Geospatial neural network predicts PFAS values

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution is a growing concern worldwide. Focusing on the Thames Basin in the United Kingdom, Whitfield and Zhao developed a geospatial neural network, predicting PFAS values to within 10 percent of experimentally validated values.

For this, they were announced the winners of Stockholm Junior Water Prize, an international competition where students between the ages of 15 and 20 present solutions to major water challenges. HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, the Prize’s Official Patron, presented the winners with their award during a ceremony at World Water Week in Stockholm.

Speaking on winning the prize, Zhao said: “We are very proud to have won this prize. It has been an amazing stay here is Sweden with so many new friends”.

The Jury noted that Whitfield and Zhao “finds a way to take data and turn it into actionable knowledge. [They have] identified PFAS hotspots using machine learning, field tested their results, developed a cost-effective filtration system, and reached out to local governments and environmental organizations to raise awareness.”

More information about the project is available here.

Further awards

The Diploma of Excellence was awarded to Shanni Valeria Mora Fajardo and Rosa Mendoza Sosa from Mexico for their work on how to reuse inked water with homemade filtration to produce veggie gardens.

The People’s Choice Award went to Manoel José Nunes Neto from Brazil, completing the line-up of winners.

World Water Week

With the theme “Bridging Borders: Water for a Peaceful and Sustainable Future”, this year’s event took place from August 25-29 in Stockholm and online. According to the organizers, there was a record number of onsite participants and 12,000 people joined online, engaging from 198 countries and territories.