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EPA Recognizes Environmental Innovation at World’s Largest Science Competition for High School Students/Miriam Terese Demasi wins EPA Patrick H. Hurd Sustainability Award and will participate in National Sustainable Design Expo in 2015

Release Date: 05/16/2014
Contact Information: CONTACT: Cathy Milbourn (News Media Only) [email protected] 202-564-7849 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON - Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Miriam Terese Demasi as the winner of its 2014 Patrick H. Hurd Sustainability Award for her project to develop a sustainable, affordable and environmentally sound building material for earthquake-prone areas in the developing world to use in place of adobe, demonstrating a commitment to environmental sustainability and stewardship.

The high school freshman of Wheeling Park High School, Wheeling, West Virginia was selected from over 1,783 young scientists and engineers competing in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) this week in Los Angeles, CA. Ms. Demasi won the EPA Award for her project titled, Safe and Sound Housing: Lime/Fly Ash Papercrete as a Substitute for Adobe in Seismically-Active Regions in Developing Nations.

“Each year these young students competing at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair demonstrate the importance of science, technology, engineering and math education in creating the next generation of scientists to find solutions to environmental problems,” said Robert Kavlock, deputy assistant administrator for science for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “We are proud to highlight this year’s award winner for her project that provides a sustainable solution to using waste products and providing housing in seismically active regions.”

The EPA Patrick H. Hurd award funds the student winner and a chaperone to participate in and display the student's project at EPA's National Sustainable Design Expo featuring the P3: People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) Student Design Competition for Sustainability. Held each spring in Washington, DC, the National Sustainable Design Expo brings together student innovators, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and businesses that are working to create a sustainable future.

The Expo, which is free and open to the public, is a unique opportunity to discover innovative, cutting-edge environmental technologies developed by university students and their faculty advisors, learn what nonprofit organizations and government agencies are doing to advance sustainability, experience sustainable products that are currently available, and recruit talented hires with diverse educational backgrounds.

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is the world’s largest pre-college science competition. Students advance to it from several levels of local and school-sponsored, regional, and state fairs showcasing their independent research. The Society for Science & the Public, a non-profit organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, owns and has administered the International Science and Engineering Fair since its inception in 1950. The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair encourages millions of students worldwide to explore their passion for innovation and develop solutions for global challenges.

More information about EPA’s participation in the Intel ISEF: https://www.epa.gov/epa-research/intel-international-science-and-engineering-fair-2014

More information about the Intel ISEF: http://www.societyforscience.org/ISEF/

More information about EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet Student Design Competition for Sustainability: https://www.epa.gov/p3/