Lectures from top London scientists and a visit to the lab recreating the conditions of the "Big Bang" are on the cards for a Hamilton student.
St Paul’s Collegiate’s Bethany Langton, 18, is one of six Kiwis selected by the Royal Society of NZ for an international science experience.
The group will visit CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Geneva and attend the London International Youth Science Forum in July.
CERN boasts the Large Hadron Collider – the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, which smashes particles together to recreate the conditions which would have been present just after the Big Bang.
And while Langton’s not sure if she'll get to see it, she was ecstatic when she found out she was going on the trip.
"I just couldn't believe it. I was pretty speechless for a while," she said.
Aside from the travel on the almost-month-long trip, she’s looking forward to getting lectures from "world-renowned" professors.
"That’s just pretty amazing, I think."
During their stay, the students will visit Oxford and Cambridge universities to to see some of the science research underway there.
They will also visit Stonehenge and the Natural History Museum.
After the forum they will spend three days in Paris before heading off to CERN.
The Royal Society of NZ chose the students from more than 300 applications, for their passion for science and desire to carry on studying it at university level.
Langton is thinking of studying medicine – "I really like working with people. That will combine science and people." – or biochemistry.
Student exam results and their contribution to their schools were also part of the selection process, along with testimonials from their principals, science teachers, and letters from the students themselves.
The six students attending the London International Youth Science Forum and CERN are: Saffron Huang, Macleans College, Auckland; Bethany Langton, St Paul’s Collegiate, Hamilton; Caitlin Evans, Westlake Girls' High School, Auckland; Miranda Tong, Rutherford College, Auckland; Georgia Lock, Hastings Girls' High School; and Nicholas Adams, Tauranga Boys' High School.
About 70 per cent of their trip is paid for by the Talented School Students Travel Award, which is administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand and funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Technology.
