Taylor Wilson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Taylor Wilson
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Wilson in 2016
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| Born | May 7, 1994 Texarkana, Arkansas, United States
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| Occupation | Nuclear science |
| Awards | Thiel Fellowship |
Taylor Wilson, born on May 7, 1994, is an American scientist who studies nuclear physics. He is also a big supporter of science. When he was just 14 years old, Taylor successfully created controlled nuclear fusion. This is a process that releases a lot of energy, similar to how the sun works. He also designed a small device to find radiation, which can make airports safer. Taylor is also working on new ways to use nuclear science in medicine and to build small, safe power reactors.
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Early Life and Learning
Taylor Wilson was born in 1994 in Texarkana, Arkansas. His parents are Kenneth and Tiffany Wilson. His dad owned a Coca-Cola bottling plant. His mom taught yoga.
When he was younger, Taylor was very interested in rockets and space science. But by age 10, he became fascinated with nuclear science. His parents always supported his scientific interests. Today, he lives in Reno, Nevada.
In June 2012, Taylor Wilson received a special award called the Thiel Fellowship. This fellowship gives young people $100,000 over two years. The idea is for them to skip college during this time. Instead, they focus on their own big ideas and projects. In 2017, Taylor joined the Helena Group. This is a group of smart people who work on projects to make the world better.
Amazing Science Projects
Creating Fusion Energy
In 2008, Taylor Wilson achieved something amazing. He created nuclear fusion in his own lab. This process made temperatures 40 times hotter than the sun! He used a special device called an inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) device. This device is a type of fusor, which was first invented by Philo T. Farnsworth in 1964.
Detecting Radiation
In May 2010, Taylor entered the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. This is a big science competition for young people. He won several awards for his project. It was about finding special gamma radiation. This radiation helps detect dangerous nuclear materials.
In May 2011, Taylor entered the same science fair again. This time, he showed his new radiation detector. He competed against 1,500 other young scientists. He won a US$50,000 award! His project was called "Countering Nuclear Terrorism." It focused on new ways to find nuclear threats. He won first place in Physics and Astronomy. He also won the Intel Young Scientist Award. Taylor hopes his devices can be used at US ports to help stop terrorism.
The US government has even offered Taylor funding. This money would help him research and build inexpensive Cherenkov radiation detectors.
Designing Fission Reactors
On February 27, 2013, Taylor spoke at a TED conference. He shared his ideas about building small, safe nuclear fission reactors. These reactors would be built underground. They would use special uranium and plutonium from old nuclear weapons as fuel. This idea could provide clean energy and help get rid of dangerous materials.
See also
In Spanish: Taylor Wilson para niños
- David Hahn
- Richard Handl
- Megatons to Megawatts
