Brian Shell, P.E., blogs about how the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition has impacted his life and career.
It was such a thrill to attend the Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition in Charlotte, N.C., last month, and it reminded me of the time in June 2007 when my parents, science teacher, and I traveled to Scottsdale, Ariz. for a very hot few days. Although, as we were frequently reminded, it was “a dry heat”. It would have been impossible at that time for me to predict just how much those hot days in Scottsdale for the SJWP would mean to my life and career.
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize is the most prestigious research competition for high school students in the water realm. In the U.S., WEF runs the competition to select the student who will represent our nation at the international competition held at the end of each summer in Stockholm, Sweden. There students from many nations gather to present their work, and the final award is presented by the Crown Princess of Sweden. It’s truly an amazing program, made possible by the donation of time and resources from our sponsors, judges, WEF staff, and countless other volunteers.
The experience in Scottsdale was truly transformative for me. It was here that I was first introduced to water as a career option. I remember the coach that myself and a handful of other students were assigned well: a young engineer at Malcom Pirnie, I learned from him about his job and realized it might be a good option for me. Although I didn’t receive one of the top awards at the competition, when I returned home WEF contacted me to let me know they wanted to publish my research paper in their journal. The peer review process was exciting and eye-opening as I was also very interested in continuing my research in college.
Brian Shell with his Stockholm Junior Water Prize project in 2007.
Skipping ahead a bit, I ultimately was offered a full merit scholarship to the Johns Hopkins University. The criteria for this scholarship included that the student must have nationally published research, and I satisfied this because of SJWP. My contacts at Hopkins introduced me to my first internship in consulting, and nearly 8 years later I’m still in this industry and enjoying the challenge every day. In my role as part of WSP’s advisory services practice we blend problem solving, communications, and technical acumen – a set of skills that I started developing with the Stockholm Junior Water Prize.
For more information about the U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize, including available sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.wef.org/sjwp .
Brian Shell is a senior technical principal and consultant with WSP’s alternative delivery advisory practice located in the Baltimore, MD office. He is a licensed professional engineer with a technical background that spans most realms of infrastructure including facility/asset management, water, alternative energy, and transportation projects. In water, HIs focus has been on funding and financing feasibility especially public-private partnerships.