Click photo to enlarge
University of Otago physics honours student Jonathan Squire
is a recipient of the 2010 International Fulbright Science
and Technology Award. Photo by Craig Baxter.
Concern over climate change has prompted Jonathan Squire
to think nuclear - with the 21-year-old awarded a Fulbright
scholarship to research solving the world's energy needs.
The University of Otago physics honours student has been
selected from 150 nominees from 76 countries for the 2010
International Fulbright Science and Technology Awards.
Mr Squire said the award, which includes air fares, tuition
fees and a stipend, will enable him to complete a five-year
PhD at a leading American academic institution - preferably
Princeton University or MIT.
Both universities had graduate programmes in the area of
nuclear fusion research - which promises to revolutionise the
way people produce power and help in the battle against
climate change, he said.
"It has the potential to solve our energy needs."
Nuclear fusion differed from conventional nuclear power
generation in that it was cleaner, sustainable and not
resource dependent.
However, research into nuclear fusion - a process where the
nuclei of atoms are fused together to produce energy -
required complex research and it could be decades before it
was commercially available, he said.
While no experiments on fusion power were being conducted in
New Zealand, the technology could be adapted for use here in
the future.
Mr Squire said he was looking forward to living in the United
States after spending several months there as a child.
He planned to use the opportunity to further his other
interests - climbing and playing the cello.
