Sharon Chen, a junior at Durham’s North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, got to spend time at the White House Friday as one of the winners of the President’s Environmental Youth Awards.
As a sophomore at North Mecklenburg High School, Chen developed a solution to recover copper from treated wood so that both could be reused. Her project has the potential to keep millions of tons of those elements out of landfills.
She was one of 44 students and 27 teachers from across the country honored during a ceremony at the White House for outstanding contributions to environmental education and stewardship.
“These teachers and students are demonstrating the important role of environmental education, and showing how individual actions can help address climate change, protect the air we breathe, and safeguard the water we drink,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.
