Science Forum takes Powell to London, Paris, Geneva

As a result of her first-place finishes at science fairs held earlier in the summer, Kira Powell was eligible to join 10 other high school students from all parts of the United States who attended the London International Youth Science Forum, which focussed this year on the Science of the Seas. It was held at the South Kensington campus of Imperial College in central London from July 27 to August 10. The group of American students arrived in London on July 28, accompanied by their chaperones, women from the Office of Naval Research.

Approximately 300 students aged 17 to 21 from more than 50 countries live together for two weeks in an international community, exchanging ideas and experiences of the world “to fulfill the aim of the Science Forum: to give a greater insight into science and its application for the benefit of all mankind,” says the Forum’s website.

The students lived in the London University Halls of Residence, where meals are provided and free travel is arranged for all scientific visits and events on the program.

Participants attend lectures and demonstrations given by leading scientists; engage in seminars, debates and discussions on scientific topics of worldwide concern; visit industrial sites and research facilities, the academic research centers in London, Oxford and Cambridge, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum; engage in social activities, including discos, inter-hall competitions, a fun-filled international cabaret and an evening sing-a-long.

Also offered are optional sightseeing tours of London, Stonehenge and Salisbury, Windsor and Hampton Court and visits to shows in London’s West End theater district.

Kira said that some of the highlights of the Forum were listening to speakers from all over the world, touring the research facilities and labs, visiting Stonehenge, the National Oceanic Center in Southampton, formerly the port from which the Titanic sailed, and the surgical theater at a London hospital. She also added a separate optional trip to Paris and Geneva.

After some sightseeing in Paris, she and the other students who opted to take the trip went on to Geneva, Switzerland, and took a tour of the CERN facility which operates the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. CERN, as readers of Dan Brown’s “Angels and Demons” might remember and as scientists already know, created the World Wide Web.

The Forum is not a competition but rather a reward for students around the world who have shown an interest in and and aptitude for scientific inquiry. Students nevertheless brought their poster-boards for an evening dedicated to sharing their research with one another.

As she enters her senior year in high school, Kira says she will continue working on additional aspects of her research project on a moisture-retaining polymer that shows promise as an aid to dryland farmers. At one point, she considered an alternative engineering project, but has since found her time too limited to embark on a completely new endeavor. There are a couple of additional competitions this fall that she is interested in, and she is in the process of sending in applications.

After an extremely busy summer of competing in science fairs, working as a lifeguard at the pool, traveling overseas and preparing for the fall volleyball season, she is likely to have an even busier senior year.