(NEW YORK) — The Education Committee of the American Salvage Association (ASA) and the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) have announced the winners of their joint Marine Sciences Project Paper Competition for high school and undergraduate students. The awards will be presented at NAMEPA's Awards Dinner to be held on Oct. 27 at Pier A in New York City. The dinner caps the afternoon North American World Maritime Day conference.
High school and undergraduate students were invited to submit a technical paper describing a project focused on a marine science subject area. Three entries in the high school category and three entries in the undergraduate category received awards. The ASA also granted a special award to an entry submitted by a team of high school and undergraduate students.
All winning entries will receive recognition in industry publications. The winners in each category are invited to receive their awards at NAMEPA's Awards Dinner on Oct. 27.
High School Category
First place: Alexandra Kelly, grade 12, the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Highlands, N.J.
"The Effects of Arclor on the Prey Consumption Rate of the Larval Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser Oxyrhynchus"
Second place: Andrew Yu, grade nine, the Academy of Science and Technology, Conroe, Texas
"Increasing Cutinase Activity: Using Site-Specific Saturation Mutagenesis to Improve a Polymer-Degrading Enzyme"
Third place: Stephen Grabowski, grade 11, the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore, Md.
"Dethiosulfovibrio Strain F2b, a New Non-Thiosulfate Reducing Bacterium that Degrades Mariculture Waste"
Undergraduate Category
First place: Alex Mesher, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
"Investigating Potential Phenotypic Markers of Molt Stage Cycle in Metacarcinus Magister for Effective Fisheries Management (Dungeness Crabs)"
Second place: Honour Shore Ai Lin Booth, Kapi'olani Community College, Honolulu, Hawaii
"The Sunscreen Sheen: An Assessment of the Presence and Quantity of Organic UV Filters in the Nearshore Waters of Waikiki"
Third pace: Rebecca Maher, Rice University, Houston, Texas
"Assessing the Distribution and Impact of the Bioeroding Barnacle (Lithotrya Dorsalis) on High Coral Cover Reefs in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (Northwest Gulf of Mexico)"
ASA Special Award
Nicolas Orndorff, grade 11, Ingraham High School, Seattle, Wash.
Clara Orndorff, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.
Alex Miller, grade 11, Garfield High School, Seattle, Wash.
"The AMNO CO ROV Team"
For more information about attending the NAMEPA Awards dinner and tickets for the conference, go to www.namepa.net/upcoming-events or call (203) 255-4686. Admittance is by reservation only and is limited.
