A Hamilton student has won a travel award to attend an international science forum in London and visit the lab in Geneva where one of the building blocks of the universe was discovered.
Thanks to his academic achievements and passion for science, Christopher Whiteley, from St Paul’s Collegiate School, won the Talented School Students' Travel Award which will help fund his trip.
St Paul’s acting headmaster, Peter Hampton, described the 16 year old as, "supremely confident" and "extremely intelligent". In fact, Chris is so gifted that he has an individualised programme allowing him to pursue his passion for science, mathematics and music.
His latest award will means Chris can become a scientist for a day at CERN, the laboratory that discovered the Higgs Boson, or the "God particle" which scientists believe is crucial in allowing other particles to join together, slow down and create atoms.
It could explain how the Big Bang created something out of nothing but, according to Chris, only a handful of scientists truly understand it – and he hopes to meet them.
Chris, who also plays piano and enjoys opera singing, originally started out specialising in maths, but found science to be more applicable in everyday life.
He described CERN’s work with cancer research as "quite phenomonal", and something he would like to be a part of, though he has a particular interest in physics.
"Something I am quite interested in is the way that particles interact and that’s what they do, so it’s very exciting," he said. "Their work with the God particle is something no-one really seems to understand so it’s a great learning opportunity, and to meet more people from around the world."
Chris completed both NCEA level two and three with excellence in year 12, and will be completing his year 13 studies by taking on six scholarship examinations. In year 11, he achieved 92 per cent in Cambridge music and physics and 89 per cent in chemistry, and gained scholarship calculus in years 11 and 12.
The award, funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand, will fund 80 per cent of Chris' trip in July.
