Nevada student wins national radon poster contest
RENO – Reno resident and Davidson Academy student Maya Park-Weber earned the top prize in the National Radon Poster Contest after taking home first place in the Nevada Radon Poster Contest.
Park-Weber’s poster, “Radon Can Cause Lung Cancer,” earned her $1,000 for the national prize, a $75 gift card for her state prize, and a $50 gift card for classroom supplies for her teacher. She beat out winners from 15 other states in the annual competition.
This is the fifth year out of the past six that a Nevada student has placed in the top three of the national contest, according to the University of Nevada, Reno Extension’s Radon Education Program, which conducts the Nevada Radon Poster Contest each year.
The national poster contest, and its state equivalent, was developed to educate students and their families on the dangers of radon in the home and to encourage people to test their homes for radon, a radioactive, colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that comes from the ground. Radon can accumulate in homes and can cause lung cancer.
Las Vegas student Meghna Pramoda, from the Davidson Online Academy, placed second in the statewide contest with her poster, “Lurking Warning.” Canarelli Middle School’s Jamie Chu, from Las Vegas, placed third in the statewide contest for her poster, “Radon Kills.”
This year’s Nevada Radon Poster Contest had 83 entries. The winning posters were chosen by votes from personnel from University of Nevada, Reno Extension; the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources; Nevada Radon Education Program; Nevada’s radon industry; program partners; and Facebook Likes.
Free short-term radon test kits are available free to Nevadans through Feb. 28. more information is online at www.RadonNV.com.
