SeaWorld Scholarship

The San Diego Oceans Foundation has been recognizing academic accomplishments for over a decade by awarding an annual $1,000 scholarship sponsored by SeaWorld. Each year SDOF selects the most outstanding marine science project at the Greater San Diego Science Fair.

Congratulations to our 2008 scholarship winner:

Michael Vredenburgh, Carlsbad High School, Grade 10.

Wastewater Treatment: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Real-time Testing

ABSTRACT

Water quality is a critical issue impacting the survival of the human race. While a test for biological oxygen demand (BOD) is the government standard, this procedure takes a week for the results. Two other wastewater tests, chemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids can be performed in real-time; however, they are not direct measures of BOD. This study evaluates whether these real-time tests are reliable surrogate measures of BOD. Eleven years of real-time and BOD data were used to evaluate the ability of real-time tests to predict BOD levels. This study also evaluated the effect of contaminates on the reliability of the real-time measures since fruit processing produces different waste products (e.g. sugars, dairy, etc.) than facilities that existing test reliability data are based on. The lab tests to evaluate contaminates were performed at the Encina Wastewater treatment plant in Carlsbad, California. As expected, the COD had a lot more variance than the BOD; in this case, more than twice as much. All three measures were correlated. TSS and COD were significant predictors of BOD, R2= .458, F(2,150)=62.54, p<.01; thus, the real-time tests were found to be good predictors of BOD levels. These findings indicate that the plant can rely on real-time measures to monitor nutrient levels as a surrogate measure of the BOD tests. However, if cleaner or bleach contaminate the water, lab testing found that TSS test is a more reliable real-time predictor of BOD; the COD lab test indicated that its reliability was affected by the cleaner and bleach contaminant. Real-time testing would reduce the amount of nutrients that enter the ocean, which serve as a fuel for eutrophication. It is important to note that the real-time measures are not direct measures of BOD; plant technicians must be trained in the relationship between the measures.

Past Recipients

2007 Conrad Wear, High tech High School
2006 Ryan Johnson, Mt. Miguel High School
2005 Sara Nettleton, High Tech High
2004 Garen Checkley, Torrey Pines High School
2003 Marwa Kaisey, La Jolla High School
2002 Virginia Dick, Pt. Loma High School
2001 Joshua Emerick, Mt. Miguel High School
2000 Sean Rodriquez, Chula Vista High School
1999 Jessica Townsend, Mt. Miguel High School
1998 Arietta Flemming-Davis, Bonita Vista High School
1997 Erika Marambio, Mt. Miguel High School
1996 Bryn Ann Moser, Bell Junior High School
1995 Juanita Martinez, Memorial Academy
1994 Andrew Schatz, Torrey Pines High School
1993 Julieanne Grant, Torrey Pines High School
1992 Amy Ito, Morse High School
1991 Edgar Gutierrez, Chula Vista High School
1990 Allen Harker, Torrey Pines High School
1989 Sara Zedler, Hoover High School