B.C. girl wins in NASA essay competition

A Canadian high school student has taken first place in an international essay competition held by NASA.

Emma Peterson of Burnsview Secondary School in Delta, B.C., placed first in the international individual awards category for her essay about air transportation in the year 2057. The top U.S. student who won individual honours was Sarah Vaden of Roanoke, Va.

The contest — mounted by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration in a bid to inspire what they hope will be the next generation of engineers, scientists and astronauts — asked students in the United States and abroad to imagine living and working 50 years in the future.

They were to write an original essay describing how air and space transportation had changed as a result of the successful implementation of new technologies.
International award winners received trophies and certificates while U.S. winners also received $1,000 US.

About 90 entries from seven countries were judged by a team of 24 NASA scientists and engineers. Yashraj Khaitan and Ketan Sharma, both from India, took the second and third spots in the category Peterson won.

Congratulations Emma!!