Young Explorers touchdown in New Zealand for adventure of a lifetime
1 December 2008
Two young British science students will set down in Wellington, New Zealand today for a two-week adventure of a lifetime. James Stefaniak and Elisabeth Muller won the trip as recipients of the Royal Society International Expedition Prize after impressing judges with their BA CREST Award projects at the UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair held in London earlier this year.
The trip which is funded and arranged by the Royal Society, the UK and Commonwealth’s science academy, will see the travelers visit remote locations in New Zealand. Excursions during the trip include a visit with local scientists to the Wai-O-Tapu geothermal area, famous for its champagne pool, geysers, bubbling mud, steaming ground, expansive vistas, huge volcanic craters and sinter terrace formations. They will also take a helicopter trip to White Island, New Zealand’s only active marine volcano and perhaps the most accessible on earth. They will make visits to the Royal Society of New Zealand and to the New Zealand Ministry of Research, Science and Technology.
The prize was open to those CREST students who had undertaken a project in the natural sciences and shown a keen understanding of the procedures of good experimentation and evaluation. Winners also needed to be effective communicators and physically fit enough to be able to cope with the activities the prize demands.
Elisabeth Muller was an A-Level student at Bedford High School when she won the award in March and has since started her first term studying Earth Sciences at Oxford University. Her winning project consisted of research looking at lunar meteorites. She studied two thin sections of a lunar meteorite for 6 weeks using an electron microprobe which gave her chemical data. From this data she was able determine the mineralogy of the meteorite. She found that it was a unique low titanium unbrecciated basalt meteorite which would have come from one of the ancient magma oceans on the moon’s surface.
After completing his A-Levels at Bablake School in Coventry, James Stefaniak has gone on to study Medical Sciences at Cambridge University. James’ project investigated the safety and performance of an intense pulsed light (IPL) source device used in hair removal and skin treatments. Under the guidance of his mentor James was able to construct, calibrate and use a system of ultraviolet passband filters to measure the ultraviolet spectral content and pulse profile of a specific IPL device, the Lumenis One. Amazingly, at the time James carried out his investigation, any regulation guidelines uniquely relating to the safe manufacture and use of IPLs were still only in their draft stage.
Commenting on his project and beginning the trip to New Zealand, James Stefaniak said:
'When I heard that I had won a prize, I couldn't believe it. When I heard I was going to New Zealand, I really couldn't believe it! Now I just can't wait to begin this fantastic once in a lifetime adventure.
Best of all is the sense of personal satisfaction I have that hospital physicists will continue to use my UVR spectrometer to monitor IPL safety.'
Equally as excited as James, Elizabeth Muller added:
'I am really looking forward to this trip; it’s going to be absolutely amazing. I am certain that it will benefit my studies in Geology after my first term at University. Going to New Zealand really is fulfilling a dream. I thoroughly enjoyed my project and have benefited immensely from this taste of research. I hope to continue research full time after my degrees.'
Charlotte Thorley, the Royal Society’s Education Outreach Manager, will be accompanying the students on their trip. Remarking on the students, she said:
'Elisabeth and James are shining examples of what the UK’s next generation of scientists will look like. They are bright, enquiring and full of ideas. The Royal Society is delighted to give them a taste of the sort of adventure that a life in science can offer.'
The CREST Award scheme, run by the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science), encourages students to explore the real nature of science, technology, engineering and maths via independent project work.
To request a full copy of the expedition itinerary please contact Nicola Kane on 0207 415 2508 or nicola.kane@royalsociety.org.
You can follow James and Elizabeth’s trip at the following blog http://www.scienceblogs.org.uk/InternationalExpeditionPrize/.
Photos will be available during the trip at request.
Notes for Editors
1. The Royal Society is an independent academy promoting the natural and applied sciences. Founded in 1660, the Society has three roles, as the UK academy of science, as a learned Society, and as a funding agency. It responds to individual demand with selection by merit, not by field. As we prepare for our 350th anniversary in 2010, we are working to achieve five strategic priorities, to:
• Invest in future scientific leaders and in innovation
• Influence policymaking with the best scientific advice
• Invigorate science and mathematics education
• Increase access to the best science internationally
• Inspire an interest in the joy, wonder and excitement of scientific discovery
2. The BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) is the UK's nationwide, open membership organisation that exists to advance the public understanding, accessibility and accountability of the sciences and engineering. Established in 1831, the BA organises major initiatives across the UK, including National Science and Engineering Week, the annual BA Festival of Science, programmes of regional and local events, and an extensive programme for young people in schools and colleges. For more information about the BA, please visit www.the-ba.net.
3. The UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair 2008 took place in London on Friday 7 March, the first day of National Science and Engineering Week 2008. The event celebrated the impressive accomplishments of students aged 11-19 participating in the CREST Awards and associated schemes. Students had the opportunity to win trips to prestigious international science fairs across the globe and receive cash prizes for themselves and their schools. Over 28,000 students aged 11-19 from across the UK participated in the CREST Award Scheme in 2007. 51 projects made it to the national fair after winning at one of 12 regional finals or via selection by a scientific review committee.
4. CREST (CREativity in Science and Technology) is a project-based award scheme for secondary-age students aiming to recognise and accredit students' achievements in science, technology, engineering and maths. More information is available at www.the-ba.net/crest.
