Pupils make science event cut

FOUR senior Otago secondary school pupils have been selected to take part in a ‘‘Powering Potential’’ science event in Wellington next month.

The pupils are Finn McKinlay, of Logan Park High School; Liam Hewson and Corey Symon, of King’s High School; and Ella Creagh, of Dunstan High School.

Royal Society Te Aparangi chief executive Andrew Cleland said the Otago pupils were among 40 top science pupils throughout the country to be selected for the Wellington event, which runs from December 10 to 13.

To be selected, each pupil was required to submit a detailed application and video, which focused on their own strengths or how they had con tributed to science in their school or community.

The pupils were of ‘‘excellent’’ calibre, and were selected because they were serious about going on to study science at tertiary level and had shown ‘‘a passion for science’’, Dr Cleland said.

Organised by the Royal Society in partnership with Freemasons New Zealand, the event will bring many of the country’s most promising science pupils together to work with a mentor, either a scientist or PhD student.

The pupils will work in groups of five with their mentor over the three days, undertaking team work and research to answer challenging questions posed by their mentors.

Each team will also outline its findings at a special presentation.