Students’ water purification system takes first place

A group primarily composed of Laguna Beach High School students took first place out of six teams for its design of a solar-powered water purification system at the TedX Teen Challenge last weekend at Soka University in Aliso Viejo.

Laguna Beach High seniors Aviva Meyers, Andrew Couse, Nolan Gunsolley, Grant Barton and Charlotte Andrews, along with Laguna Hills High junior Jeremy Sogo, earned the most votes from the public for their project, which uses ultraviolet light, hydrogen peroxide and heat to kill microbial life in infected water.

The students, who are a part of instructor Steve Sogo’s Advanced Chemical Research class, began meeting last summer and will work throughout the year to build the project, Andrews said.

The group plans to bring clean water to third-world nations, beginning with Oloolaimutia Elementary School in Masai Mara, Kenya.

Nine hours of direct sunlight is enough to disinfect 40 liters of water, according to a project description.

For their project, Sage Hill School students Rebecca Fudge, Amir Soleimany and Claire Goul developed and assembled free laboratory science kits for students in schools with insufficient resources.

TedX volunteers selected the six finalists, which also included a plan to teach computer coding to inner-city students and a 19-year-old Riverside City College student who developed an edible water bottle.

TedX Teen Challenge, open to students ages 13 to 19 who live in Orange County, is an annual contest organized by TedX Orange Coast which fosters talent in the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM).