A boy aged only 13 years has succeeded in creating a functional nuclear fusion plant. He has become the youngest apprentice scientist in the world to achieve this feat. We tell you his incredible story.
Jamie Edwards, is a student at the British School Penwortham Priory Academy. He is nicknamed as “amateur nuclear scientist.” While other kids of his age spend time playing sports or video games, Jamie prefers to stay late at school to work on his project of creating the control panel for his nuclear fusion reactor. He just got his way and become the youngest scientist to achieve fusion, surpassing the former 14 year old record holder.
Last year, Jamie had made a request to his school for funds to support his idea of a nuclear reactor. He managed to collect just over 2400 euros to launch the project. It is not common for a student to ask for money to engage in an experiment such as this. To build this fusion plant, Jamie had ordered a vacuum chamber, an air pump, tungsten wire, aluminum rods and various accessories such as valves. One of the most complicated parts of his work is to identify and seal air gaps in his room. The boy also had to attend a training on the safety from radioactivity.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7iCPdbBGpM[/youtube]
Jamie has created a blog about the progress of his project. Teachers became worried when they saw a container of deuterium (heavy hydrogen), delivered to the school, but that went well. The ultimate goal of the young scientist was to smash two hydrogen atoms against each and as a result, create helium via a reaction called nuclear fusion. He succeeded in achieving this task and thus created a nuclear fusion reactor.The experience was even filmed by BBC News. The boy was thrilled.
We are really impressed by the skills and knowledge of Jamie and we hope he will accomplish great things in the future. This student can be a source of inspiration for all the other children who are full of ideas but struggle to put them into practice. Do you think we should accompany children in their projects from an early age or it is better for them to focus on their education?