Students from the United States Take Top Honor at Prestigious Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Team from Bangladesh awarded Diploma of Excellence for their water research project
RYE BROOK, N.Y., September 1, 2017 /3BL Media/ - Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL), a leading global water technology company dedicated to solving the world’s most challenging water issues, congratulates Rachel Chang and Ryan Thorpe of the United States, the winners of the 2017 Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP), the most prestigious international student competition for water-related research. The award was presented during the 21st SJWP ceremony at the annual World Water Week celebration in Stockholm.
Ms. Chang and Mr. Thorpe, both of Manhasset, N.Y., developed a project entitled, “A Novel Approach to Rapidly and Sensitively Detect and Purify Water Contaminated with Shigella, E. Coli, Salmonella and Cholera.” The system created by the students has applications in both developing and developed regions of the world.
H. R. H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented the winning students with the top prize of $15,000 and a prize sculpture, and their school will receive a $5,000 grant. Xylem has been the founding global sponsor of the SJWP international competition since its inception 21 years ago. Today, the competition draws entries from students in more than 30 countries around the world.
“As we work to solve some of the world’s greatest water challenges, we are truly inspired by the impressive work of all the SJWP finalists and congratulate each of them,” said Patrick Decker, President and Chief Executive Officer of Xylem. “Year after year, participating students develop innovative approaches to treating and managing our finite water resources. We are proud to support the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, and hope the students’ experiences here will inspire them to continue their water-related studies. In doing so, they will help to advance our global progress toward a more sustainable environment.”
The Diploma of Excellence was awarded to Aniruddah Chowdhury, Arnab Chakraborty and Rituraj Das Gupta of Bangladesh for their innovative project entitled, “Reinvention of Photocatalysis using Doped TiO2 in Industrial Grey Water Treatment.” Their work centered on developing a less expensive but more effective method of treating colored water in textile effluent. This team will receive an award of $3,000.
The international SJWP is presented each year to students between the ages of 15 and 20 for outstanding water-related projects that focus on topics of environmental, scientific, social or technological importance. Winners from 33 countries competed for the international honor in 2017, which was awarded by an international jury of water professionals and scientists.
The prize is administered by the Stockholm International Water Institute.
About Xylem
Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to developing innovative technology solutions to the world’s water challenges. The Company’s products and services move, treat, analyze, monitor and return water to the environment in public utility, industrial, residential and commercial building services settings. With its October 2016acquisition of Sensus, Xylem added smart metering, network technologies and advanced data analytics for water, gas and electric utilities to its portfolio of solutions. The combined Company’s nearly 16,000 employees bring broad applications expertise with a strong focus on identifying comprehensive, sustainable solutions. Headquartered in Rye Brook, New Yorkwith 2016 revenue of $3.8 billion, Xylem does business in more than 150 countries through a number of market-leading product brands.
The name Xylem is derived from classical Greek and is the tissue that transports water in plants, highlighting the engineering efficiency of our water-centric business by linking it with the best water transportation of all – that which occurs in nature. For more information, please visit us at www.xylem.com.
