Photo – Alan Mak MP with CERN-bound Warblington student Archie Hayward
Havant MP Alan Mak backed local school pupil Archie Hayward, aged 15, as the Year 10 physics enthusiast prepares for his historic trip to CERN next month. The Warblington pupil becomes the first British teenager ever to secure work experience at the world-leading high energy particle research facility in Switzerland.
Mr Mak, who praised Archie in Parliament earlier this year as part of his appeal to protect school funding for science, engineering and technology subjects, has also put Archie’s name forward for the Portsmouth News’ Youth Awards 2016 in the “Learner of the Year” category.
Archie will shortly travel to CERN on an unprecedented two-week work experience placement. Having written a speculative letter to the facility in 2015, the Warblington pupil was hugely surprised to receive a positive response weeks later.
Archie, who is halfway through his GCSE courses, argued that it was unfair that CERN only offered work experience placements to post-graduate applicants. He hopes that his success will convince other pupils in Havant and around the country to step out of their comfort zone and take the initiative over their future careers.
Havant MP Alan Mak said it was ‘remarkable’ that Archie had successfully applied to the world-famous facility. CERN centres around a 27km hadron collider, which fires particles around at intense speed in order to replicate seismic events such as the ‘Big Bang'.
The Warblington student is hopeful that the work experience will pave the way for a future career in physical science and engineering. He also recently received the Young Physicist of the Year Award at Southampton University in recognition of his remarkable aptitude and enthusiasm.
Following their meeting, Alan Mak said: “I was delighted to meet Archie and hear about his remarkable journey from Havant to the world-famous CERN laboratory in Switzerland. He should be immensely proud of his achievement and he is an inspiration young people across Havant with an interest in science, technology and engineering.”
The Havant MP added: “Archie has his eyes set on a career in engineering, and his CERN work experience is a big step in the right direction. As local MP, I’m a strong supporter of science, engineering and technology both at school and as career choices. I hope other students will Archie’s example, and pursue study and careers in these key fields which are vital to our future economic success.”
Archie Hayward said: “It was great to meet my local MP Alan Mak, who was very supportive of my efforts to get to CERN, and to pursue an engineering course at university. I am looking forward to the trip next month, where I’ll be stationed at the Atlas Detector, helping measure particles as they collide and delving deeper into the history of our universe.”
“I’m honoured that my local MP Alan Mak has praised in Parliament and now nominated me for the Portsmouth News’ Youth Awards. The Awards are very high-profile, and I look forward to the judges verdict!”