Carson Valley student places first in National Radon Poster Contest

Carson Valley Middle School eighth-grader Jacob Pipho, from Carson City, placed first in the National Radon Poster Contest, after taking home first place in the Nevada Radon Poster Contest. He competed against student winners from several other states and will receive $1,000 for his poster, “The Element of Surprise.”

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Radon Education Program conducts the Nevada Radon Poster Contest each year to educate students and their families on the dangers of radon in the home, and to encourage Nevadans 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. Free test kits are available at Cooperative Extension offices and partner locations throughout the state until the end of February.

In addition to $1,000, Pipho will receive $75 for placing first in the statewide contest. His teacher, Lin Falkner, will receive $50 for classroom supplies. This is the second time that one of Falkner’s students has won the National Radon Poster Contest, with former student Chris Rowe winning in 2016.

Eighth-grader Audrey Ruckman, also from Carson Valley Middle School, placed third in the statewide contest with her poster, “Space Test.” She will receive $45, and her teacher, Michelle Norris, will receive $20 for classroom supplies, which she has chosen to donate back to the Radon Education Program. The Carson Valley student winners and their teachers will receive their awards following an educational presentation on the dangers of radon at 6 p.m., Feb. 8 at CVIC, 1604 Esmeralda Ave. in Minden.

Amaya Wilson, from Silverland Middle School in Fernley, placed second in the Nevada contest with her poster, “Radon is Deadly.” She and her teacher, Megan Holmes were recognized at the Jan. 3 Fernley City Council meeting. Wilson will receive $60, and Holmes will receive $35 for classroom supplies.

The National Radon Poster Contest is cosponsored by the American Lung Association and the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The American Lung Association provides $1,500 in prize money for the three winning posters.

This is the ninth year that the Nevada Radon Education Program has held the Nevada Radon Poster Contest, open to children ages 9 to 14, which determines the state winner who is then allowed to compete in the national contest. The Nevada contest is sponsored by the Nevada Radon Education Program, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

This year’s Nevada Radon Poster Contest had 131 entries. Posters were judged on accuracy of information, visual communication of the topic, reproducibility and originality. Voting for the contest took place on the Nevada Radon Education’s Facebook page; and by polling of Cooperative Extension faculty and staff, representatives from the Radiation Control Program of the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, Nevada radon industry professionals, representatives from the Nevada Radon Education Program, and other stakeholders.

The Nevada Radon Education Program is a program of University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and is funded by the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. Since the program began in 2007, more than 26,000 homes have been tested in Nevada.

For more information, visit the Nevada Radon Education Program website at www.RadonNV.com, or call the Radon Hotline at 888-RADON10 (888-723-6610).

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension is the unit of the University of Nevada, Reno that is engaged in Nevada communities, presenting research-based knowledge to address critical community needs. It is a county-state-federal partnership providing practical education to people, businesses and communities. For more information on its programs, visit www.unce.unr.edu.

Nevada’s land-grant university founded in 1874, the University of Nevada, Reno ranks in the top tier of best national universities by U.S. News and World Report and is steadily growing in enrollment, excellence and reputation. The University serves more than 22,000 students. Part of the Nevada System of Higher Education, the University is home to the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and Wolf Pack Athletics. Through a commitment to world-improving research, student success and outreach benefiting the communities and businesses of Nevada, the University has impact across the state and around the world. For more information, visit www.unr.edu.