Apr 26 2013
A University of Manchester researcher has been crowned Postdoctoral winner of the Environment Agency's Pollution Challenge competition, wowing judges with his bold and innovative vision to tackle pollution.
Daniel Fitzpatrick with Lord Chris Smith
Researcher in politics Daniel Fitzpatrick, was presented with a cheque from Environment Agency Chairman Lord Chris Smith at Manchester's Lowry Hotel after pitching an attention-grabbing presentation promoting collaborative work between different organisations and boosted public participation to effectively tackle pollution.
The Environment Agency’s Pollution Challenge competition threw down the gauntlet to full-time students studying in the North to come up with bold and innovative solutions to combat water pollution coming from the urban environment, known as 'urban diffuse pollution’.
Run in partnership with the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), Pollution Challenge was launched last year on the back of one of the wettest summers on record.
Along with gaining valuable recognition and enhanced career prospects, the finalists could also get the chance to work alongside the Environment Agency to see their ideas come to life.
Paul Horton, CIWEM Director of Membership and International Development, and judge at the challenge said: “Urban diffuse pollution is an issue that continues to challenge our water and environmental managers.
“With the number of urban dwellers on the rise [more than three quarters of Europe’s citizens live in urban areas], innovative and cost-effective solutions for this type of pollution are necessary, particularly as our climate becomes increasingly variable. We are pleased to have had such an informed pool of young talent bringing a fresh eye and different way of thinking about these issues.”