Broward teen and Pine Crest Senior Class President Wendi Oppenheim wins Silver Knight Award for BPA Research from the Miami Herald
After finding an old water bottle in her family’s car, Wendi wondered why it smelled and whether it was safe. First, she convinced the University of Miami’s chemistry department to let her conduct summer research using their ultraviolet spectrometer, then she continued the work at her school. She found that heating plastic bottles, specifically baby bottles, can leach eight times the allowed levels of the chemical bisphenol A. Wendi compiled a 422-page summary and launched an effort to enact bans. She appeared before the Broward County Commission and the Broward League of Cities, and this summer, she will be interning for New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg in Washington, D.C. A fencer, Wendi was also the president of Pine Crest’s student government.
State’s Wendi Oppenheim of Southwest Ranches Also Honored During Four-Day Celebration, With Tribute from Academy Award-Winning Actress Susan Sarandon
Rachel Wheeler, 11, of Lighthouse Point, Fla., was named one of America’s top ten youth volunteers for 2011 in a ceremony today at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, winning a national Prudential Spirit of Community Award for her outstanding volunteer service. Selected from a field of more than 29,000 participants across the country, she received a personal award of $5,000, an engraved gold medallion, a crystal trophy for her school, and a $5,000 grant from The Prudential Foundation for the nonprofit charitable organization of her choice.
Wendi Oppenheim, South Florida teen and Pine Crest senior takes recognized Bisphenol-A (BPA) research to the Broward County League of Cities; argues for passage of The Broward County Toxin Free Toddlers and Baby Act
Fort Lauderdale, FL – Broward County seems to have a bottleneck when it comes to passing health and safety legislation, says Wendi Oppenheim, a high school senior who is passionately advocating to protect the children of South Florida from the dangerous chemical Bisphenol-A, or BPA. Research shows that BPA causes negative health effects including cancer, obesity, diabetes and reproductive health issues.
Wendi Oppenheim is a high school junior at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, FL. She is President- Elect for the 2010-2011 school year and is currently serving as Student Council Vice President. Wendi has served as co-Photo Editor of the school’s yearbook and is a member of the Beta Club Honor Society. She is a 2010 recipient of Time Magazine Bentley College’s Tomorrow 25 Leadership Award, recognized as an All American Scholar Athlete by the United States Fencing Association, a Nestle Very Best in Youth Finalist, and an Ashoka’s Youth Venture Ambassador.
Oppenheim is President and Co-Founder of The Opp-Guide, a non-profit Web site community designed to help high school students in the tri-county area find and rate community service opportunities based on their interests. She also enjoys photography, fencing, social media, computer graphics, traveling and skiing.
