Nigerian teenager, Steven Udotong, has invented a nuclear energy fusor, making him the first black student to attain such feat.
A fusor is a device that uses an electric field to heat ions to suitable condition for nuclear fusion.The machine generates an electric potential difference between two metal cages inside a vacuum.
Udotong, a 16-year-old high school junior in Southern New Jersey,
in an interview on blavity.com, expressed the hope that his invention
would inspire a cleaner, more environmentally-friendly future for all.
To achieve the feat, Udotong created a GoFundMe page to raise 1,500 dollars for supplies, a goal he achieved in just one month.
He said “I grew curious after we flew by the topic of nuclear
energy in my chemistry class last year. I decided to do more research
and I soon learned that I could actually make a nuclear fusor.
“That sparked my interest. I want people to know that there are alternate methods for obtaining power and energy.
“I want to examine more clean energy products and stop the fear
of the word “nuclear,” Steven shared in an interview on The Well,
Jopwell’s Digital Magazine, with his older brother, Emmanuel, a computer
science student at Princeton University. Nuclear energy is a lot safer
than people think,” he added.
This past summer, Steven was accepted into Yale Young Global
Scholar Programme, which allowed him to pursue the engineering workshop
at the Singapore campus.
He was one of three students from New Jersey to attend the
workshop. He said that he realised he could be the first black student
to build a nuclear reactor.
He added that “I was motivated because I knew that there were
many other ways for minorities to pursue success. Sports and music were
not the only avenues for us.
“There’s room for us. There’s a need for us to participate in
academia, business, art, law, medicine, and yes, nuclear energy. I hope
this project will become an example of academic excellence as vehicle of
accomplishment for black students.”
The first part of Udotong’s invention was done but he still needed to raise money to complete it.
He added that when he was done with that, he planned to enter it in
science fairs and competitions for a chance to pursue scholarship
opportunities.
His ultimate goal, he said, was to start a conversation on state
and federal level, about more serious action toward adopting alternative
energy sources.
-NAN
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