For further information contact:
Nicola Kane
Press and Public Relations
The Royal Society, London
Tel: 020 7451 2508
-ENDS-
Two young British science students will set down in Wellington, New Zealand today for a two-week adventure of a lifetime. James Stefaniak and Elisabeth Muller won the trip as recipients of the Royal Society International Expedition Prize after impressing judges with their BA CREST Award projects at the UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair held in London earlier this year.
The trip which is funded and arranged by the Royal Society, the UK and Commonwealth’s science academy, will see the travelers visit remote locations in New Zealand. Excursions during the trip include a visit with local scientists to the Wai-O-Tapu geothermal area, famous for its champagne pool, geysers, bubbling mud, steaming ground, expansive vistas, huge volcanic craters and sinter terrace formations. They will also take a helicopter trip to White Island, New Zealand’s only active marine volcano and perhaps the most accessible on earth. They will make visits to the Royal Society of New Zealand and to the New Zealand Ministry of Research, Science and Technology.
The prize was open to those CREST students who had undertaken a project in the natural sciences and shown a keen understanding of the procedures of good experimentation and evaluation. Winners also needed to be effective communicators and physically fit enough to be able to cope with the activities the prize demands.
Elisabeth Muller was an A-Level student at Bedford High School when she won the award in March and has since started her first term studying Earth Sciences at Oxford University. Her winning project consisted of research looking at lunar meteorites. She studied two thin sections of a lunar meteorite for 6 weeks using an electron microprobe which gave her chemical data. From this data she was able determine the mineralogy of the meteorite. She found that it was a unique low titanium unbrecciated basalt meteorite which would have come from one of the ancient magma oceans on the moon’s surface.
After completing his A-Levels at Bablake School in Coventry, James Stefaniak has gone on to study Medical Sciences at Cambridge University. James’ project investigated the safety and performance of an intense pulsed light (IPL) source device used in hair removal and skin treatments. Under the guidance of his mentor James was able to construct, calibrate and use a system of ultraviolet passband filters to measure the ultraviolet spectral content and pulse profile of a specific IPL device, the Lumenis One. Amazingly, at the time James carried out his investigation, any regulation guidelines uniquely relating to the safe manufacture and use of IPLs were still only in their draft stage.
Commenting on his project and beginning the trip to New Zealand, James Stefaniak said:
'When I heard that I had won a prize, I couldn't believe it. When I heard I was going to New Zealand, I really couldn't believe it! Now I just can't wait to begin this fantastic once in a lifetime adventure.
Best of all is the sense of personal satisfaction I have that hospital physicists will continue to use my UVR spectrometer to monitor IPL safety.'
Equally as excited as James, Elizabeth Muller added:
'I am really looking forward to this trip; it’s going to be absolutely amazing. I am certain that it will benefit my studies in Geology after my first term at University. Going to New Zealand really is fulfilling a dream. I thoroughly enjoyed my project and have benefited immensely from this taste of research. I hope to continue research full time after my degrees.'
Charlotte Thorley, the Royal Society’s Education Outreach Manager, will be accompanying the students on their trip. Remarking on the students, she said:
'Elisabeth and James are shining examples of what the UK’s next generation of scientists will look like. They are bright, enquiring and full of ideas. The Royal Society is delighted to give them a taste of the sort of adventure that a life in science can offer.'
The CREST Award scheme, run by the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science), encourages students to explore the real nature of science, technology, engineering and maths via independent project work.
To request a full copy of the expedition itinerary please contact Nicola Kane on 0207 415 2508 or nicola.kane@royalsociety.org.
You can follow James and Elizabeth’s trip at the following blog http://www.scienceblogs.org.uk/InternationalExpeditionPrize/.
Photos will be available during the trip at request.
Notes for Editors
1. The Royal Society is an independent academy promoting the natural and applied sciences. Founded in 1660, the Society has three roles, as the UK academy of science, as a learned Society, and as a funding agency. It responds to individual demand with selection by merit, not by field. As we prepare for our 350th anniversary in 2010, we are working to achieve five strategic priorities, to:
• Invest in future scientific leaders and in innovation
• Influence policymaking with the best scientific advice
• Invigorate science and mathematics education
• Increase access to the best science internationally
• Inspire an interest in the joy, wonder and excitement of scientific discovery
2. The BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) is the UK's nationwide, open membership organisation that exists to advance the public understanding, accessibility and accountability of the sciences and engineering. Established in 1831, the BA organises major initiatives across the UK, including National Science and Engineering Week, the annual BA Festival of Science, programmes of regional and local events, and an extensive programme for young people in schools and colleges. For more information about the BA, please visit www.the-ba.net.
3. The UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair 2008 took place in London on Friday 7 March, the first day of National Science and Engineering Week 2008. The event celebrated the impressive accomplishments of students aged 11-19 participating in the CREST Awards and associated schemes. Students had the opportunity to win trips to prestigious international science fairs across the globe and receive cash prizes for themselves and their schools. Over 28,000 students aged 11-19 from across the UK participated in the CREST Award Scheme in 2007. 51 projects made it to the national fair after winning at one of 12 regional finals or via selection by a scientific review committee.
4. CREST (CREativity in Science and Technology) is a project-based award scheme for secondary-age students aiming to recognise and accredit students' achievements in science, technology, engineering and maths. More information is available at www.the-ba.net/crest.
For further information contact:
Nicola Kane
Press and Public Relations
The Royal Society, London
Tel: 020 7451 2508
-ENDS-
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