Let's hear it for the kids!

From CNN.com...

Teen's discovery could save millions of lives

E. coli poisoning is a huge problem in Third World countries, mostly due to poor sanitation. Millions of kids die every year from the severe diarrhea it causes. There is no quick cure, because most available shots require refrigeration.

For years, scientists have been working to find what can kill E. coli. Well, finally, someone found it. It turns out there is a good bacteria in yogurt that secretes a protein that kills E. coli. We know this now because a very smart, hard-working researcher discovered it...at the ripe old age of 13.

Serena Fasano, now 16 years old, earned a patent recently on her discovery, so we thought we'd interview her on "360." We learned Serena has spent countless hours of her free time in a lab and that she's very, very bright. She's also a normal high school kid with lots of friends. Yet, this "normal" kid's after-school activities could soon save the lives of millions of children.

What were you doing during your teen years? Actually, don't answer that. Better question is -- were you in a lab every day after school and on weekends looking for medical discoveries? Exactly.

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From CBC News...

Students invent natural way to purify polluted water

HALIFAX - Scallop shells can be used to clean up polluted water, three teenagers in Halifax have discovered.

James Beaton-Johnson, Elias Fares and Amy Trottier began their award-winning research as Grade 12 students. They say the shells can be used to clean up contaminated rivers, lakes and even Halifax Harbour. The trio got the idea from a documentary about a Japanese fish farmer who tossed oyster shells into a pond and found it cleared the dirty water.

The students at J.L. Ilsley high school began experimenting with scallop shells immersed in dirty dish water. The water cleared in 24 hours.

Elias Fares, James Beaton-Johnson and Amy Trottier claimed second prize in the Aventis Biotech ChallengeCourtesy: BioNova The students then used their inexpensive, user-friendly method to improve the water quality on the MacIntosh Run, a river flowing through their school property.

They discovered the shells' shape and chemical makeup neutralizes pH and also helps filter out coliform bacteria, sediment and heavy metals.

Researchers at the National Research Council's Institute for Marine Biosciences say they don't know of anyone else doing similar research. The project has already won prizes at three science fairs.

Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly was so impressed with the students' research that he offered them summer jobs testing their method on the municipal water system. Their method successfully cleaned the water.

Next week, they'll present their project at the World Youth Parliament for Water in Quebec City. The conference brings together 100 teens from 30 countries to reflect on water management.

The students have applied to patent their water-cleaning method, and they are writing up their findings for a scientific journal. All three plan to study science at university.