A former Thames High School pupil with a passion for protecting freshwater and soil quality has won the Waikato Regional Council annual water science prize.

University of Waikato student Claire Eyberg was awarded $1,000 worth of book vouchers and had her efforts acknowledged during a full meeting of the regional council in Hamilton today.

University of Waikato student Claire Eyberg with Waikato Regional Council Chairperson Paula Southgate. Photo: WRC

The prize is awarded to students who show outstanding ability while studying Level 3 courses dealing with water in the natural environment through Waikato University's Faculty of Science and Engineering.

'Claire became increasingly interested in environmental issues and decided to begin studying environmental science, specialising in freshwater and terrestrial systems,” says the regional council.

'She is passionate about water and soil quality, ecological health, and the human impacts on these, especially from industry and agriculture. She hopes to have a career involved in assessing and mitigating such impacts.”

Claire is a part-time student at Waikato University who also currently works for water company Veolia. She will complete her degree in June of this year.