The ocean absorbs nearly a third of airborne carbon dioxide emissions, and 1.3 million gallons of crude oil are spilled into oceans every year. Both issues continue to detrimentally affect marine biodiversity, and human health. In her research, Naomi Park has developed a method to simultaneously remove these contaminants.
For this, she was announced the winner of Stockholm Junior Water Prize, an international competition where students between the ages of 15 and 20 present solutions to major water challenges.
Speaking on winning the prize, Park said: “I did this project in my high school. I joined our research program as a freshman. It is just something that I wanted to do for fun. I never realized that I would get to this point. It is very much a shock right now.”
The Jury noted that “the winner is taking a troublesome waste product and using it to help solve a number of the most pressing issues we face in the modern world. By using Styrofoam and creating a ‘sponge’ that absorbs both carbon dioxide and oil products from the ocean, this student built a model and tested it – in multiple conditions, even simulating ocean waves – with impressive results.”
