World Report: November 9, 2007 Vol. #13 Iss. #10

The Raining Champion

For Erik Gustafson, 11, when it rains, it pours. The sixth grader from Cortland, New York, is the youngest winner of the 2007 Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge, for his project on acid rain. For months, Erik measured the acidity levels in the stream behind his house. He found that rainfall increased the water's acid content, which can be harmful to wildlife. The budding scientist won a $20,000 scholarship. "This is beyond my wildest dreams," he told TFK.