When you have a good melodic theme , it is never too early to essay it out . That is certainly the case for 17 - year - old Cesare Mencarini , an Italian mellow school student at Cardiff Sixth Form College ’s Cambridge campus . As a project for the Extended Project Qualification , he build up a nuclear merger nuclear reactor , which not only made him reach top mark , but also allowed him to get a employment placement before university , and present his work at the Cambridge Science Festival .
The inspiration for the task came from a YouTube video and Mencarini had to teach himself electric and cod skills . The end was to create plasma hot enough to engender neutrons . Given the limitations of the design and a budget of just over $ 6,500 ( £ 5,000 ) , the pupil had to get creative . Parts of the nuclear reactor were custom - made , and the coding and control were host on a Raspberry Pi system of rules .
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“ The college was initially concerned that this project , which I have also used for my EPQ , was life-threatening , " Mencarini say in astatement . " However we did full risk of exposure assessments and the staff have been so supportive . "
" I had to adapt the design to fit in with the budget and my aim is to encourage other young people to develop ideas and suppose about how we can improve our world and be advanced . The role of the nuclear reactor is to produce the necessary conditions for fusion to take property . However , as we can not get the same force per unit area achieved by the Sun ’s own gravity here , we have to use a high voltage to get the atoms red-hot enough . "
Mencarini was able to make plasma , but he did not achieve fusion . Still , give the challenge in really reaching nuclear fusion in afull - scalenationally fund chemical reaction , get as far as he got is extremely telling . His work impressed Dr Yannick Verbelen , a senior associate from the University of Bristol , who has offer him a location for the next year to work on gravid reactor .
“ This is an extremely exciting project and has taken 1.5 geezerhood in the making , " say Dr Julian Davies , Head of Cardiff Sixth Form College Cambridge . " We want to give our pupil the chance to go on labor that matter to them as well as learn them how to legislate examination and to be gay in enabling them to take risks and modernize projects that are applicable to real life situations . Cesare has been outstanding in his work ethic and will no doubt make a significant shock on the Department of Energy industry in the future . "
Mencarini plans to quest after a degree in engineering and is propose to put on to university during his year working in Bristol .
