The Water Environment Federation's (WEF) nominee Katherine Holt, of Williamsburg, VA, is winner of the 2002 International Stockholm Junior Water Prize. HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden awarded Holt, better known as the "Oyster Lady", the prize of $5,000 and a crystal sculpture at a gala ceremony held in Stockholm.
"Katherine is a very talented young water scientist," said WEF President Jim Clark. "We are excited to be able to sponsor her participation in the most prestigious international award for youth water-related research."
Holt's winning project, "Cleaning the Chesapeake Bay with Oysters," includes a scientific and business analysis of introducing Asian oysters to clean the Chesapeake Bay. Her research looked at how the foreign species (Crassostrea ariakensis) could be introduced to benefit the Chesapeake while preserving the Bay's native oyster species (Crassostrea virginicia) and meeting national environmental goals.
A panel of WEF water quality experts selected Holt to be the U.S. Representative earlier this year at the national competition in Dallas, TX. She was among 45 finalists from 22 countries sent to Stockholm to compete in the international competition. According to WEF Executive Director, Bill Bertera, "the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition is an important element in WEF's efforts to attract the very best people to the water quality field. The competition promotes excellence. Its rewards are realized by the individual and the entire environmental community".
The International Stockholm Junior Water Prize was established in 1995 to engage and support the interest of young people in water environment issues. It is awarded annually to high school students who have contributed to water conservation and improvement through outstanding research. WEF and ITT Industries co-sponsor the SJWP in the United States; ITT is the international sponsor. For more information, please visit www.wef.org/publicinfo/stockholm/.
