Nigerian
teenager, Steven Udotong, who invented a nuclear energy fusor.
Nigerian
teenager, Steven Udotong, has invented a nuclear energy fusor, making him the
first black student to attain such feat.
A fusor is a
device that uses an electric field to heat ions to suitable condition for
nuclear fusion.
The machine
generates an electric potential difference between two metal cages inside a
vacuum.
Udotong, a
16-year-old high school junior in Southern New Jersey, in an interview on
blavity.com, expressed the hope that his invention would inspire a cleaner,
more environmentally-friendly future for all.
To achieve the
feat, Udotong created a GoFundMe page to raise 1,500 dollars for supplies, a
goal he achieved in just one month.
He said “I grew
curious after we flew by the topic of nuclear energy in my chemistry class last
year. I decided to do more research and I soon learned that I could actually
make a nuclear fusor.
“That sparked my
interest. I want people to know that there are alternate methods for obtaining
power and energy.
“I want to
examine more clean energy products and stop the fear of the word “nuclear,”
Steven shared in an interview on The Well, Jopwell’s Digital Magazine, with his
older brother, Emmanuel, a computer science student at Princeton University.
“Nuclear energy
is a lot safer than people think,” he added.
This past summer,
Steven was accepted into Yale Young Global Scholar Programme, which allowed him
to pursue the engineering workshop at the Singapore campus.
He was one of
three students from New Jersey to attend the workshop.
He said that he
realised he could be the first black student to build a nuclear reactor.
He added that “I
was motivated because I knew that there were many other
ways for
minorities to pursue success. Sports and music were not the only avenues for
us.
“There’s room for
us. There’s a need for us to participate in academia, business, art, law,
medicine, and yes, nuclear energy.
“I hope this
project will become an example of academic excellence as vehicle of
accomplishment for black students.”
The first part of
Udotong’s invention was done but he still needed to raise money to complete it.
He added that
when he was done with that, he planned to enter it in science fairs and
competitions for a chance to pursue scholarship opportunities.
His ultimate
goal, he said, was to start a conversation on state and federal level, about
more serious action toward adopting alternative energy sources.
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