New Jersey student named 2011 Stockholm Junior Water Prize winner

Alison Bick of Short Hill, N.J., was named the U.S. winner of the 2011 Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) during a ceremony last weekend in Chicago, according to a press release.

Concerned by the threat of contaminated drinking water from events such as natural or man-made disasters, Bick sought a low-cost, portable and publicly accessible method for testing water potability.

Her research concluded that a combination of microfluidics, cell phones and Colilert-18 — a chemical that becomes yellow in the presence of coliform bacteria and a water sample in a single channel — is a novel way of determining several water qualities.

“Miss Bick’s project dealt with an emerging technology and associated issues that were clearly state-of-the-art science,” said Mohamed F. Dahab, chair of the SJWP Review Committee. “Overall, we were very impressed with the high caliber of research and creativity presented by all of the young men and women who participated in this year’s competition.”

Bick 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, Aug. 21-27, 2011, the release stated.