the-BA : ISEF results 2007

Holly Batchelor, 17, from the Mary Erskine School, Edinburgh has won an impressive three prizes at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) that took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Holly was the 2007 BA CREST Award winner, giving her the chance to represent the UK at ISEF against 1,500 of the brightest and most talented youngsters around the world. All students there were winners from a national science fair, in Holly’s case this was the BA CREST Science Fair organised by the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) in February.

At ISEF, Holly won the First Award in the Physics and Astronomy Category (this included $3000 prize money and having an asteroid named after her), an Agilent Technologies paid Summer Internship, and a Certificate of Honourable Merit from the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Physical Society.

Commenting on her achievement, Holly said: 'I thought that so many of the other finalists’ projects were absolutely amazing, so when listening to the ascending role-call of winners, I couldn’t believe my ears when they called out my name. Even though the noise in the auditorium was deafening, I could still hear the screams of my chaperones from the BA. More than the prize money, I love the idea of having my name in space forever - it’s a huge privilege – I don’t think it’s sunk in yet!'

Holly had to present her project, which investigated cosmic rays – high energy particles that travel close to the speed of light, to no fewer than 12 judges for a gruelling duration of 15 minutes per judge. She was commended for her enthusiasm of her subject, her fantastic communication skills and the wide applications of her project. Holly's project can be seen on YouTube here.

Sharmila Banerjee, Young People's Programme Manager at the BA, which runs the BA CREST Awards said: 'We are very proud of Holly and delighted that her CREST project has allowed her to be part of such an exciting international event. Her success highlights the talent and creativity of our young scientists and engineers.'

The BA would like to thank Intel for sponsoring the trip to the International Science and Engineering Fair, and AstraZeneca and Research Councils UK for their sponsorship of CREST.

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