Science students urged to apply for London forum

The London International Youth Science Forum takes place every summer and gives students the opportunity not only to attend lectures by some of the biggest names in their field, but also to meet fellow science students from more than 70 countries, take sightseeing tours as well as visit Stonehenge, Oxford and Cambridge and perhaps take in a show or two in the West End.

This year’s key note speaker will be winner of the Nobel prize in physiology or medicine Professor James Rothman.

LIYSF is held at Imperial College London and the Royal Geographical Society with students staying in halls and having all their meals provided during the fortnight.

Island students aged from 16-21 can apply by writing a letter saying what they believe they can get out of the forum and submitting it to their school which will pass it on to the sponsors.

One of the people who has played a key role in sponsoring trips to the event is Celia Allen, who, with her husband, has provided support since 1994.

But she started supporting students while she was a teacher in the UK in 1980.

The 2020 event was cancelled due to the pandemic and last year saw only 60 of the usual 500 students able to go in person, while the rest were able to join in online.

Six students from Guernsey’s Grammar School Sixth Form Centre were among the 60 who went to London.

Among them was 17-year-old Sam Lowe, who said his main interest is in the bio-medical sciences.

‘It was really good,' he said.

‘I was exposed to a wide range of sciences like physics and chemical engineering. It made me aware of career paths I didn’t previously know about.’

Maths and physics were Leon Russell’s favoured subjects and the 18-year-old said that the lectures were more about giving a broad understanding of a subject as opposed to focusing on one aspect.

‘It was a perfect system for students trying to discover new topics.

‘I think every single discipline of science was well-represented.’

Samantha Preece, 18, said her long-term interest is in the computer sciences, which she is studying at A-level along with biology, chemistry and maths.

She said she applied for the scholarship because she thought it would be a good opportunity to learn more about the different science disciplines.

‘It helped me decide on what I wanted to do in the future.

‘It made me decide on computer science.

‘There was one lecturer who talked about how artificial intelligence can be used in medicine and heart scans.’

All three said how much they had also enjoyed meeting other science students from all over the world, and they were still in touch with their new friends.

The other students who attended were Sam Bourgaize, Daisy Dorrity and Amy Stinton.

Sixth Form Centre head of faculty Hilary Beasley said attending the forum had been inspirational for all the students who had been over the years. ‘They have had a whale of a time and all those who have gone have gained so much from it.’

She  advised all those who were interested in applying for the scholarship to research the LIYSF site to make sure that the event is what they expect it to be, before submitting a letter to Mrs Allen and the other sponsors through their school.