Canada Represented at the EUCYS by young scientist from Northwestern ON

Sandra Dusolt of Neebing, Ontario represented the nation in the annual European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) between September 23-28.  Her project, “No power, no water, no food, no problem!” was one of 87 projects entered by the over 130 participants representing 37 countries from across the world.

The EUCYS, established in 1989, promotes collaboration among young scientists.  This year, the annual event took place in Helsinki, Finland.  Now in its 23^rd year, the EUCYS is held in a different European city each year with 19 countries having hosting so far.  Participants are hand-selected by each country’s National Organiser and compete for a number of cash prizes and trips totalling over €51,500.

Sandra’s project , “No power, no water, no food, no problem!”, tested whether a biofilter for growing food in a confined space could breakdown pollutants and remove harmful bacteria from both grey water and sewage so that the water can be reused.  A second object of her project was to show that biofilters can clean water, grow food, produce energy and clean the air. 

At the Northwestern Ontario Regional Science Fair, Sandra won an Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation Stepping Stone Award as well as a University of Ottawa Entrance Scholarship Award.  She went on to win a senior gold medal at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Toronto this year before heading off to represent Canada and compete for the International Award at the EUCYS.

Sandra is currently completing her last year of high school in Thunder Bay, Ontario and her favourite subjects are science and math.  In her free time, Sandra enjoys reading fiction novels, playing her clarinet, swimming, hiking, camping and rock climbing.  Sandra has yet to decide what she would like to pursue as a career path, but we are certain that she will be successful in any endeavour.

Congratulations and thank you to Sandra for her great work and representation of Canada at the EUCYS!