Summer is a busy time at 优蜜视频 鈥� all of our programs are in full swing, and many of our community members use the time off school to work on projects and participate in competitions. Take a look at what took place within the 优蜜视频 community in June!

33 campers gathered in Colorado for Yunasa West, a week of balance, community, and fun. Campers participated in yoga, guided meditation, small group sessions with 优蜜视频 Fellows, and traditional camp activities such as kayaking, swimming, ropes courses, horseback riding, and campfires.

22 students took classes like Chemistry Lab, Exploring French Culture, and Geology and the World around Us in Summer Academy Session I.

2011 CDB Scholar Anirudh was one of the at-large winners for the for his research into a genetic technique for autoimmune diseases; he also participated in the national competition in Philadelphia. Great work, Anirudh!

Academy students who enrolled in Astronomy took a fun field trip to the Griffith Observatory.

Three Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Selection Committees met to determine 2015 CDB Finalists. Then 优蜜视频 staff members set out to begin interviewing Finalists, a process which will span two months and include travel to 14 cities across the country!

Yunasa camper and Academy student Xander starred as Lord Farquaad in his school鈥檚 production of Shrek.

2011 CDB Scholar Shiloh was a national winner in the . Congratulations, Shiloh!

Several Academy classes ended the session with field trips to the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Caroline D. Bradley Scholars across the country graduated from middle school, high school, and college!

Have news to share? Please send the community member鈥檚 name and affiliation with 优蜜视频 along with a photo or video to 优蜜视频gifted@educationaladvancement.org. We鈥檇 love to showcase your milestones, accomplishments, and interests with the rest of the 优蜜视频 community!

2011听 and then high school freshman Anirudh was selected as the winner of the United States , 鈥渢he world鈥檚 most prestigious award for water-related science and technology projects.鈥� Anirudh recently traveled to Stockholm, Sweden to represent the U.S. at the International SJWP competition with his project, 鈥淯se of Sulfidation as a Novel Method for Reducing the Toxicity of Silver Nanoparticle Pollution.鈥�

As the winner of U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) competition, I had the honor of representing the United States at the international SJWP competition held in Stockholm, Sweden in the first week of September. I am immensely grateful to Water Environment Federation (WEF) for giving me this fantastic opportunity. The overall experience, both inside and outside the competition, was incredibly enriching and somewhat hard to encapsulate in words, but I will try.

The days leading up to the competition were somewhat frenzied. Ms. Stevi Hunt-Cottrell of WEF took care of all the logistics and also supported me tirelessly with the minutest details on requirements for SJWP poster, dress codes and many other important things I would possibly not have thought of. As I sat on the long flight, I was excited and apprehensive at the same time. I had the tremendous responsibility of doing a good job of representing the U.S. in a global competition in a sea of worthy competitors from exotic places all over the world! I was unsure if I could relate to them, or communicate with them effectively, given the cultural and language barriers.

Soon after I landed in the Stockholm airport, I happened to meet the students from Netherlands and France. Almost immediately my initial fears were proven to be unfounded. All of them spoke fluent English and were so easy to talk to. Not only did we have similar interests in science and water research, we connected on other things such as soccer. This became a recurring theme as I met the rest of the group later. I made many good friends during that short week – people I would always stay in touch with. I still remember how seven of my closest friends stayed up until 4:00 AM on the last day to see me off to the airport. I was extremely touched that they all sacrificed their sleep to say good-bye to me.

It was enlightening to learn about the diverse and unique cultures that everyone came from. I have come away with a heightened awareness of the world. All of us were constantly asking questions about each other鈥檚 country and lifestyle. People were especially curious about the U.S., and it was fun in equal measure to confirm or dispel the preconceived notions they had.

The actual competition was truly a humbling experience. The diverse research topics spanned a broad range of water-related research from scientific exploration like 鈥渘ew Antarctic water bacterial strains capable of purifying water鈥� to engineering solutions such as a 鈥渞emote-controlled helicopter capable of sensing soil moisture.鈥� I learnt a lot about scientific techniques and innovative approaches as fellow competitors patiently explained their projects to me. Since the competition is held during the 鈥淲orld Water Week鈥� conference, I had the wonderful opportunity to learn about the latest water-related research being conducted all around the world. Sometimes, people from the conference would even walk into our section of the fair and ask us about our projects simply because they were curious. It was my first experience of a professional conference, and it was fascinating to see the confluence of scientific research and industry.

As for the judging, the international jury was very knowledgeable and came from a wide variety of backgrounds. Though they did ask some challenging questions, they were not intimidating. The interview felt more like a scientific dialogue than an inquisition.

There were other incredibly unique experiences which added a special luster to the trip. I had the privilege of shaking hands with the Crown Princess of Sweden, who is the patron of the international SJWP. I also attended the Royal Stockholm Water Prize Ceremony and Banquet and ate in the same dining hall where the Nobel Award Ceremony dinner is held. I had never imagined I would get to meet a person of royalty and that I would get to dine in such distinguished surroundings and company. We were also given time to explore the beautiful city of Stockholm. I particularly enjoyed the old town and the farmers鈥� market and exploring the city of Stockholm, from parks to monuments. This was a great time to unwind and get to know everyone even better.

I did not ultimately win a prize. I would be lying if I said that this did not cause a tinge of disappointment since I thought I had done well at the judging. However, that鈥檚 all it was – a tinge – because it was trivial in comparison to the sum of the positive experiences. I know how worthy my competition was, and the trip was an amazing prize in itself. I simply wish it had lasted longer. I am very glad that I entered the Stockholm Junior Water Prize and would encourage anyone with water-related research to actively consider participating. There is a good chance that you will literally shake a Princess鈥� hand!