Contact: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Monday, May 9, 2011

Orsolya Hegyi, a junior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, wrote Kentucky’s winning entry in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition.

Her paper, titled “An Approach to Water Purification Using Carbon Nanotube Membranes,” bested contenders from Louisville, Edgewood and Fort Wright. The entries were judged by an environmental scientist and a civil engineering specializing in water and wastewater design.

Orsolya, who studies in Dunbar’s Math, Science and Technology Center, will compete on the national level June 23-26 in Chicago.

Each year, thousands of students in more than 30 nations vie for the chance to represent their country at the international final, held during World Water Week in Stockholm. The ultimate winner receives a $5,000 award and a prize sculpture.

This competition is open to young people between the ages of 15 and 20 who have conducted water-related projects on topics of environmental, scientific, social or technological importance. The Stockholm International Water Institute administers the contest, and ITT Corp. is the global sponsor of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize.