Local teenager Matthew Alger has been awarded a scholarship to attend the prestigious 2011 International Science School. The 15-year-old Year 11 student at Port Macquarie High School will attend the Professor Harry Messel International Science School – the flagship of the Science Foundation for Physics and is run at the University of Sydney. The International Science School is a biennial science educational program that honours excellence in talented Years 11 and 12 students and encourages them to pursue careers in science. Around 145 International Science School scholars attend from Australia, China, Japan, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, UK and the USA. It’s a unique opportunity for senior secondary school students to meet scientists working in diverse areas, not only from within the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney, but from all over the world. The theme for ISS2011 is Light & Matter. Matthew attended Melbourne’s Monash University in January this year for the Biology summer school, where a one-year university course was completed in two weeks. As well as studying Year 11 at Port Macquarie High this year, Matthew is undertaking a “Pathways to University” unit in Psychology at the University of New England via distance education. He completed his HSC in Biology last year.
