4 as a Water-Splitting Photocatalyst for Solar Energy Collection
  --Gabriel Lorenz, 9^th Grade, SkyView Academy: Testing How Mangroves Grown in Sand, Silt, and Pebbles Stop Damage from Hurricane Waves