Pupils from St John\u2019s College and Barnato Park High School in Johannesburg have teamed up to win the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN) Beamline for Schools Competition 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccelerating Africa\u201d\u201a the winning South African team\u201a was a collaboration between boys in grade 11 from both schools.<\/p>\n
Inspired by 2015 being named the International Year of Light by the United Nations\u201a their project involves producing high-energy gamma rays using a crystalline undulator.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an incredible achievement for South Africa\u201a St John\u2019s College\u201a Barnato Park High School and the students involved\u201a\u201d Colleen Henning\u201a HOD Science at St John\u2019s College\u201a said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are extremely grateful to CERN for this opportunity for ourselves and our country. We hope that winning this competition may inspire students all over South Africa to believe in themselves and become the next generation of scientists.\u201d<\/p>\n
CERN is best-known for its Large Hadron Collider (at 27km\u201a the world’s largest particle accelerator) and finding the Higgs boson.<\/p>\n
It runs the Beamline for Schools Competition\u201a which makes a fully equipped beamline (a beam of accelerated particles along a specific path of an accelerator facility) available for high school students to conduct an experiment in the same way that researchers do at the Large Hadron Collider and other CERN facilities.<\/p>\n
In proposals of fewer than 1000 words\u201a teams had to explain why they wanted to visit CERN\u201a what they hoped to take away from the experience and give initial thoughts on how they would use the particle beam for their experiment.<\/p>\n
They also had to summarise their written proposal in a creative and entertaining video.<\/p>\n
A total of 119 teams entered the competition\u201a totalling 1050 high school pupils from around the world.<\/p>\n
Teams of CERN scientists then evaluated proposals based on creativity\u201a motivation\u201a feasibility and scientific method. After two rounds of evaluation\u201a 13 teams were highly commended and put forward for final selection by an official CERN committee that assigns beam time to experiments.<\/p>\n
In Geneva earlier this month\u201a CERN announced that two teams had been selected to travel to CERN in September to carry out their own experiments using a CERN accelerator beam.<\/p>\n
South Africa\u2019s Accelerating Africa team will be joined in Geneva by the Leo4G team from Liceo Scientifico Leonardo da Vinci School in Florence\u201a Italy.<\/p>\n
The costs of the 20 pupils (10 from South Africa and 10 from Italy) will be sponsored by the CERN.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first heard the good news I was ecstatic\u201a my hands where shaking and my heart was beating faster than usual. I could not believe that such an amazing opportunity has been blessed to me.”<\/p>\n
“I\u2019ve always wanted to pursue a career in Physics or Engineering and winning this amazing competition has brought me closer to my dreams. I’ve always wanted to travel abroad as I have never been overseas nor have I been in an airplane.”<\/p>\n
“I’m truly thankful for this opportunity given to me and I know that I will take it with my two bare hands and not let go of it\u201a\u201d said pupil Malaika Elliot Motsoai\u201a from Barnato Park High School<\/p>\n
\u201cThis opportunity that we have been presented with\u201a will not only allow us to enjoy a once in a lifetime experience\u201a but has also given us the chance to show the world and our fellow South African students that with hard work and determination almost anything is possible\u201a\u201d added Fayadh Haffejee\u201a from St John’s College.<\/p>\n
The joint St John\u2019s College and Barnato Park High School team is led by the St John\u2019s College Head of Department\u201a Science: Dr Colleen Henning. Prof Simon Connell of the University of Johannesburg has provided support in the proposal development and the student training.<\/p>\n
The 13 teams that were given the status of highly commended are:<\/p>\n
The winning team members are: Quintus Kilbourn\u201a Antonio Osato\u201a Connor Mercer\u201a Michael Copeland\u201a Fayadh Haffejee\u201a Brandon MacKenzie\u201a Connor Williamson and Dutliff Boshoff from St John\u2019s College. Malaika Motsoai and Professor Godlo from Barnato Park High School.<\/p>\n
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