Eighth-grader Brandon Koyama from Carson Valley Middle School in Gardnerville placed in the top 10 in the National Radon Poster Contest, after his entry took first place in the Nevada Radon Poster Contest.Koyoma received a plaque and $100 for placing in the top 10 in the National Radon Poster Contest, sponsored by Kansas State University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, Koyoma will receive $75 for taking first place in Nevada’s poster contest. His teacher, Lin Falkner, will also receive $60 for the first place honors to use for classroom supplies.
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.
Koyoma and the other winners in the Nevada Radon Poster Contest, and their teachers, will receive award checks and certificates at ceremonies in their communities over the next two months. Other winners in the statewide contest, and their teachers, include:
- Second Place: Eighth-graders Jayden Shaw and Haley Doughty from Carson Valley Middle School tied, each winning $60. Their teacher, Falkner, will receive $90 for supplies for both entries.
- Third Place: Eighth-grader Sergio Saucedo Reys from Roy Martin Middle School in Las Vegas took third, winning $45. His teacher, Martin Slavich, will receive $30 for supplies.
- Fourth Place: Eighth-grader Denver McGill from Carson Valley Middle School took fourth, winning $25.
- Fifth Place: Seventh-grader Bianca Ayala from Pershing County Middle School in Lovelock took fifth, also winning $25.
The poster contest awards ceremonies will take place after radon presentations on Jan. 12, at 6 p.m., at the Pershing County Community Center, 820 Sixth St. in Lovelock; on Jan. 29, at 6 p.m., at the CVIC Hall, 1604 Esmeralda Ave. in Minden; and on Feb. 9, at 6 p.m., at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road in Las Vegas.
This is the sixth year that the Nevada Radon Education Program has participated in the Radon Poster Contest that is open to children, ages 9 to 14. The 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.
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 and representatives from the Nevada Radon Education Program.
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. The program has been working to raise awareness of the dangers of radon in the home since 2007. Since 2008, the program has distributed radon test kits and more than 18,000 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).
