Along with that prestigious honor, this Southwestern Community College student won $500 cash, a $10,000, renewable for four years, Ohio Wesleyan scholarship and represented North Carolina at the event that drew participants from 38 states and 51 countries.

Southwestern Community College dual enrolled student Martha Hall of Sylva won a third-place bronze medal at the International Sustainable World Science Fair in Houston, Texas for her "green" pumping/upflow water filter.

Part of what Hall has to say is, "Let's put as much emphasis in our schools on science as we do on sports."

Science is such a broad field, said this home-schooled high school senior, who is dual enrolled in classes at SCC. "I saw projects where somebody designed new ballet shoes that are made of synthetics and don't break down when they get wet. I think applicability of science is what's really important."

Hall's project- how to construct a green filtering system- represented that applicability.

"Locally, all of the things people have done to the environment over the years hasn't impacted us as greatly as what's happened in the last three years. With a 40-inch rain deficit we are in drought conditions and we still see construction sites with no fencing to control the sediment. Our mountain streams flow orange," said Hall, daughter of Dale and Ann Hall of Sylva's Greens Creek community.

Her project addressed the issue that something must be done now to control aquacultures. She constructed a functional pumping/upflow filter using inexpensive, recycled materials.

"I used two juice barrels. Water comes into the top barrel , filling it. Then there's a PVC pipe with a cap that fills up and the pressure creates a siphon pump," she said. "Once it starts to siphon, it pressurizes the water through the upflow filter which goes through styrofoam packing peanuts and out the top of the second barrel." She designed the filter for water going directly into a stream or for surface water run off.

"It greatly reduces the particulates and chemicals going into the water and the beauty of it all is there is no electricity needed to power the pump - all the way around, it is a green project."

Hall's goal is maintain clean water and to minimize the impact on the environment.

She identifies with the ISWEEP philosophy," The world we live in today has provided a sanctuary for humanity for thousands of years. We enjoyed the abundance of our resources so far. It is clear that our methods and models for human development cannot continue indefinitely without putting a great burden on future generations. What is needed is a concerted effort by everybody to realize the enormity of the problems the world will face unless we adopt sustainable development principles."

Hall would like to see more students interested in our planet's problems and to help find practical solutions to these challenges. This summer she will assist her dad, an SCC medical laboratory technology instructor, at the CSI:West Camp he conducts for high school students.

"I especially like to talk to the girls and try and get them involved in science," she said. A member of the Franklin 4-H, she also talks to younger 4-Hers and encourages them to explore and compete in science projects. In July Hall will travel to Raleigh to receive two state 4-H Congress awards and scholarships. At this year's NC State Science and Engineering Fair she won several special awards, including the Ricoh Award for Sustainability and the American Waterworks Association Award.

In addition, she was nominated for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. "I didn't win that so I'm not going to Sweden, but just to be nominated is very prestigious," she said. Plus, with her busy schedule of SCC classes and competing in air rifle shooting competitions, Hall said she's lucky she even found time to travel to Houston last month for the International Sustainable World Science Fair.

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